AIE257 - Understanding Middle East Conflict
Unit details
| Year | 2025 unit information |
|---|---|
| Enrolment modes: | Commencing 2026 Trimester 2: Burwood (Melbourne), Waurn Ponds (Geelong), Online |
| Credit point(s): | 1 |
| EFTSL value: | 0.125 |
| Unit Chair: | Trimester 2: Andrew Thomas |
| Prerequisite: | Nil |
| Corequisite: | Nil |
| Incompatible with: | Nil |
| Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - on-campus unit enrolment: | 1 x 1-hour lecture per week, 1 x 1-hour seminar per week |
| Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - online unit enrolment: | 1 x 1-hour lecture per week, 1 x 1-hour seminar per week |
| Typical study commitment: | Students will on average spend 150-hours over the teaching period undertaking the teaching, learning and assessment activities for this unit. This will include educator guided online learning activities within the unit site. |
Content
This unit explores some of the most important conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa. Focussing on conflicts in the 20th and 21st centuries, the unit guides students through the historical, political, and social underpinnings of these conflicts. Students will utilise concepts integral to contemporary conflicts, such as political violence, asymmetric warfare, intra-state conflict, peacekeeping, and peacemaking. They will gain wide-ranging insight into the forces that contribute to violence in the region and the complexity of the politics involved. No prior study of the Middle East is required.
Learning outcomes
| ULO | These are the Unit Learning Outcomes (ULOs) for this unit. At the completion of this unit, successful students can: | Alignment to Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes (GLOs) |
|---|---|---|
| ULO1 | Recognise the lived experience and cultural assumptions that they bring to political discussion of the Middle East | GLO4: Critical thinking |
| ULO2 | Analyse a diverse range of sources pertaining to major conflicts in the Middle East | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO4: Critical thinking |
| ULO3 | Develop their understanding of the political and conceptual underpinnings of conflict and apply this to analysing modern conflicts in the Middle East | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO4: Critical thinking GLO5: Problem solving |
| ULO4 | Analyse and interpret media and the way it portrays the Middle East | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO4: Critical thinking |
| ULO5 | Articulate their opinion through authentic written and oral communication, online and in-person | GLO2: Communication GLO6: Self-management |
| ULO6 | Develop an empathy for the people of the Middle East and the political dilemmas they live with | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO8: Global citizenship |
Assessment
| Assessment Description | Student output | Grading and weighting (% total mark for unit) | Indicative due week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Report | 2000 words or equivalent | 50% | Week 6 |
| Take-Home Exam | 2000 words or equivalent | 50% | End-of-unit assessment period |
The assessment due weeks provided may change. The Unit Chair will clarify the exact assessment requirements, including the due date, at the start of the teaching period.
Learning resource
The texts and reading list for AIE257 can be found via the University Library.
Note: Select the relevant trimester reading list. Please note that a future teaching period's reading list may not be available until a month prior to the start of that teaching period so you may wish to use the relevant trimester's prior year reading list as a guide only.
Unit Fee Information
Fees and charges vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study and their study discipline, and your study load.
Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.
For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current Students website.