Introduction to the Contemporary Middle East and North Africa (MENA)

2025/2026

Academic Year

ENG

Instruction in English

3

ECTS credits

Delivered at:

Department of History

Course type:

Elective course

When:

2 year, 2 module

Instructor

Samadi, Mozhgan

Course Syllabus

Abstract

The course “Introduction to the Contemporary Middle East and North Africa (MENA)" is designed for one semester (one session per week - 8 lecture and 7 seminar sessions in English). This course is devoted to introducing social institutions and various aspects of societies in the contemporary MENA region such as the origins of family and ethnic ties, mobilised traditionalism, and political, social, economic, and cultural structures in the region. Two principle thematic questions run throughout the course, linking its various sections together: “What, if anything, is distinctive and exceptional about MENA?” and “How has MENA changed throughout the 20th century?” Students will be introduced to a range of the most up-to-date international sources relating to the study of the contemporary Middle East and North Africa, including reference and survey works, case studies, and internet resources. The principal goals of this course are to lay the foundations for a prospective deeper study of MENA while facilitating acquisition of intellectual and personal transferable skills.

Learning Objectives

• 1- To introduce students to the study of the rapidly changing Middle East and North Africa from a multidisciplinary perspective. This course will, in addition to removing any fogginess students might have about MENA, debunk preconceived stereotypical ideas they might have acquired through the media about a region often typified as a war zone and an area rife with conflict.
• 2- To lay foundations for the study of various courses in Middle Eastern and North African studies at subsequent levels.

Expected Learning Outcomes

• a) Knowledge and understanding: - relate learning experiences to the social, cultural, political, and other dimensions which characterize MENA region, - have a good understanding about the cultures, religions, languages and the politics of the region and its people, - build awareness about the diversity which distinguishes the MENA as well as its cultures, religions, and populations, - gain access to the study of a range of specialist areas within the discipline.
• b) Intellectual skills: - think analytically and critically, - synthesize and analyse data and information, - develop advanced skills of written and verbal academic communication in English, - organize and express ideas.
• c) Practical skills: - work with academic sources in English, - use reporting skills.
• d) Transferable skills and personal qualities: - learn independently in English, - learn and work in teams, - manage time and be punctual, - debate and make oral presentations, - apply subject knowledge, - negotiate (understanding group dynamics and intercultural backgrounds while setting up and debating objectives).

Course Contents

• Lecture Two. Society: Kinship, Ethnicity, and Identity in MENA.
• Lecture Three. History: The Formation of the Modern Middle Eastern and North African State Systems.
• Lecture Four. Religion: Religious, Traditions and Communities in MENA.
• Lecture Five. Politics: Democracy, Dictatorship, and the Arab Spring.
• Lecture Six. Economy: Economies in MENA and the Role of Oil.
• Lecture Seven. Culture: Literature, Art, and Cinema in MENA.
• Lecture Eight. Orientalism: MENA and the West: ‘Clash of Civilizations’?
• Lecture One. Definiens: Introduction to Culture and Methods of Cultural Research.

Assessment Elements

• Activeness during the lecture and seminar sessions
  20% of the final mark (2 of 10)
• An oral presentation during the semester
  40% of the final mark (4 of 10)
• Oral Exam by the end of semester
  40% of the final mark (4 of 10)

Interim Assessment

• 2025/2026 2nd module
  0.2 * Activeness during the lecture and seminar sessions + 0.4 * An oral presentation during the semester + 0.4 * Oral Exam by the end of semester

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

• Said, E. (2004). Orientalism Once More. Development & Change, 35(5), 869–879. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7660.2004.00383.x
• State, power and politics in the making of the modern Middle East, Owen, R., 2004

Recommended Additional Bibliography

• Orientalism, Said, E. W., 2003

Authors

• STRELNIKOVA ELIZAVETA OLEGOVNA
• Dzhafarova Alina Tagirovna
• Samadi Mozhgan