PO3MEA: Politics and International Relations of the Middle East

Module code: PO3MEA

Module provider: Politics; School of Philosophy, Politics and Economics

Credits: 20

Level: Level 3 (Honours)

When you'll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Dr Younis Lahwej, email: y.a.lahwej@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 23 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module seeks to provide students with a nuanced understanding of the Politics and International Relations of the Middle East. Divided into two sections, it links the domestic politics of Middle Eastern states with the international tensions and conflicts of the region. The first part begins with a survey of the history of states and empires, colonialism followed by the emergence of nationalism and the establishment of the modern state system. We examine in detail the influence and overlapping roles of Pan-Islam, Pan-Arabism, State-Nationalism, Zionism, Palestinian Nationalism, Arab-Israeli wars and Peace Process and Political Islam throughout the region and assess the extent to which they impact and define contemporary state politics. The second part turns to the issue of state-civil society relations in the region, democratization and the Arab Spring. Examination of the international politics of the region includes inter-Arab relations, the new Arab-Israeli rapprochement, the Gulf wars as well as the roles of the superpowers and their interests in the region. The course concludes with a role-play simulation involving negotiation and conflict resolution within the context of a contemporary, politically sensitive issue. 

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate a nuanced understanding of the key concepts and arguments relating to the study of Middle East Politics and IR
2. Analyse the relationship between state and society, regional relations and the region in its wider international context
3. Evaluate multiple perspectives on an issue and identify and weigh the conflicting values represented by different points of view
4. Present these issues in an articulate fashion during seminars, presentations, the simulation, and with a high degree of analytical precision in written work
5. Gain IT skills through individual research on Middle Eastern states and political leaders in preparation for the simulation exercise
6. Gain insights into the realities of decision making at the policy level through participation in the simulation exercise

Module content

Topics will typically include: 

• The origins and nature of the Arab-Israeli conflict 
• The rise of political Islam 
• The ‘democracy gap’: from Arab Spring to Arab Winter  
• Inter-State Conflict: The Iraq Wars  
• The Syrian Crisis 

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The class is taught in seminars. The seminars consist of student presentations, group discussion, small-group work, occasional short lectures. The simulation exercise will take place at the end of the module. In preparation, students will follow the political events of their chosen country which they will represent at the simulation and provide weekly briefings at the beginning of each seminar on the state of affairs. Students are expected to develop their knowledge of the subject through a high level of independent study combined with group work, which will inform the class discussions. Presentations, essays and simulation reports are designed not only to test students’ knowledge and ability to think critically and analytically in a variety of environments, but also to reinforce independent study and to ensure a careful and judicious consideration of it. Presentations are also designed to enhance transferable skills. They should aim to communicate concise, critical analyses effectively and raise topics for the subsequent discussion. Students are encouraged to explore different presentation techniques and present freely from brief notes. Questions not covered by individual presentations will be prepared in groups. With guidance from the tutor, groups will sub-divide the topic and assign specific issue areas to individual members. Groups will collate and shape individual research results into a brief presentation (5- 10 minutes). The presenter will be selected on the day of the first seminar. 

Study hours

At least 25 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Students will receive formative feedback on their essay and simulation report plans during the teaching weeks. 

Reassessment

Additional costs