Undergraduate Course: The Middle Eastern State: Histories and Theories (PLIT10124)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course offers an overview of the social theories of studying the modern state. It also examines state theory as it is seen through the study of the Middle East. State theories and analytical approaches will be discussed in a historically contextualized manner drawing on histories of states in different parts of the world including Europe and the Middle East. |
| Course description |
The state has been central in the study and practice of Middle Eastern politics. At the same time, claims about the modern state have deep roots in historical and theoretical understandings of the modern state generally, and its manifestations in the Middle Eastern context. This course offers an overview of the social theories of studying the modern state. It also examines state theory as it is seen through the study of the Middle East. State theories and analytical approaches will be discussed in a historically contextualized manner drawing on histories of states in different parts of the world including Europe and the Middle East. Theoretical and analytical problems in the study of the state in the Middle Eastern context will be examined thorought. They include, for example: the colonial state, the national state, the Rentier State, the developmental state, the "artificial" state, state failure, and state-building.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have at least 4 Politics/International Relations courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this).
We will only consider University/College level courses.
As numbers are limited, visiting students should contact the Visiting Student Office directly for admission to this course. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2023/24, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 25 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 10,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
176 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
90 %,
Practical Exam
10 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
One analytical essay (2000 words): 50%
Book review (2000 words): 40%
In-class participation Total: 10%
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| Feedback |
Essays will be returned with feedback within 15 working days of submission.
Summaries of the reading will be addressed during class time. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the main areas of academic inquiries linked to theories of state and state formation.
- Engage with the academic works that address the state as a main analytical category.
- Assess competing claims and make informed judgements about state-related questions.
- Ability to verbally articulate and engage with competing analytical arguments.
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Reading List
Charles Tilly. Coercion, Capital, and European States, AD 990 --1992
Condoleezza Rice. Democracy: Stories from the Long Road to Freedom. Twelve Books: 2017
Tanisha M. Fazal. State Death: The politics and geography of conquest, occupation, and annexation. Stanford: 2007.
Cyrus Schayegh. The Middle East and the Making of the Modern World. Harvard University Press: 2017.
Roger Owen. State, Power, and Politics in the Making of the Modern Middle East. Routledge: 2004.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
By the end of the course students should have strengthened their skills in:
Critical analysis and evaluation of evidence.
Ability to effectively formulate and articulate a line of argument.
Ability to identify and critically engage with arguments in scholarship and public discourse.
Effective written communication skills. |
| Keywords | Middle East,Politics |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Nida Alahmad
Tel: (0131 6)51 1368
Email: |
Course secretary | Mr Ethan Alexander
Tel: (0131 6)50 4001
Email: |
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