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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2021/2022

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Social and Political Science : Postgrad (School of Social and Political Studies)

Postgraduate Course: The Middle East in International Relations (PGSP11275)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Social and Political Science CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThe main aims of this course are to: 1) provide substantive knowledge on the international relations of the Middle East (ME); 2) familiarise students with International Relations theories and their applicability to the ME; and 3) familiarise students with the foreign policies of states and non-state actors in the Middle East. The course divides will provide an an introduction to the ME and a historical examination of the origins of the state and state-system in the ME. It will examine the main theoretical approaches and conceptual tools relating to the study of ME International Relations.
Course description The course aims to give students a thorough grounding the contemporary international relations of the Middle East, integrated with historical understanding and a critical grasp of the relevant debates in IR theory as a sub-discipline of social science. While providing an in-depth understanding of the particular themes and events that distinguish the Middle East, the course will also set these within the context of transformations at the level of global politics and the Global South: a central aim of the course is for students to understand Middle East IR not just as foreign policy process but as social phenomena.

Outline Content

1. Understanding the Middle East as a Region
2. The Formation of the Contemporary Middle East
3. The Middle East and International Relations Theory
4. States and Interests
5. Ideas and Identity
6. Civil War and State-building
7. Imperialism, Dependency and Revolutions
8. Domestic Structures and Political Economy
9. Foreign Policies
10. Sovereignty, the State and Regional Order

The course is taught through lectures and seminars with 2 hours of teaching per week: a 1-hour lecture and a 1-hour seminar. Emphasis is placed on the students self-study and critical engagement with the material. Students are expected to read at least the core readings each week for the seminar.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Additional Costs N/A
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2021/22, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  33
Course Start Semester 1
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Lecture Hours 10, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 176 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) There are two components of assessment for this course.

Firstly, students will be required to write a review on a book that is related to ME politics in general, or to the themes discussed in this course in particular. The book review should be 1,500 word and forms 40% of the total grade.

Secondly, students will need to write a 3000-word essay; students can choose to answer one of a pre-assigned list of research questions. The essay forms 60% of the total grade.

Feedback Students will have two opportunities to reflect on the feedback received for their performance in the course. These are the book review, for which the deadline occurs early in the course, and the essay, which has a deadline later in the course. The essay is a more substantial piece of work than the book review, so students can use their reflection on the feedback they receive for it to build on and improve their performance in the essay.
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Have a substantive and academically informed understanding of the Middle East international relations
  2. Have an understanding of International Relations theories pertaining to the region
  3. Develop an independent and critical knowledge of ME International Relations
Reading List
http://resourcelists.ed.ac.uk/lists/AB0E251F-5A58-B90E-DADF-035F08B4E279.html
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
Additional Class Delivery Information 1 hour(s) per week for 10 week(s). In addition to lectures there is a 1-hour seminar per week
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserDr Ewan Stein
Tel: (0131 6)50 4264
Email: ewan.stein@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMrs Casey Behringer
Tel: (0131 6)50 2456
Email: Casey.behringer@ed.ac.uk
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