Iran in the World: Politics, Society, Praxis

After completing this course, you will be able to:

• know and understand the key players (local, regional, and global) and their motivations in the formation of the modern Iranian state.
• evaluate the significance of reformist and revolutionary elements in light of social and economic changes in Iran.
• be familiarized with domestic debates and theoretical positions internal to the Iranian sociopolitical landscape.
• examine, in a wider context, the impact of the 1979 Revolution on social forces in Iran and the rise of political Islam in the Middle East.
• address open questions in the relationship between the state and civil society from many historical and theoretical viewpoints.

• One of the MØNA-courses at 1000 level (for instance MØNA1000, MØNA1100 or MØNA1505
• Courses in History or Political Science might compensate for lack of area studies.

A good working knowledge of academic English is strongly recommended.

Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.

If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.

The course is taught through a seminar format organised as 11 classes of 2 hours a week throughout the semester.

Each class will include student presentations by 2-4 students who act as discussion leaders. Presentations will be assigned during Class 1 and 2. They will commence in Class 3. Class attendance and participation are strongly emphasized.

In some cases, guest lecturers will be invited to offer their unique perspectives on the themes mentioned above.

Compulsory activity:

1. Compulsory attendance: You must attend to at least 8 out of 11 seminars.
2. Written assignments: You must complete three individually written assignments.
3. Oral presentation: You must complete one presentation held in class.

Each written assignment will be provided with commentaries after the first submission, in order for the student to improve it. The students will have time to edit all three papers, and the final version of these will represent the final portfolio.

More information about the three assignments, the presentation and the deadlines will be given during class and in Canvas. You must submit the assignments within the given deadlines, and you are responsible for familiarizing yourself with the requirements for the compulsory activities.

All compulsory activities must be approved to qualify for the exam. It is your responsibility to verify that you have obtained approval for all compulsory activities.

Approval of the compulsory written assignments are only valid for the current semester. If you retake the course, you must submit new drafts in the semester in which you are taking the exam.

Approved compulsory attendance and oral presentations are valid for the 2 following semesters in which the course is offered. However, exceptions may arise if the course udergoes changes in its assessment format, teaching, or other significant modifications.

Absence from compulsory activities:

• Here you will find information about compulsory activities at the Department of Culture, Religion, Asian and Middle Eastern Studies

It is important that you familiarize yourself with the rules regarding absence from compulsory activities, to prevent being excluded from teaching and losing your eligibility to take the exam.

More information on compulsory activities at the University of Oslo:

• Common guidelines relating to compulsory activities - University of Oslo (uio.no)

Access to teaching

A student who has completed compulsory instruction and coursework and has had these approved, is not entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework. A student who has been admitted to a course, but who has not completed compulsory instruction and coursework or had these approved, is entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework, depending on available capacity.

Portfolio exam

The portfolio assignment is the final version of the three mandatory individually written assignments. The assignment should consist of 9-10 pages. One standard page is approximately 2300 characters without spaces, including references. The front page and bibliography are not included in the page count.

Detailed information regarding the portfolio exam will be announced on Canvas.

You must submit the exam in Inspera - see guides for digital exams.

You are personally responsible for familiarizing yourself with the requirements and deadlines for the exam.

All compulsory activities must be completed and approved in order to take the exam.

You can find more information about the exam on the semester page of the course.