This masters is designed to develop your research skills within the field of Middle East Studies. Your core training will be in social scientific philosophy and methodology, which you will then learn to apply to the study of the contemporary Middle East. The programme is designed to develop your understanding of the history and evolution of the Middle East as a region, as well as introducing you to approaches to studying the area, and specialised quantitative and qualitative analytical techniques appropriate to this specialism. Your subject knowledge and skills are developed via lectures, class discussion, group work and student presentations. In the lectures, students will be presented with cutting-edge research carried out by those actually giving the lectures; a reality that is hoped will inspire students. The programme also makes use of class discussions, group work and student presentations (both individual and in groups) as different people learn in different ways. However, there is no doubt that all students, regardless of how they best learn, will benefit from input from their peers. Moreover, group work, class discussion and student presentations are seen as ways in which students can take some responsibility for their own (and each others) learning, which is expected at the MA level. You will fine-tune your critical reading skills, learn to present in front of an audience, to ask and field incisive questions, and work with your peers to develop consensus views and challenge those of others. A range of media will be used in teaching, from video and audio, newspaper articles and academic journal articles. Graduates from this programme may find professional employment in a wide range of sectors both in the UK and internationally.