This interdisciplinary course will examine the emergence of the modern Middle East. It will be organised thematically rather than chronologically and its aim is to acquaint beginning students with the major historical, religious, social, economic, and political dimensions of the Middle East.
Students will be exposed to lectures and a variety of readings that cover such topics as the construction of identities, the place of tradition and history, the impact of imperialism, the development of nationalism, and the reasons for revolution and conflict in the region. The course will also look at the contemporary challenges of globalisation, religious radicalisation, democratisation, and transnational terrorism.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- demonstrate knowledge & understanding of the important events, places, and time periods in the development of the modern Middle East;
- demonstrate an ability to comprehend historical and political developments and how they relate to underlying cultural, social, and religious trends in the region and to broader forces such as imperialism, conflict, and radicalism;
- critically analyse some of the developments in the modern Middle East and to question whether these trends and forces make the Middle East unique or exceptional;
- demonstrate the capacity to develop evidence based argument & evaluation by drawing on specific historical and contemporary examples, and by evaluating differing perspectives on key Middle Eastern issues; and
- participate in group discussions about contested concepts with confidence and with tolerance for other points of view.
Other Information
This course is listed in the following major and minors and programs
Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies Major - ANU
Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies Minor - ANU
Historical International Security Minor - ANU
Indicative Assessment
- Group exercise (750-1000 words per participant) (10) [LO 1,2,3,4,5]
- Essay (2000-2500 words) (40) [LO 1,2,3,4]
- End of Semester Examination (40) [LO 1,2,3,4]
- Tutorial Participation (10) [LO 1,2,3,4,5]
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
130 hours of total student learning time made up from: a) 36 hours of contact over 12 weeks: 24 hours of lectures and 12 hours of tutorials; and b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing.Prescribed Texts
N/A
Majors
Minors
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 14
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2024 | $4080 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2024 | $5280 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.