MSc Politics of the Middle East

SOAS has been the leading institution for the study of the Middle East for decades, and the Department of Politics is world-renowned for its scholars’ combination of regional and disciplinary expertise. The MSc Politics of the Middle East is further distinguished by its tutors’ critical perspectives and the cutting-edge modules on offer. The content balances historical and theoretical rigour with coverage of up-to-the-minute regional and global developments. Students choose from modules covering the politics of resistance, religion, and solidarity, alongside urban politics, infrastructure, migration, artificial intelligence and human security. The programme trains students in disciplinary approaches – political sociology, political economy, and international relations – while encouraging them to think and write across these disciplinary boundaries.

Learning and teaching on the MSc combine lectures, seminars, presentations, and independent study. Students are expected to read extensively and to engage actively in class discussions. They study research methods, and submit independently written assignments, with the guidance of their course tutors. The MSc ends with a dissertation, whose topic and approach are developed with the support of a specialist supervisor.