Programme Specification for the 2025/6 academic year
BA (Hons) Arabic and Politics
1. Programme Details
| Programme name | BA (Hons) Arabic and Politics | Programme code | UFA4IAIHPS01 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Study mode(s) | Academic year | 2025/6 | |
| Campus(es) | Streatham (Exeter) |
NQF Level of the Final Award | 6 (Honours) |
2. Description of the Programme
This is a 4-year combined honours bachelor’s programme for students who want to combine study of Politics and Arabic language. Students who take this programme will benefit from intensive Arabic language training up to an advanced level, covering all the essential skills (reading, writing, speaking, grammar, translation) as well as the opportunity to learn an Arabic dialect. Through a selection of core and optional modules, students will study political thought, international relations, comparative government, political economy and democracy and develop a nuanced understanding of contemporary Middle East politics. The programme includes a Year Abroad, when students pursue an intensive language programme in an Arabic-speaking country and gain experience of living in the Middle East. Students offered a place on this programme receive a Sharjah scholarship (£750 in years 1, 3 and 4; £1500 for the Year Abroad) and are able to draw on the IAIS Al Waleed fund to facilitate travel to the Middle East for purposes of study (up to £1000 per student per year).
3. Educational Aims of the Programme
4. Programme Structure
5. Programme Modules
The following tables describe the programme and constituent modules. Constituent modules may be updated, deleted or replaced as a consequence of the annual programme review of this programme.
Arabic modules https://www.exeter.ac.uk/study/studyinformation/modules/?prog=arabislamicstudies
Politics modules https://www.exeter.ac.uk/study/studyinformation/modules/?prog=politics
Option modules vary from year to year and are dependent on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand.
Whether an option module is from within or outside of IAIS, any prerequisite and / or any corequisites should be checked prior to choosing any options, making sure the module is a viable choice.
Stage 1
90 credits of compulsory modules, 30 credits of optional modules
Compulsory Modules
| Code | Module | Credits | Non-condonable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARA1033A | Elementary Arabic Language I | 30 | Yes |
| ARA1033B | Elementary Arabic Language II | 30 | Yes |
| ARA1010 | Politics and Economy of the Contemporary Middle East | 15 | No |
| POL1029 | Introduction to Comparative Politics | 15 | No |
Optional Modules
Politics modules https://www.exeter.ac.uk/study/studyinformation/modules/?prog=politics
| Code | Module | Credits | Non-condonable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arabic and Middle East Studies Stage 1 Option Modules 2025-6 | |||
| ARA1013 | Elementary Persian | 15 | No |
| ARA1020 | Elementary Persian 2 | 15 | No |
| ARA1030 | Introduction to Islamic Archaeology | 15 | No |
| ARA1031 | Elementary Turkish I | 15 | No |
| ARA1032 | Elementary Turkish II | 15 | No |
| ARA1041 | Religious Communities of the Middle East: Culture, Endangerment and Survival | 15 | No |
| ARA1018 | Introduction to Islam | 15 | No |
| ARA1021 | Introduction to Persian History and Culture | 15 | No |
| ARA1036 | Histories of the Middle East, 600-1800 C.E. | 15 | No |
| Arabic and Politics Stage 1 Politics option modules 2025-6 | |||
| POL1000 | Critical Skills for Politics and International Relations | 15 | No |
| POL1017 | Globalisation of World Politics | 15 | No |
| POL1018 | The Challenges of World Politics in the Twenty-First Century | 15 | No |
| POL1019 | Power and Democracy | 15 | No |
| POL1020 | Politics in Europe | 15 | No |
| POL1025 | Classical Political Thought | 15 | No |
| POL1026 | Early Modern Political Thought | 15 | No |
| POL1045 | International Politics of the Global South | 15 | No |
