Contemporary Middle East & Central Asia

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2014:

Intensive subject. Please see the timetable for dates.

Estimated total time commitment (including non-contact time): 120 hours

Admission into the fourth-year honours program or Postgraduate programs in the Arts Faculty. Admission into the Master of Islamic Studies.

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For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

This subject focuses on the contemporary political landscape of the Middle East and Central Asia. It explores the interplay of international relations and domestic politics, especially in the wake of the war on terror. It traces the challenge of Islamism with reference to the Arab-Israeli conflict and implications of Iran’.s growing assertiveness in the Persian Gulf and Central Asia. Of particular interest is popular perceptions of the United States in the region, as well as the disconnect between the people and the political elite.

Students who successfully complete this subject should...

• have a deeper understanding of the dynamics of the political systems in the Middle East and Central Asia.
• have a solid appreciation of the role of great powers in the region.
• have a solid grasp of the geo-political issues facing the newly established states of Central Asia.
• have an understanding of the interconnectedness of patterns of conflict in the Middle East and Central Asia.
• have an understanding of Islamic political and social mechanisms in the Middle East and Central Asia.

A 5000- word research paper 80% (due at the end of the teaching period) and continuous seminar participation 20% (throughout the teaching period).

• Kylie Baxter and Shahram Akbarzadeh, US Foreign Policy in the Middle East. London: Routledge, 2008
• Shahram Akbarzadeh, Uzbekistan and the United States: Authoritarianism, Islamism and Washington's Security Agenda . London: Zed books, 2005

• Shahram Akbarzadeh and Benjamin MacQueen: Islam and Human Rights (London: Routledge, 2008)
• Olivier Roy, The Failure of Political Islam (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1994).

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

Students who successfully complete this subject should

• Develop a deeper understanding of the dynamics of the political systems in the Middle East and Central Asia
• Gain a solid appreciation of the role of great powers in the region
• Demonstrate a solid grasp of the geo-political issues facing the newly established states of Central Asia
• Improve oral skills by participating in seminars.
• Develop improved writing skills by producing a well-documented take-home exam paper.

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