| CODE | IRL5058 | |||||||||
| TITLE | Humanitarian Action in the Middle East and North Africa | |||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | |||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | |||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | |||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | International Relations | |||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study unit reviews Humanitarian Action in the MENA region from the perspective of International Political Economy (IPE) on the mutual interaction of international politics and international economics, as the subject of much theoretical research and applied policy analysis. Although economic concepts are taken seriously, the focus is largely upon the political determinants and effects of economic outcomes. The emphasis is on insights and explanations of IPE as an interdisciplinary field that draws on many distinct academic schools, most notably political science and economics, but also sociology, history, and cultural studies. This unit looks into the major issues surrounding humanitarian and development action in different areas and sectors, through a series of case studies, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine, Kurdistan, Lebanon, Sudan, Libya and Syria. This unit is formulated as interactive seminars, where students’ presentations constitute an important component of learning. This unit is formulated as a combination of lectures and interactive seminars, where students’ presentations constitute an important component of learning. Each student will give a presentation on one of the topics and provide critical and constructive comments on the subject. The rest of the participants are expected to contribute to the discussion Study-unit Aims This study unit seeks to provide students with a thorough analytical understanding of the main problems and challenges of humanitarian action in the MENA region as well as increased socio-cultural competencies. Its aim is to cover the various view points in IPE from which policy recommendations originate, and will endeavour to provide an ideologically neutral presentation of the field of study. Learning Outcomes 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: avail him/her self of an applied approach to Humanitarian Action in the MENA that allows him/her to acquire a reasonable competence-based learning, and become equipped with the required capacity to address humanitarian issues in that region when entering research institutions and employment. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: benefit as a researcher and personnel in the field from useful insights, normative and descriptive, into various aspects of Humanitarian Action in the MENA, ranging from research and analysis to project management, logistics, administration, communications, monitoring and evaluation. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings Recommended readings: - Ayoob, M. ( 2002) Humanitarian Intervention and State Sovereignty. The International Journal of Human Rights. Volume 6, Issue 1. - Ben Ashoor, Yadh (1980) ‘Islam and International Humanitarian Law’, International Review of the Red Cross, No.215, pp.59-69. - Frieden, J. & Lake, D. (2000): International Political Economy: Perspectives on Global Power and Wealth, 4th ed. Blackboard, Boston. - Gilpin, Robert (2001): Global Political Economy: Understanding the International Economic Order. Princeton University Press, Princeton - Hakimian, H. and Moshaver, Z. (eds.)(2001): The State and Global Change: The Political Economy of Transition in the Middle East and North Africa, Curzon Press, Surrey. - Hashmi, Sohail H. (1993) ‘Is There an Islamic Ethic of Humanitarian Intervention?’, Ethics and International Affairs, Vol.7, pp.55-73. - Katz, Ingrid T. and Wright, Alexi A. (2004) Collateral Damage - Médecins sans - Frontières Leaves Afghanistan and Iraq. N Engl J Med; 351:2571-2573, December 16. - Khouri, Rami G. (2009) Sixty Years of UNRWA: From Service Provision to Refugee Protection. Refugee Survey Quarterly (2009) 28 (2-3): 438-451 - Leezenberg, Michel (2000) Humanitarian Aid in Iraqi Kurdistan. Cahiers d'études sur la Méditerranée. - Oately, T. (2006): International Political Economy: Interests and Institutions in the Global Economy, 2nd ed. Longman, New York. Supplementary readings: - Gottheil, Fred (2006) UNRWA and moral hazard. Middle Eastern Studies. Volume 42, Issue 3. - Naz, Modirzadeh (2010) The Dark Sides of Convergence: A Pro-Civilian Critique of the Extraterritorial Application of Human Rights Law in Armed Conflict" in the Naval War College Blue Book's 86th Volume. Raul A.Pedrozo (Editor). |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Co-Requisite Study-units As prescribed within MA in Humanitarian Action |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Seminar | |||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Arsalan Alshinawi |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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