Master 2025/2026

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

Type: Elective course (Muslim Worlds in Russia (History and Culture))

Delivered by: Institute for Oriental and Classical Studies

Where: Faculty of Humanities

When: 1 year, 4 module

Open to: students of one campus

Instructors: Mozhgan Samadi

Language: English

ECTS credits: 3

Contact hours: 32

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.