| POL1046 | The State of the UK: Identifying Marginalised Identities and Addressing Inequalities | 15 | No |
| POL1047 | Global Sustainability Governance and Policy | 15 | No |
| POL1048 | The Politics of Development | 15 | No |
| SSI1002 | Programming for the Social Sciences | 30 | No |
| SSI1005 | Introduction to Social Data | 15 | No |
| SPA1002 | Population and Society | 15 | No |
| SPA1001 | Animal Politics | 15 | No |
| SPA1004 | Introduction to Artificial Intelligence | 15 | No |
| SSI1006 | Data Analysis in Social Science 1 | 15 | No |
Stage 2
Compulsory Modules
| Code | Module | Credits | Non-condonable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARA2000 | Year Abroad | 120 | Yes |
Stage 3
60 credits of core modules, 60 credits of option modules
Compulsory Modules
| Code | Module | Credits | Non-condonable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARA2139 | Intermediate Arabic Language II | 30 | No |
| POL2046 | The Economics of Politics | 15 | No |
| POL2059 | Political Thought of Modernity | 15 | No |
Optional Modules
Politics modules https://www.exeter.ac.uk/study/studyinformation/modules/?prog=politics
| Code | Module | Credits | Non-condonable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arabic Stage 3 & Middle East Studies Stage 2 Option Modules 2025-6 | |||
| ARA2014 | Regions and Empires in Islamic Archaeology | 15 | No |
| ARA2016 | Magic and the Abrahamic Religions | 15 | No |
| ARA2118 | Gender-Identity and Modernity in the Middle East | 15 | No |
| ARA2132 | Islamic Law and Society | 15 | No |
| ARA2134 | Ethnography of the Middle East | 15 | No |
| ARA2135 | Conflict and Peacemaking Palestine/Israel | 15 | No |
| ARA2141 | Intermediate Persian | 15 | No |
| ARA2147 | Classical Islamic History | 15 | No |
| ARA2150 | Muslims in Britain | 15 | No |
| ARA2151 | Intermediate Persian II | 15 | No |
| ARA2162 | Political Economy of Development in the Middle East | 15 | No |
| ARA2164 | Intermediate Turkish I | 15 | No |
| ARA2165 | Intermediate Turkish II | 15 | No |
| ARA2170 | A History of the Modern Middle East, 1900-2014 | 15 | No |
| ARA2171 | A History of the Modern Middle East, 1900-2014 | 30 | No |
| Politics and Modern Languages - Politics options stage 2 2025-6 | |||
| POL2020 | Contemporary Theories of World Politics | 15 | No |
| POL2026 | Political Analysis: Behaviour, Institutions, Ideas | 15 | No |
| POL2027 | The Politics of the World Economy | 15 | No |
| POL2046 | The Economics of Politics | 15 | No |
| POL2047 | American Politics | 15 | No |
| POL2050 | Political Philosophy | 15 | No |
| POL2057 | Security Studies | 15 | No |
| POL2059 | Political Thought of Modernity | 15 | No |
| POL2076 | Rising Powers, Peace and Conflict | 15 | No |
| POL2079 | Contemporary Public Debate in an Age of 'Anti-Politics' | 15 | No |
| POL2081 | Thinking about Race: Perspectives from the Biological and Social Sciences | 15 | No |
| POL2082 | Changing Character of Warfare | 15 | No |
| POL2098 | What is Law? Jurisprudence from Stone Tablet to Brain Imaging | 15 | No |
| POL2102 | Explaining Public Policies | 15 | No |
| POL2107 | Gender and Comparative Public Policy | 15 | No |
| POL2115 | British Foreign Policy | 15 | No |
| POL2122 | The Politics and Policies of Youth Engagement | 15 | No |
| POL2128 | Introduction to Research Design in Politics and International Relations | 15 | No |
| POL2130 | Comparative Electoral Systems | 15 | No |
| POL2131 | Environmental Governance | 15 | No |
| POL2132 | Decolonising Global Justice | 15 | No |
| POL2164 | The Politics of Humanitarian Emergencies | 15 | No |
| POL2165 | Foreign Policy Analysis | 15 | No |
| POL2166 | Gendering World Politics | 15 | No |
Stage 4
30 credit core module, 90 credits of option modules
Compulsory Modules
| Code | Module | Credits | Non-condonable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARA3103 | Advanced Arabic Language | 30 | No |
| ARA3106 | Dissertation | 30 | No |
Optional Modules
