value equivalent 6. Attendance Full-time Part-time Distance learning Mode of attendance Yes Yes No Minimum length of programme 1 year 2 years n/a

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PROGRAMME APPROVAL FORM

SECTION 1 – THE PROGRAMME SPECIFICATION

1. Programme title and designation Political Economy of the Middle East 2. Final award

Award Title Credit

value

ECTS equivalent

Any special criteria MA Political Economy

of the Middle East 180

90-100 No

3. Nested award

value

Any special criteria

n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

4. Exit award

value

Any special criteria PG Diploma Political Economy

of the Middle East

120 60 n/a

Postgraduate Certificate

Political Economy of the Middle East

60 30 n/a

5. Level in the qualifications framework M 6. Attendance

Full-time Part-time Distance learning

Mode of attendance Yes Yes No

Minimum length of programme 1 year 2 years n/a Maximum length of programme 3 years 4 years n/a

7. Awarding institution/body King’s College London 8. Teaching institution King’s College London

9. Proposing department Institute of Middle Eastern Studies 10. Programme organiser and contact

Details

Professor Michael Kerr [email protected] 11. UCAS code (if appropriate) n/a

12. Relevant QAA subject benchmark/ Professional, statutory and regulatory body guidelines

No benchmark for MA 13. Date of production of specification September 2011 14. Date of programme review

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i.e what is the purpose of the programme and general statements about the learning that takes place over the duration of the programme

The MA in Political Economy of the Middle East is designed to provide students with an understanding of the political systems and regimes and their approaches to economic development, as well as equipping them with the relevant intellectual tools for postgraduate studies in the political economy, politics and economics of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The programme offers an in-depth analysis of major scholarly debates in the political economy of the region through a range of interdisciplinary approaches on the core and optional modules. It allows students to ascertain a deeper understanding of the theory and practice of political economy and immerse them in the internal and external factors that shape and determine the region’s political and economic systems and strategies.

The modules provided within this MA enable students to undertake detailed examinations of the global, regional and national variables that affect the process of economic development in MENA. They also enable students to debate how the region integrates with the global economy, how its business and economic environment are developed, and how articulate is the region in implementing regional integration strategies.

Specifically, the MA permits students to:

1. Gain a deep and systematic understanding of the global, regional and national factors that impact on the Middle East political and economic development.

2. Gain specialist knowledge of and develop an ability to critically analyse internal and external dynamics that limited the growth of the region through structured case study analysis and research-led teaching.

3. Examine the role of international financial institutions in shaping the current political and economic realities in the Middle East, and compare them with regional approaches to development articulated by regional institutions.

4. Engage with an array of primary sources for research purposes.

5. Gain practical experience in designing and conducting research projects.

6. Utilize the knowledge and skills gained during the MA programme for employability. 16. Educational objectives of the programme/programme outcomes (as relevant to the SEEC Credit Level Descriptors)

The programme provides opportunities for students to develop and demonstrate knowledge and understanding and skills in the following areas:

Knowledge and understanding The programme provides a knowledge

and understanding of the following: 1. Theories and debates concerning

the political economy of the Middle East region;

2. Political and economic structures and their impacts on the

development of the region; 3. Role of institutions in the

development process and nation- state building;

4. Building an understanding and critical awareness of the theoretical and methodological approaches of the study of political economy and Middle East politics and economics.

These are achieved through the following teaching/learning methods and strategies:

1. The acquisition of a highly focused and detailed knowledge of the political economy of the Middle East through

lecture/seminar-based core and optional modules, providing an in-depth case study and comparative analysis. 2. For the duration of the MA,

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5. Appreciate personal and

professional conduct in the context of the discipline.

3. Students will give non-assessed seminar presentations through which they may develop ideas of their dissertation.

Assessment: essays, dissertation, oral and written seminars and seminar presentation.

Skills and other attributes Intellectual skills:

1. Critical analysis of complex, incomplete or contradictory areas of knowledge and communicating outcomes effectively;

2. Synthesise information in a manner that may be innovative, utilizing knowledge or processes from the forefront of the discipline. 3. Conceptual understanding that

may enable students to critically evaluate research, advance scholarship and methodologies and argue alternative approaches;

4. Problem solving approaches that enable students to deal with complex issues and policies at academic and professional levels.

1. The acquisition of a highly focused and detailed knowledge is achieved by enabling

students to present and lead seminars on their chosen topics in order to address specific comparative questions; 2. For the duration of the MA

students will be urged to undertake independent reading on the subjects of interest to them. This will complement what is being taught on the core and optional modules.

3. Students will give non-assessed seminar presentations through which they may develop ideas of their dissertation. This will require independent and original thought, discourse analysis and critical evaluation within a comparative intellectual framework.

Practical skills:

1. Operating in complex

environment characterised by asymmetric information, incomplete data and

underdeveloped institutional structures.

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2. Dealing with complex tasks in specialized context.

