Last modified: 20 Jun 2025 15:14
This is an interdisciplinary course that critically examines state and society in the contemporary Middle East. Themes covered in the course include colonialism and post-colonialism, state governance and political movements, group identification in religious, ethno-national, and other terms, and gender.
| Study Type | Undergraduate | Level | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | First Term | Credit Points | 30 credits (15 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
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One or more of these courses have a limited number of places. Priority access will be given to students for whom this course is compulsory. Please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions for more details on this process.
This course draws on perspectives from Politics and International Relations, Sociology and Anthropology to offer a critical, multidisciplinary approach to politics and society of the contemporary Middle East. It will look at the establishment of current state borders through processes of colonialism and postcolonialism, and the formation of group identities in religious, ethno-national, and other framings. The course will examine different forms and experiences of state governance, political mobilisation, and political movements across the region. Themes that run through the course include Israel and Palestine, feminism, and gender.
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 20 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 14 | Feedback Weeks | 17 | |
| Feedback |
This assessment is a preliminary step towards their project essay (see below).
Individual feedback provided through MyAberdeen. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | Develop a critical understanding of the Middle East through comparing different disciplinary approaches to the themes covered in the course. |
| Conceptual | Analyse | Produce coherent and reasoned arguments in written work, class discussions, and oral presentations. |
| Conceptual | Evaluate | Identify a current issue related to the region and develop an interdisciplinary analysis of it. |
| Conceptual | Understand | Understand the importance of a comparative, multi-disciplinary perspectives for understanding the Middle East region. |
| Factual | Understand | Gain an understanding of the politics and society in the Middle East from different social scientific perspectives. |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 50 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 19 | Feedback Weeks | 21 | |
| Feedback |
3000-word Project Essay. Students choose a topic related to the themes of the course. They write critical essay that examines the issue from at least two disciplinary perspectives (PIR, Sociology, Anthropology). |
Word Count | 3000 | |
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | Develop a critical understanding of the Middle East through comparing different disciplinary approaches to the themes covered in the course. |
| Conceptual | Analyse | Produce coherent and reasoned arguments in written work, class discussions, and oral presentations. |
| Conceptual | Evaluate | Identify a current issue related to the region and develop an interdisciplinary analysis of it. |
| Conceptual | Understand | Understand the importance of a comparative, multi-disciplinary perspectives for understanding the Middle East region. |
| Factual | Understand | Gain an understanding of the politics and society in the Middle East from different social scientific perspectives. |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 12,15,18 | Feedback Weeks | 14,17,20 | |
| Feedback |
3 Discussion Board posts totalling 1000 words. Discussion boards will be organised as tutorial groups. Students will post a response to a task set out in a discussion board on MyAberdeen, and respond to the post of one other student. Post: 250 words Response: 25-50 words |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Understand | Understand the importance of a comparative, multi-disciplinary perspectives for understanding the Middle East region. |
| Factual | Understand | Gain an understanding of the politics and society in the Middle East from different social scientific perspectives. |
There are no assessments for this course.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback | ||||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Factual | Understand | Gain an understanding of the politics and society in the Middle East from different social scientific perspectives. |
| Conceptual | Analyse | Develop a critical understanding of the Middle East through comparing different disciplinary approaches to the themes covered in the course. |
| Conceptual | Evaluate | Identify a current issue related to the region and develop an interdisciplinary analysis of it. |
| Conceptual | Analyse | Produce coherent and reasoned arguments in written work, class discussions, and oral presentations. |
| Conceptual | Understand | Understand the importance of a comparative, multi-disciplinary perspectives for understanding the Middle East region. |
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