Overview

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Academic contacts

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Offerings

MURDOCH-S2-FACE2FACE-2026-2026
MURDOCH-S2-FACE2FACE-2028-2028
MURDOCH-S2-ONLINEFLEX-2026-2026
MURDOCH-S2-ONLINEFLEX-2028-2028
OUA-S2-ONLINEFLEX-2026-2026
OUA-S2-ONLINEFLEX-2028-2028

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Other learning activities

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Learning activities

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Learning outcomes

1.
Articulate a critically engaged understanding of important moments, events and ideas in the development of modern Middle East politics and security issues.
2.
Discuss the relationships between modern Middle East politics and security issues and underlying cultural, social, and religious trends in the region and to broader forces such as imperialism, conflict, and radicalism.
3.
Argue whether these trends and forces make the Middle East unique or exceptional.
4.
Evaluate contested interpretations of history, culture, politics and security including their strengths and weaknesses
5.
Communicate clearly and coherently both orally and in writing.

Assessments

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Additional information

Unit content:

The Middle East is a pivotal region in contemporary international affairs. This unit introduces students to the key issues in Middle East politics and security today. The first part of the unit acquaints students with the complexities of the region in terms of its people, society and politics. It then surveys the role that religion, ethnicity, identities, gender and class have played in shaping contemporary affairs. It examines the geo-strategic importance of the region historically, and how this has produced a range of securities and insecurities, particularly in terms of external intervention. The second part of the unit looks at the development of nationalism; the emergence of the modern states of the Middle East; the socio-political-economic origins of conflict in the region; and debates around political change and reform. It then turns to the role of political Islam; and the emergence of religious radicalism in its various forms, including terrorism. The final part of the unit examines contemporary challenges in the region such as: the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict; the impact of globalisation; the path to, and fallout from, the so-called 'war on terror'; the Arab Spring; civil wars and mass displacement; and the emergence of groups such as Daesh/Islamic State.