Approaches to Middle East and Islamic Studies: States, Societies and Identities
| Module title | Approaches to Middle East and Islamic Studies: States, Societies and Identities |
|---|---|
| Module code | ARAM213 |
| Academic year | 2019/0 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Dr Eleanor Gao (Lecturer) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 30 |
|---|
Module description
In ARAM213, you will be introduced to a wide variety of topics important in the study of the Middle East and North Africa.? These topics will touch on relevant issues in the study of politics and international relations of the region such as US foreign policy, political economy of the region, authoritarianism, and political Islam. You will also be introduced to the area studies versus social sciences debate and the advantages and disadvantages of broad theories as opposed to knowledge specific to a particular location.? There are no co-requisites or pre-requisites for this module.??
Module aims - intentions of the module
The aim of the course is to expose you to a wide variety of approaches to the study of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies. The purpose of covering a variety of topics is to give students a broad understanding of the political issues so that they have basic knowledge of other issues outside of their own specific interests. The multiple faculty that are involved in the team-teaching of this class also introduces students to most members of the staff within IAIS belonging to the ‘social science disciple’—i.e. modern history, sociology, and political science.? Such exposure will help students select which faculty members might be potential MA dissertation supervisors.??
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. demonstrate knowledge of key issues in the debates on states, societies and identities in the Middle East and Islamic world;
- 2. undertake independent research on various social science issues in the region.
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. find, use and analyze secondary and primary data relevant to specific issue areas;
- 4. place issues discussed in a wider context and deploy critical arguments.
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. apply critical and analytical skills;
- 6. ability to undertake modern historical and political analysis.
Syllabus plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:
?
Introduction to the module
Social Sciences and the study of the Middle East
Modern historical context: the Arab-Israeli conflict
Understanding state and society in the Middle East
Authoritarianism and democracy
The political economy of the Middle East
Political Islam - moderate and radical Islamist movements
Transnational terrorism
Studying the international relations of the Middle East
US foreign policy towards the Middle East
Conclusion and revision?
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 128 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 22 | 11 x 2 hour contact time |
| Guided independent study | 65 | Preparing for (i.e. collecting research, reading the research, creating an outline, etc.) and writing the essay |
| Guided independent study | 45 | Reading for class |
| Guided independent study | 18 | Preparing for and writing reaction papers |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group and class discussions | Throughout course | 1,4 and 6 | Oral feedback |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 45 | 3,000 words | 1-6 | Written feedback |
| Reaction papers | 55 | 5 x 500 words (Students permitted to write up to 9 reaction papers but only the 5 most highly marked will count toward their final module mark) | 1,4 and 6 | Written feedback |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | Essay (3,000 words) | 1-6 | Re-schedule during term-time |
| Reaction papers | Reaction papers (5 x 500 words) | 1,4 and 6 | Re-schedule during term-time |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Social Sciences and the study of the Middle East
Anderson, Lisa (2004) 'Scholarship, Policy, Debate and Conflict: Why We Study the Middle East and Why It Matters,' Middle East Studies Association Bulletin 38(1), pp. 2-15.
-- (1999) 'Politics in the Middle East: Opportunities and Limits in the Quest for Theory', in in Mark Tessler (ed.) Area Studies and Social Science: Strategies for Understanding Middle East Politics. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, pp. 1-10.
Halliday, Fred (1993) 'Orientalism and its Critics,' British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies 20(2), pp. 145-63.
Tessler, Mark, Jodi Nachtwey and Anne Banda (1999) 'The Area Studies Controversy,' in Mark Tessler (ed.) Area Studies and Social Science: Strategies for Understanding Middle East Politics. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, pp. vii-xxii.
?
Modern historical context: the Arab-Israeli conflict
Kriesberg, Louis (2001) 'Mediation and of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict,' Journal of Peace Research 38(3), pp,
373-92.
Lebovic, James and William Thompson (2006) 'An Illusionary or Elusive Relationship? The Arab-Israeli Conflict and
Repression in the Middle East,' Journal of Politics 68(3), pp. 502-18.
?
Understanding state and society in the Middle East
Bromley, Simon (1994) Rethinking Middle East Politics. Oxford: Polity Press.
Owen, Roger (2004) State, Power and Politics in the Making of the Modern Middle East. London: Routledge.
?
Authoritarianism and democracy
Brumberg, Daniel (2002) 'The Trap of Liberalized Autocracy,' Journal of Democracy 13(4), pp. 56-68.
