MES4520 ¨C Topics in Middle East Politics and Society II

Course content

This course focuses on one or more central topics in the field of Middle East politics and society. These topics are predominantly related to past or ongoing research activities in the Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages and may include topics such as democratization, state-society relations, Islamist movements, minorities, ethno-nationalist conflicts, insurgencies, gender issues, and the use of social media in the Middle East.

The course does not overlap with MES4500 ¨C Topics in Middle East Politics and Society I.

Topic Spring 2024:?War contexts: The background for the war in Gaza.

The course examines ways to understand the background for the Hamas ¨C Israel war that unfolded in Autumn 2023. Three books illuminating different aspects of the situation leading up to the war will be discussed.

Examples of topics that have been given in MES4520:

• Gender and Revolutions: Rethinking the "Women Question" in the Modern Middle East

• Dimensions of security in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

• Political fault lines in post-revolutionary Iran

• Jihadist insurgencies and proto-states in the contemporary MENA region

Learning outcome

The course is based on the reading, analysis and discussion of sources in English and, whenever possible, in a Middle Eastern language. You will learn to:

• analyse primary sources in English translation (or Arabic/Persian/Turkish original for those who know the language)

• present of your own analysis of texts for an audience

• write an academic essay built on both original and secondary sources

Admission to the course

Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.

Students enrolled in other Master's Degree Programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.

If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.

Formal prerequisite knowledge

MES4000 ¨C Theory, Methodology and Project Description in Middle East- and South Asia Studies

Teaching

The course is taught through a combination of lectures and seminars organised as 10 classes of 2 hours each.The semester is thus divided into three parts, one part for each book. The course presupposes active participation.

Obligatory activities

Submission of essay drafts.

The drafts are to be submitted in Canvas.

Approved compulsory activities are only valid in the current semester.

Examination

The exam is a portfolio. For each book you must write an essay of 3 to 4 pages related to a topic discussed in the book. The three essays combined should be 10 pages, to be developed during the semester and finally submitted in the portfolio at the end of the semester.

Grading scale

Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.

More about examinations at UiO

• Use of sources and citations
• Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
• Withdrawal from an exam
• Illness at exams / postponed exams
• Explanation of grades and appeals
• Resitting an exam
• Cheating/attempted cheating

You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.