3. Ability to devise policy initiatives, recommendations and strategies at decision making levels.

4. Exercise personal responsibility in professional practice

on the subjects of interest to them. This will complement what is being taught on the core and optional modules.

Generic/transferable skills:

1. Work effectively with a group as leader or member, with ability to clarify tasks and make effective use of capacities of its members. 2. Ability to use full range of learning

resources;

3. Ability to reflect on own and others work constructively and in a manner that leads to improvement in practice and outcomes;

4. Competence to undertake research tasks with minimum guidance;

5. Think independently and being self-critical learner, guiding the learning of others and managing own requirements for continuing professional development; 6. Engage confidently in academic

and professional communication with others, reporting on action clearly, autonomously and competently;

7. Develop independent learning ability for continuing professional study, making professional use of others where appropriate.

1. The acquisition of a highly focused and detailed knowledge of the political economy of the Middle East through

lecture/seminar-based core and optional modules, providing in in-depth case study and comparative analysis. 2. For the duration of the MA

students will be urged to undertake independent reading on the subjects of interest to them. This will complement what is being taught on the core and optional modules.

17. Statement of how the programme has been informed by the relevant subject benchmark statement(s)/professional, statutory and regulatory body guidelines

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competencies that students would have attained at the end of an undergraduate programme in areas of political economy, economics and political studies, Middle Eastern Studies, regional studies, and international political economy. The programme is also informed by the Framework for \higher Education and Qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and in particular by the Description for a qualification as Master (M) level: Masters Degree. 18. In cases of joint honours programmes please provide a rationale for the particular subject combination, either educational or academic

N/A

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19. Programme structure

Please complete the following table and, if appropriate, to include joint, major/minor or other variations Code = code of each module available for the programme

Title = title of each module available for the programme, plus its credit level and credit value

Status = please indicate whether the module is introductory (I), core (Cr), compulsory (Cp), one or more of however many modules must be passed to

progress (CrCp), (P) professional (i.e. module testing skills/competency that has no credit level or value but is a professional body requirement) or optional (O) for each type of programme. For postgraduate programmes use the "single honours" column

Pre-requisite/Co-requisite = where appropriate please indicate whether the module is pre-requisite to another module or co-requisite by noting pre or co and the module code that it is pre/co-requisite to.

Assessment = please indicate in broad terms the assessment for the module eg written examinations, coursework

(Note: the availability of optional modules may vary slightly from year to year; the following are the modules available at the commencement of the programme)

Code Title Credit

Level

Credit Value

Status (I, Cr, Cp, CrCp, P, O) for each type of

module

Pre-requisite/ Co-requisite (Please note the module code)

Assessment

Single Joint Major/ Minor

Single Joint Major/ Minor Full-time Study

First Year

7AAJM230 Political Economy of the Middle East: Theory and Practice

7 40 Cr Yes Coursework (3x 3000 word

essays) 7AAJPE01 Dissertation (MA Political

Economy of the Middle East)

7 60 Cr Yes Dissertation (15,000

words) 7AAJM213 Foreign Trade in the Middle

East

7 20 O Yes Coursework (1 essay of

5,000 words) 7AAJM222 Globalization and Business in

the Middle East

5,000 words) 7AAJM220 Politics of Business and

Development in Contemporary Middle East

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7AAJM201 The European Union and the Middle East: Economics, Politics and Peace

5,000 words) 7AAJM202 The US and the Middle East:

intervention and mediation since 1945

5,000 words) 7AAJM203 Divided Cities, Contested

States: urban violence and transformations in the Middle East

5,000 words)

7AAJM206 Islamist movements: jihad, revolution and consensus

5,000 words) 7AAJM205 Powersharing agreements in

deeply divided societies

5,000 words) 7AAJM214 State Builders, Revolutionaries

and Reactionaries

5,000 words) 7AAJM216 Hostage to Khomeini: the US

and the Iranian Revolution

5,000 words) 7AAJM221 Turkey and the Middle East:

Facing West, Influencing East

5,000 words) 7SSJ1201 People, protest and

mobilisation: exploring social movement theory

5,000 words) 7AAJM212

7AAJM219

7AAJM217

Culture and Society in the Middle East and North Africa The politics of identity and the Arab uprisings

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7SSJ1100

7AAJ5015

Research seminar on Syrian politics

Obsessed with the West: movements and ideologies in modern Iran 7 7 20 20 O O Yes Yes Coursework (1 essay of 5,000 words) Coursework (1 essay of 5,000 words)

7AAYM211 Critical Political Economy 7 20 O Yes Coursework

7AAYM215 The Political Economy of the Welfare State

7 20 O Yes Coursework

7AAYM213 The Political Economy of China and East Asia

7AAH5010 The Birth of the Modern Middle East: State & Society in the Late Ottoman Levant

7 20 O No Coursework (1 essay of

4,000 words) 7AAH5011 The Middle East in the Age of

Late Imperialism: The British & French Mandates in

Comparison

4,000 words)

7AAL* Graduate Language Modules 7 20 O Yes Various

Various With approval of the Programme Convenor, other modules

offered by the Faculties of Arts & Humanities, Social Science & Public Policy, or Law.

