Module manager: Professor Nir Arielli
Email: n.arielli@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable
Year running 2025/26
This module is not approved as a discovery module
The module introduces you to the international history of the Middle East from the early twentieth century to the present. It examines key themes that have shaped the region, including imperial rivalry, state formation, local and regional nationalism, minorities and refugees, the impact of the Cold War, religious ideologies, fossil fuel extraction, and shifting diplomatic alliances.
The module's main objective is to examine the ways in which the Middle East has been transformed since the early twentieth century. It begins with a conceptual discussion around what and where is the Middle East. It then examines how the main actors, the ideological landscape and the economic dynamics shaping the region have changed over time. The module combines a thematic and chronological approach, focusing on notable case studies of conflict, revolution and peace-making as well as on longer-term processes of transformation.
On successful completion of the module you will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
1. Identify and analyse the role of a variety of historical actors.
2. Critique narratives that are constructed around historical events.
3. Illustrate your understanding of diplomatic developments in the 20th and 21st Middle East using concrete historical examples.
Skills Learning Outcome
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
4. Weigh up different arguments and perspectives, using supporting evidence to form opinions, arguments, and ideas.
5. Search for, evaluate and use appropriate and relevant information sources to strengthen the quality of academic work.
6. Communicate in way that is clear, concise, and focused in both verbal and written formats.
Details of the syllabus will be provided on the Minerva organisation (or equivalent) for the module.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supervision | 2 | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Lecture | 11 | 1 | 11 |
| Seminar | 9 | 1 | 9 |
| Private study hours | 179.6 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 20.4 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
You will select a title for your presentation from a list prepared by the tutor. You will send the tutor an initial list of sources you plan to use and a paragraph summarising the themes you intend to cover. The tutor will provide feedback on the information submitted and will make further suggestions.
You will receive written feedback on your presentations and will also be encouraged to have a face-to-face meeting with the tutor. Such meetings will provide an opportunity for you to reflect on how the presentation went. The feedback, meetings with the tutor, and the final seminar of the module will emphasize things to consider for the final essay, with special attention given to focus on the question, making balanced use of the historiography, analytical depth and clarity.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Presentation | Presentation. | 40 |
| Essay | Essay | 60 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 29/04/2025
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team