Module SGIA46615: POWER, SECURITY AND PROTEST IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Department: Government and International Affairs

SGIA46615: POWER, SECURITY AND PROTEST IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Prerequisites

• None.

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• To provide students with an opportunity to investigate new trends in state-society relations in the Middle East.
• To provide students with an advanced knowledge of the complex and dynamic relationship between patterns of power, security measures and modes of protest in the Middle East.
• To introduce students to a range of conceptual and theoretical frameworks which have been, or could be, applied to study contemporary power dynamics in the region as a whole.
• To enable students to critically engage with and evaluate contemporary scholarship on the Middle East.

Content

• Security and State(-Building) in the ME: Colonial Legacies Part One: Sources of Power, Bases of Legitimacy
• The Arab Republics
• The Gulf States
• Israel Part Two: Political Opportunities, Limits of Dissent?
• Political Islam
• New Media Part Three: New Trends, Post 9/11 7. Counter-Terrorism and Policing
• Collective Action and Public Protest 9. Roundtable: The Impact of Protest-Policing on Modes of Governance in the ME

Learning Outcomes

• An advanced understanding of the complex nature of power dynamics and state-society relations in the Middle East.
• An advanced understanding of the principal conceptual and theoretical approaches which can be used to study dynamics of political continuity and change in the region.

• The ability to use and critique relevant conceptual approaches and theoretical models at an advanced level.
• The ability to apply theoretical insights to events and trends in the region, and vice versa.
• The ability to seek out, apply and analyse relevant empirical data in a selective manner.
• The ability to recognise major features and trends which affect, or account, for policing-dissent dynamics in the region.

• Independent and proactive learning within a defined framework of study at an advanced level.
• Independent thought in analysing and critiquing existing scholarship, evaluating its contribution, and assessing its quality and suitability as a resource.
• The ability to work to a deadline, develop an individual research schedule and to complete written work within time and length limits.
• Advanced essay-writing skills, including the ability to present and develop an advanced line of argument, to incorporate a suitable level of literary and theoretical analysis and to apply empirical data in a selective manner.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Students are taught in two hour slots. The module is divided into three thematically-based parts delivered through a combination of lectures and seminars.
• Weeks 1, 4 and 7: Students are taught through a combination of a one-hour lecture followed by a one-hour seminar (with the exception of week 1 where the lecture is followed by a 1 hour tutorial).
• Each lecture introduces the student to the key themes or theoretical approaches relevant to that week. The lectures are tailored to accommodate the differential knowledge and disciplinary skills of different cohorts and to make sure that students approach subsequent seminars with an appropriate level of knowledge and understanding.
• The lectures are followed by one-hour seminars (except week 1) during which students are encouraged to explore the lecture content in greater detail and to identify areas in which they require particular guidance. The seminars are designed to enable students to develop their abilities to conduct research, to communicate, to present theoretical alternatives and data, and to develop their own argumentation skills.
• Weeks 2, 3, 5, 6 and 8: Teaching is delivered through two hours of seminars to allow greater opportunity for students to critically engage with the literature, to develop and advance their knowledge, argumentation and research skills through structured discussion, feedback and group exercises.
• Formative Assessment 1: Students are required to submit a 1,500-word formative essay at the end of Week 6. This enables them to practice their essay-writing skills, to assess their own progress, and to receive feedback on whether they are achieving at the appropriate level, whether they are sufficiently informed, and expressing themselves appropriately.
• Week 9: Formative Assessment 2: Students will take part in a structured roundtable discussion on a particular case-study (to be determined at the start of the module). Each student is expected to contribute a short paper on one aspect of the topic. This format provides an opportunity for students to engage more fully with the literature and to develop their independent research, presentation and argumentation skills. It also provides an opportunity for students to pool their knowledge and to push the boundaries of their knowledge through group exchange and interaction. Feedback on each paper presented will be delivered both by the group through anonymous feedback forms and by the lecturer.
• Summative Assessment: Students must submit a 4,000 word essay at the end of the module. The summative essay tests the ability of the student to plan a more substantial piece of work, identifying and retrieving sources and selecting and displaying appropriate subject specific knowledge and understanding. It tests the ability to develop an extended discussion which utilises concepts and examines competing interpretation and analysis. It also develops key skills in sustaining effective written communication and information presentation to high scholarly standards. It enables them to demonstrate that they have sufficient subject knowledge to meet the assessment criteria, that they have achieved the subject skills and that they have acquired the module’s key skills. In particular, summative essays test the acquisition of knowledge through independent learning and the ability to apply it in critical argument in relation to a specific question. They furthermore help students to develop time management skills by working to a deadline, as well as the ability to seek out and critically use relevant data sources.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Students are required to submit a 1,500 word essay and take part in a roundtable discussion

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University