7 20-40 O Various

Part-time Study

First Year (optional modules as for full time study)

7AAJM230 Political Economy of the Middle East: Theory and Practice

7 40 Cr Yes Coursework (3 essays)

7AAJPE01 Dissertation (MA Political Economy of the Middle East)

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7AAJM213 Foreign Trade in the Middle East

the Middle East

5,000 words) 7AAJM201 The European Union and the

Middle East: Economics, Politics and Peace

5,000 words)

7AAJM202 The US and the Middle East 7 20 O Yes Coursework (1 essay of

5,000 words)

7AAJM203 7 20 O Yes Coursework (1 essay of

5,000 words) 7AAJM206 Ideology, Revolution and Civil

War in the Middle East

5,000 words)

and Reactionaries

5,000 words)

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Comparison

4,000 words)

7AAL* Graduate Language Modules 7 20 O Various

offered by the Faculties of Arts & Humanities, Social Science & Public Policy, or Law.

7 20-40 O Various

Second Year (optional modules as for full time study)

7AAJPE01 Dissertation (MA Political Economy of the Middle East)

words) 7AAJM213 Foreign Trade in the Middle

East

the Middle East

5,000 words) 7AAJM201 The European Union and the

Middle East: Economics, Politics and Peace

5,000 words)

7AAJM202 The US and the Middle East 7 20 O Yes Coursework (1 essay of

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7AAJM203 7 20 O Yes Coursework (1 essay of 5,000 words)

7AAJM206 Ideology, Revolution and Civil War in the Middle East

5,000 words)

and Reactionaries

5,000 words)

Comparison

4,000 words)

6AAL* Graduate Language Modules 6 20 O Various

offered by the Faculties of Arts

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& Humanities, Social Science & Public Policy, or Law.

If a Masters programme, are level 6 credit levels permitted within the programme?

Yes. Students may enrol in graduate level language modules in the Modern Language Centre (maximum 20 credits) Maximum number of credits permitted with a condoned fail (core modules excluded)

30 credits in accordance with College regulations (NB: for this programme 20 credits will be the maximum allowed) Are students permitted to take any additional credits, as per regulation A3; 5.10?

Yes

Are students permitted to take a substitute module, as per regulation A3, 20.7? Yes

Are there are any exceptions to the regulations regarding credits, progression or award requirements? (where relevant the information should also differentiate the particular requirements of pathways within a programme or nested/exit awards)

If students choose a spread of modules other than 100 credits in year one, and 100 credits in year two, candidates should seek the permission of their programme convenor.

Other relevant information to explain the programme structure

Please note that new students enrolling on the information provided on this section of the PAF will have these regulations stipulated throughout their programme of study. The only exception to this will be if there are changes made by Professional, Regulatory or Statutory Bodies that are noted to this programme.

1. Number of introductory, core and optional modules to be taken in each year of the programme with related credit value: Full Time:

180 credits earned through 1x40 credit core module, 1x60 credit core dissertation module, and 80 credits of optional modules (students may take a maximum of 20 credits of graduate language modules at level 6).

Part Time:

Year 1: 60-120 credits earned through 1x40 credit core module and 20-80 credits of optional modules(students may take a maximum of 20 credits of graduate language modules at level 6).

Year 2: 60-120 credits earned through 1x60 credit core dissertation module and up to 60 credits of optional modules, depending on credits taken in year one (if not taken in year 1, students may take a maximum of 20 credits of graduate language modules at level 6).

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PAF Initially Approved: 27 January 2012 20. Marking criteria

The assessment criteria follow the College’s general criteria for the assessment of MA programmes.

21. Will this Programme report to an existing Board, and if so which one? If a new Programme Board of Examiners is to be set up please note name of Board here The School of Global Affairs Assessment Sub- Board with results ratified by the Faculty of SSPP Assessment Board.

22. Please confirm that the process for nominating External Examiners has

commenced, and if known, note whom the nominated External Examiner(s) may be Dr Mehmet Asutay, Senior Lecturer in Political Economy

School of Government and International Affairs Durham University Elvet Hill Road Durham DH1 3TU

23. Particular features of the programme which help to reduce the barriers

experienced by disabled students and ensure that the programme is accessible to all students who meet the entry requirements

Publicity and programme handbook

These clearly communicate the key skills that will be required during the programme, the content of each module, the intended teaching methods to be used and the module’s status (core/compulsory/optional).

Teaching methods

A wide range of teaching methods are utilised (as demonstrated by box 17), including: hand-outs in alternative formats, electronic resources placed on the website, lecture notes in advance in electronic formats.

Assessment

Advice has been taken from the Equality and Diversity Department to ensure assessment methods do not unfairly discriminate against students with disabilities. The College’s Special Examination Arrangements Committee (SEAC) considers requests for adjustments to

assessment to take account of learning and/or physical disabilities. Module outlines specify the assessment methods that will be used.

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