This course focuses on sectarianism in the Middle East. The growing sectarian tension and  conflict between Sunni and Shia Muslims has come to define much of the region’s political  landscape. The course’s central aim is to examine the complexities of sectarianism in the Middle  East. Its scope extends the nature of the theological divisions between the two sects. More  significantly, the course analyses Sunni and Shia identity in various countries in the Middle East,  and power politics in the region.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

Upon successful completion of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. identify and comprehend the history of the sectarian divide in Islam between its Sunni and Shia sects, become familiar with the key theological features of Sunni and Shia Islam and the areas in which the sects diverge doctrinally, and have the foundation for understanding the animosity and conflict between members of the sects, in both historical and contemporary terms;
2. understand sectarian identity and politics in various countries in the Middle East;
3. understand socio-political development in the Middle East and the sectarian tension and conflict in the region; and
4. understand the interconnections between religion and politics in general and how that has shaped the attitudes of various actors in the region.

Recommended Resources

Brigitte Marechal and Sami Zemni, The Dynamics of Sunni-Shia Relationships: Doctrine, Transnationalism, Intellectuals and the Media, (London, Hurst&Company, 2013).

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms:

• written comments (mid-term essay and journal article review)
• verbal comments (seminar participation)
• feedback to whole class, groups, individuals, focus groups etc

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Orientation and course overview; The Sunni-Shia divide: an historical overview and the ongoing theological debate
2	Theorising sectarianism
3	Shiism in Iran: the rise of the Velayat al-Faqih
4	The struggle for recognition: The Shia in Saudi Arabia
5	A ruling minority: Bahrain’s sectarian conflict
6	The Shia in Iraq: the rise to power
7	Syria’s Alawites: from persecuted minority to military power
8	Lebanon's confessional politics
9	The Druze in Lebanon, Syria and Israel
10	Preserving Shia identity: the Zaydi resurrection in Yemen
11	Regional construction of the Sunni-Shia divide
12	Desectarianisation: trends and prospects

Tutorial Registration

n/a

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Seminar participation	10 %	*	*	LO's 1-4
Mid-term essay	30 %	02/04/2021	20/04/2021	LO's 1-4
Second research essay	50 %	10/06/2021	*	LO's 1-4
Journal article review	10 %	05/03/2021	12/03/2021	LO's 1-4

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information 
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the Academic Integrity . In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Assessment Task 1

Seminar participation

Students are expected not only to attend weekly seminars throughout the semester, but to make contributions during the discussions. 10% of the total mark will cover attendance plus participation. In-class participation may test some of the ‘Specific Learning Outcomes’ and some of the ‘General Skills’. Please note that the tutorial assessment is not open to re-appraisal.

Assessment Task 2

Mid-term essay

The essay for this course tests students’ ability to research a topic and to present a quality, cogent argument in response to the question. Questions are based around the material covered in the course. Essays are marked against criteria that include answering the question, presenting an argument, demonstrating depth of research, and technical quality. Advice on essays is provided in seminars and on Wattle.

This will relate to themes covered in the course, and will test students on 1, 2, 3 & 4 of the ‘Specific Learning Outcomes’ depending on the question chosen, plus a, b, and c of the ‘General Skills’. The essay must be 3000 words in length and will be due by 3 pm on Friday, 2 April 2021. Please note that the word limit may be increased by 10% to accommodate the use of the Harvard, or other in-text, referencing system in which references are placed in the body of the main text.

The essay must be on a topic selected from the list of essay questions (to be distributed in class) and case studies must be based on countries covered in this course.

• It should be 3000 words in length.

• It will count for 30% of the total course assessment and final mark.

• The essay will be assessed against one or more of Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 3 & 4 and will be assessed on (in descending order of importance): — Whether and how well the question is answered;

— Whether and how well an argument is presented;

— The factual accuracy of the essay;

— The depth and sophistication of research demonstrated in the essay including engagement with the literature and theory;

— Whether academic conventions have been followed; and

— The technical quality of the essay.

Assessment Task 3

Second research essay

This will relate to themes covered in the course, and will test students on 1, 2, 3 & 4 of the ‘Specific Learning Outcomes’ depending on the question chosen, plus a, b, and c of the ‘General Skills’. The essay must be 5000 words in length and will be due by 3 pm on Thursday, 10 June 2021. Please note that the word limit may be increased by 10% to accommodate the use of the Harvard, or other in-text, referencing system in which references are placed in the body of the main text.

The essay must be on a topic selected from the list of essay questions (to be distributed in class) and case studies must be based on countries covered in this course.

• It should be 5000 words in length.

• It will count for 50% of the total course assessment and final mark.

• The essay will be assessed against one or more of Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 3 & 4 and will be assessed on (in descending order of importance): — Whether and how well the question is answered;

— Whether and how well an argument is presented;

— The factual accuracy of the essay;

— The depth and sophistication of research demonstrated in the essay including engagement with the literature and theory;

— Whether academic conventions have been followed; and

— The technical quality of the essay.

Assessment Task 4

Journal article review

The journal article review will test students’ ability to examine the strengths and weakness of journal articles in the studies of sectarianism. 

Reviews are marked against criteria that include the student’s overall understanding of the thesis presented in the journal article and the core arguments of the article. The student's critical analysis of the article's merits will also be assessed.

Students are to choose one journal article from a selection of five. The articles will be made available in week one. 

The review must be 800 words in length and will be due by 3 pm on Friday, 12 March 2021.  

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically, committing to honest and responsible scholarly practice and upholding these values with respect and fairness.

The ANU commits to assisting all members of our community to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle and Academic Misconduct Rule, uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with.

The Academic Misconduct Rule is in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Very minor breaches of the academic integrity principle may result in a reduction of marks of up to 10% of the total marks available for the assessment. The ANU offers a number of online and in person services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. Visit the Academic Skills website for more information about academic integrity, your responsibilities and for assistance with your assignments, writing skills and study.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Individual assessment tasks may or may not allow for late submission. Policy regarding late submission is detailed below:

• Late submission permitted. Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students