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2021/22 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

HIST3746 War on Tribe or War on Terror? Historicizing Afghanistan and Pakistan

40 creditsClass Size: 14

Module manager: Dr Elisabeth Leake
Email: E.Leake@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2021/22

This module is not approved as a discovery module

Module summary

The histories of Afghanistan and Pakistan (or 'AfPak', as the area is commonly known) have been fraught. Each country has had a tenuous history of state- and nation-building, while time and again, their relations with each other, and their local populations, have brought international attention and diplomatic efforts to the area. This module engages students to reflect on the specific twentieth-century history of this region, while more broadly re-evaluating the methodological and thematic relationships between local, national, regional, and international histories. The module ultimately asks the question of why some areas of the world remain ‘ungovernable’ in the twenty-first century - or whether the international states system we commonly associate with international relations and history does not fit all regions of the world.

Objectives

On completion of this module, students should be able to ...

a) have a deeper understanding of twentieth-century international history, especially in the 'Global South'
b) demonstrate an ability to analyse the links between local, national, regional, and international histories of Afghanistan and Pakistan
c) reflect on the impact of decolonization on the international states system
d) have a deeper understanding of why some regions, such as the Afghan-Pakistan borderlands, remain 'ungovernable' in the twenty-first century
e) demonstrate an ability to recognize and understand different modes of state control

Learning outcomes

Through this module students will:
a) recognize the methodological differences between local, national, regional, and international history
b) demonstrate an ability to make thematic comparisons across a variety of historical situations
c) have a firm grasp of the historiographic debates surrounding this topic as well as of relevant primary sources
d) demonstrate an ability to pursue independent research and study


Syllabus

Semester 1 - key concepts and themes
1. Introduction: 'Afghan', 'Pakistani', 'Pashtun'
2. The 'discovery' of Afghanistan in the nineteenth century
3. Anglo-Afghan relations
4. Empire and 'tribe' on the northwest frontier - civil law
5. Empire and 'tribe' on the northwest frontier - martial law
6. Religious politics in early 20th century South Asia
7. Ethno-nationalism in South and Central Asia
8. The partition of India and frontier politics
9. State-building versus nation-building
10. What is a border?
11. Independent research presentations

Semester 2 - Student-led sessions:
1. The demand for 'Pashtunistan'
2. Pakistani state-building and regional relations
3. Afghan ethnic politics and regional relations
4. The United States, Pakistan, and Afghanistan in the early Cold War
5. The war in Baluchistan and transborder autonomy movements
6. The rise of communism in Afghanistan
7. Soviet state-building in Afghanistan
8. The refugee and the mujahidin: Understanding local impacts of the Soviet invasion
9. The rise of the Taliban and fundamentalist Islam
10. The War on Terror
11. Review

Teaching methods

Delivery typeNumberLength hoursStudent hours
Seminar222.0044.00
Private study hours356.00
Total Contact hours44.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)400.00

Private study

Exam preparation; researching, preparing and writing assessments; undertaking set reading; self-directed reading around the topic; preparation for oral presentation.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Weekly seminar discussions; one-to-one dissertation discussion; oral presentation of students' research in class.

Methods of assessment


Coursework
Assessment typeNotes% of formal assessment
Essay4,000 word essay due in semester 1, Monday of Exam Week 240.00
PresentationVebal presentation10.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)50.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated


Exams
Exam typeExam duration% of formal assessment
Online Time-Limited assessment48 hr 00 mins50.00
Total percentage (Assessment Exams)50.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 30/06/2021 15:57:33

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