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Summer school students can take two courses: an Arabic language course (Levels 1 or 2) and another: either ‘Government and Politics of the Middle East' or ‘Culture and Society in the Middle East’."Government and Politics of the Middle East" serves as an introduction to the politics of North Africa (Maghreb), the Arab East (Mashriq) including the Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula, Israel, Turkey and Iran. It offers an overview of the major political issues and developments in the region since the end of the First World War and addresses key themes in the study of contemporary Middle East politics, including: the role of the military, social and economic development, political Islam, and the recent uprisings (the ‘Arab Spring’)."Culture and Society in the Middle East" offers an introduction to the theories and methods of studying culture and deals with the history and development of societies in MENA from the classical period to the present. It is taught through a study of lively topics such as religious and ethnic diversity, impact of the West, the role of tradition, education (traditional and modern), family structure and value, gender politics, media, labour and labour migration, the Palestinian refugee problem and Arab exile communities, culinary cultures, music and media, etc.Please note that early bird discounts of 10% are available until 15 April 2014. For more information, see: http://www.soas.ac.uk/lmei/summerschool/or contact Louise Hosking: L.Hosking@soas.ac.uk.