Assignments MA, IS534N 2026

Assignment 1: Afghanistan as a Produced Space *Geography · Geo-Power · Politics of Territory* 📝 Task Write one continuous analytical-reflective essay (1500–2000 words): → How do geography, water systems, and political power interact in Afghanistan? Build your argument using: • Physical geography — mountains, rivers, deserts, watersheds • Geo-power — mapping, control, governance • Lines of communication — connectivity vs isolation • Regional identity — shifting and contested space Your essay should read as one flowing argument, not separate answers. 💡 Reflection (Important) Include your own intellectual response: • Has your understanding of maps or borders changed? • Is Afghanistan shaped more by geography or politics? • What idea stayed with you most strongly — and why? 👉 Blend this into your essay — do not write it separately. 📚 Prescribed Sources • