Undergraduate MUR-POL334-2022

Middle East Politics and Security

Register the way social and cultural trends impact Middle East politics and security. Map the events that formed the region's modern states. Follow the rise of religious radicalism. Address the War on Terror and the demonstrations of the Arab Spring.

Duration

13 weeks

Study method

100% Online

Available loans

HECS-HELP
FEE-HELP

Assessments

100% online

Prior study

Not required

This research-based university in Perth has a strong interdisciplinary focus and a reputation for outstanding teaching and ground-breaking research. With more than 23,000 students and 2,000 staff from over 90 countries, and campuses in Dubai and Singapore, Murdoch embraces free thinking, shared ideas and knowledge to make a difference, and Open Universities Australia is certainly part of that.

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2022

Subject details

What you'll learn

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

Articulate a critically engaged understanding of important moments, events and ideas in the development of modern Middle East politics and security issues.
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.
Argue whether these trends and forces make the Middle East unique or exceptional.
Evaluate contested interpretations of history, culture, politics and security including their strengths and weaknesses
Communicate clearly and coherently both orally and in writing.

Topics covered

- People, Society and Politics
- Religion, Ethnicity, Gender and Class
- Empires and Imperialism
- States and Nationalism
- The Cold War and the US as Hyperpower
- Political Economies
- Conflict in the Region
- Political Change and Reform
- Political Islam
- Religious Radicalism and Terrorism
- Securities and Insecurities - the Arab Spring and Daesh (ISIS)

Entry requirements

No eligibility requirements

Additional requirements

No additional requirements

Description

This subject covers key issues in Middle East politics and security today. The first part addresses regional complexities in terms of people, society, politics and geopolitics. The second part examines nationalism; the emergence of the modern states; the origins of conflict; and debates around political change and reform, including the role of political Islam and the emergence of religious radicalism. The final part considers contemporary challenges: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; ‘war on terror’; Arab Spring; and rise of Daesh/Islamic State.

Please Note: All students studying at Murdoch University will need to complete the compulsory unit, Murdoch Academic Passport (MAP100), which only takes 2-3 hours to complete online. Find out more: http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport.

Assessments

Online discussion/participation (20%)
Essay (2,500 words) (40%)
Timed Online Exam (40%)

Textbooks

Related degrees

Undergraduate MUR-BGS-DEG-2022

Bachelor of Global Security Terrorism and Counterterrorism Studies