Levitsky, Steven, and Lucan Way (2002) 'The Rise of Competitive Authoritarianism,' Journal of Democracy 13(2), pp.
51-65.
Posusney, Martha Pripstein (2005) 'Multi-party Elections in the Arab World: Election Rules and Opposition Responses,' in Martha Pripstein Posusney and Michele Penner Angrist, Authoritarianism in the Middle East: Regimes and
?
The political economy of the Middle East
Bellin, Eva (2004) 'The Political-Economic Conundrum: The Affinity of Economic and Political Reform in the Middle
Heydemann, Steven (2004) 'Introduction', in Steven Heydemann (ed.), Networks of Privilege in the Middle East. The
Politics of Economic Reform Revisited. New York: Palgrave-McMillan, pp.1-34.
Moore, Pete (2002) 'Rentier Fiscal Crisis and Regime Stability: Business-State Relations in the Gulf', Studies in
Comparative International Development 27(1), pp. 34-56.
Richards, Alan and John Waterbury (2007) A Political Economy of the Middle East. Boulder: Westview Press.
?
Political Islam - moderate and radical Islamist movements
Ashour, Omar (2009) The De-Radicalization of Jihadists: Transforming Armed Islamist Movements. London: Routledge, 2009.
-- (1997) Political Islam: Revolution, Radicalism, or Reform. Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers.
Fuller, Graham (2002) 'The Future of Political Islam,' Foreign Affairs 81(2), pp. 48-60.
Kepel, Gilles and Anthony Roberts (2006) Jihad: The train of political Islam. London: I.B. Tauris.
Storm, Lise.The persistence of authoritarianism as a source of radicalization in North Africa", International Affairs, vol.
85, no. 5, 2009, pp. 997-1013.
Wiktorowicz, Quintan (2003) Islamic Activism: A Social Movement Theory Approach. Bloomington: Indiana University
Press.
?
Transnational terrorism
Berrebi, Claude and Esteban Klor (2008) 'Are Voters Sensitive to Terrorism? Direct Evidence from the Israeli
Electorate,' American Political Science Review 102, pp. 279-301.
Esposito, John (2003) Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Shapiro, Jacob and David Siegel (2007) 'Underfunding in Terrorist Organizations,' International Studies Quarterly
51(2), pp. 405-29.
Victoroff, Jeff (2005) 'The Mind of the Terrorist: A Review and Critique of Psychological Approaches', Journal of
Conflict Resolution 49(1), pp. 3-42.
?
Studying the international relations of the Middle East
Barnett, Michael (1996) 'Identity and alliances in the Middle East' in Peter Katzenstein (ed.) The Culture of National
Security: norms and identity in world politics. New York: Columbia University Press, pp. 400-47.
Brand, Laurie (1999) 'Middle Eastern Alliances: From Neorealism to Political Economy,' in Mark Tessler (ed.) Area Studies and Social Science: Strategies for Understanding Middle East Politics. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, pp. 134-147.
Hinnebusch, Raymond (2005) 'Explaining International Politics in the Middle East: the struggle of regional identity and systemic structure,' in Gerd Nonneman (ed.) Analyzing Middle East Foreign Policies. London: Routledge, pp. 243-256.
Korany, Baghat, (1999) 'International Relations Theory: Contributions from Research in the Middle East,' in Mark Tessler (ed.) Area Studies and Social Science: Strategies for Understanding Middle East Politics. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, pp. 148-158.
Valbjorn, Morten (2004) 'Toward a Mesopotamian Turn: Disciplinarity and the study of the International Relations of the
Middle East,' Journal of Mediterranean Studies 14(1-2), pp. 47-76.
Walt, Stephen (1998) 'International Relations: One World, Many Theories,' Foreign Policy 110 (spring), pp. 29-46.
?
US foreign policy towards the Middle East
Halliday, Fred (1997) 'The Middle East, the Great Powers and the Cold War,' in Yezid Sayigh and Avi Shlaim (eds) The Cold War and the Middle East. Oxford: Clarendon Press, pp. 6-26.
Hudson, Michael (2005) 'The United States in the Middle East,' in Louise Fawcett (ed.) International Relations of the
Middle East. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 283-306.
Mearsheimer, John and Stephen Walt (2006) 'The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy,' Middle East Policy 13(3), pp.
29-87.
Nonneman, Gerd (2003) 'A European View of US Policy in the Arab-Israeli Conflict,' in Chaillot Paper 62 (July). Paris:
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
ELE
Indicative learning resources - Other resources
University libraries
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 7 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 01/10/2011 |
| Last revision date | 23/08/2012 |