Arabic modules https://www.exeter.ac.uk/study/studyinformation/modules/?prog=arabislamicstudies
Politics modules https://www.exeter.ac.uk/study/studyinformation/modules/?prog=politics
| Code | Module | Credits | Non-condonable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arabic and Middle East Studies Final Stage Option Modules 2025-6 | |||
| ARA3045 | War, Violence and Revolution in the Modern Middle East | 30 | No |
| ARA3108 | The Politics of Authoritarian Rule | 30 | No |
| ARA3129 | Nationalisms in the Middle East | 15 | No |
| ARA3136 | The History and Political Development of Iraq | 15 | No |
| ARA3140 | The Kurds: History and Politics | 15 | No |
| ARA3158 | Armed Islamist Movements: Jihadism and Beyond | 15 | No |
| ARA3162 | Britain in the Middle East, 1798-1977 | 15 | No |
| ARA3163 | Politics and Reform in the Gulf | 15 | No |
| ARA3196 | Independent Research | 30 | No |
| ARA3197 | The Arabian Nights: Perception and Reception | 15 | No |
| ARA3200 | Gender, Sexuality and Violence in Palestine/Israel | 15 | No |
| International Relations and Politics Final Stage Option Modules 2025-6 | |||
| POL3054 | Nuclear Weapons in International Relations | 15 | No |
| POL3069 | Globalisation and the Politics of Resistance | 30 | No |
| POL3090 | Politics and Conflict in Deeply Divided Societies | 15 | No |
| POL3136 | Political Psychology | 30 | No |
| POL3168 | War and its Aftermath: Interventions and Contemporary Conflict | 30 | No |
| POL3180 | Latin American Parties, Politics and Elections | 30 | No |
| POL3196 | Democracy in the European Union | 30 | No |
| POL3234 | Religion, Politics and Policy in Europe | 30 | No |
| POL3240 | Women in the Criminal Justice System: Law, Policy and Institutions | 15 | No |
| POL3247 | Politics of Biology | 15 | No |
| POL3248 | Marxism(s) and International Relations | 15 | No |
| POL3250 | Environmental Policy in Times of Crisis | 15 | No |
| POL3256 | Trumping the Mainstream: The Populist Radical Right and Democratic politics | 30 | No |
| POL3259 | Climate Justice | 30 | No |
| POL3260 | Russian Foreign Policy | 15 | No |
| POL3263 | Political Economy of Development | 15 | No |
| POL3274 | Money, Lobbying, and Policymaking | 15 | No |
| POL3284 | Realism and Its Critics: Debating and Applying International Relations Theory | 15 | No |
| POL3291 | Disrupting Western and Neo-Liberal Policing of the Global and the Local | 30 | No |
| POL3292 | LGBTQ+ Policies and Politics in the UK | 15 | No |
| POL3293 | The Political Economy of Chinese Development | 15 | No |
| POL3294 | Land, Power and Politics: a critical problem-based approach | 15 | No |
| POL3296 | Political Economy of Populism | 15 | No |
| POL3297 | Comparative Political Economy: Varieties of Capitalism | 15 | No |
| POL3302 | Elections, Public Opinion and Parties in Britain | 15 | No |
| POL3303 | Protest, Activism and the Environment | 30 | No |
| POL3304 | Political Philosophies of Power | 15 | No |
| POL3306 | Contemporary Chinese Diplomacy and Foreign Policy | 15 | No |
| POL3307 | International Politics of the Body | 15 | No |
| POL3310 | War in the 21st Century | 30 | No |
| POL3311 | Brexit: Causes, Interpretation and Implications | 15 | No |
| POL3312 | The Transformation of Politics in the Global Age | 15 | No |
| POL3316 | Empire and Hierarchy in Russia and Eurasia | 15 | No |
| POL3317 | Authoritarian Resilience in the Global South | 15 | No |
| POL3318 | Transformation of Social and Political Realities through Smartphones | 15 | No |
| POL3319 | The Politics of Place | 15 | No |
| POL3320 | Politics Online | 15 | No |
| POL3321 | The Politics of Economic Policymaking | 30 | No |
| POL3322 | Artificial Intelligence and Democracy | 30 | No |
| POL3323 | International Relations in Global History | 30 | No |
| POL3324 | War, Culture and Society | 30 | No |
| POL3325 | Understanding Public and Nonprofit Management | 15 | No |
| POL3326 | International Politics of the Body | 30 | No |
| POL3327 | Strategy and Psychology in Foreign Policy | 15 | No |
