Postgraduate Course: The Middle East in International Relations (PGSP11275)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | The 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. Part 3 will look into the particular patterns of state-society interactions and geopolitics in the region, including so-called ¿rentier states¿, oil monarchies, authoritarian republics and ¿consociational¿ states. The course will then examine the cases of the Arab-Israeli conflict and the interaction of revolution, counter-revolution and geopolitics in the region since 2011. |
| 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
Week 1
International Relations in Middle East, the Middle East in IR ¿ understanding a region in turmoil
Week 2
External Dominance and Middle East IR
Week 3
Political Economy and the Middle East in IR
Week 4
"Modernity" I: The International Relations of Developmental Nationalism
Week 5
"Modernity" II: The International Relations of Post-populism and neo-liberalism in the Middle East
Week 6
Empire of Freedom? The Unipolar Moment in the Middle East and the 2003 invasion of Iraq
Week 7
Palestine and the Arab-Israeli Conflict in Middle East IR
Week 8
The rise of the "Peripheries": Turkey and the Islamic Republic of Iran
Week 9
(Counter) Revolution(s): The Arab Uprisings and International Relations
Week 10
Islamism, IR and ISIS
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.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | N/A |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Have a substantive and academically informed understanding of the Middle East international relations
- Have an understanding of International Relations theories pertaining to the region
- Develop an independent and critical knowledge of ME politics
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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 |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Jamie Allinson
Tel:
Email: |
Course secretary | Mrs Gillian Macdonald
Tel: (0131 6)51 3244
Email: |
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