| POL3328 | Surveys and Experiments: Design Implementation and Analysis | 15 | No |
| HAS3010 | Work Experience: Building Skills and Unlocking Opportunities | 15 | No |
| POL3213 | Feminist Political Theory | 15 | No |
6. Programme Outcomes Linked to Teaching, Learning and Assessment Methods
Intended Learning Outcomes
A: Specialised Subject Skills and Knowledge
| Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) On successfully completing this programme you will be able to: | Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) will be... | |
|---|---|---|
| ...accommodated and facilitated by the following learning and teaching activities (in/out of class): | ...and evidenced by the following assessment methods: | |
Intended Learning Outcomes
B: Academic Discipline Core Skills and Knowledge
| Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) On successfully completing this programme you will be able to: | Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) will be... | |
|---|---|---|
| ...accommodated and facilitated by the following learning and teaching activities (in/out of class): | ...and evidenced by the following assessment methods: | |
Intended Learning Outcomes
C: Personal/Transferable/Employment Skills and Knowledge
| Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) On successfully completing this programme you will be able to: | Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) will be... | |
|---|---|---|
| ...accommodated and facilitated by the following learning and teaching activities (in/out of class): | ...and evidenced by the following assessment methods: | |
7. Programme Regulations
Classification
Full details of assessment regulations for all taught programmes can be found in the TQA Manual, specifically in the Credit and Qualifications Framework, and the Assessment, Progression and Awarding: Taught Programmes Handbook. Additional information, including Generic Marking Criteria, can be found in the Learning and Teaching Support Handbook.
8. College Support for Students and Students' Learning
9. University Support for Students and Students' Learning
Please refer to the University Academic Policy and Standards guidelines regarding support for students and students' learning.
10. Admissions Criteria
Undergraduate applicants must satisfy the Undergraduate Admissions Policy of the University of Exeter.
Postgraduate applicants must satisfy the Postgraduate Admissions Policy of the University of Exeter.
Specific requirements required to enrol on this programme are available at the respective Undergraduate or Postgraduate Study Site webpages.
11. Regulation of Assessment and Academic Standards
Each academic programme in the University is subject to an agreed College assessment and marking strategy, underpinned by institution-wide assessment procedures.
The security of assessment and academic standards is further supported through the appointment of External Examiners for each programme. External Examiners have access to draft papers, course work and examination scripts. They are required to attend the Board of Examiners and to provide an annual report. Annual External Examiner reports are monitored at both College and University level. Their responsibilities are described in the University's code of practice. See the University's TQA Manual for details.
14. Awarding Institution
University of Exeter
15. Lead College / Teaching Institution
Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS)
16. Partner College / Institution
Partner College(s)
Not applicable to this programme
Partner Institution
Not applicable to this programme.
17. Programme Accredited / Validated by
0
18. Final Award
BA (Hons) Arabic and Politics
19. UCAS Code
Not applicable to this programme.
20. NQF Level of Final Award
6 (Honours)
21. Credit
| CATS credits | ECTS credits |
|---|
22. QAA Subject Benchmarking Group
[Honours] Politics and international relations
23. Dates
| Origin Date | 2020 |
Date of last revision | 15/06/2022 |
|---|
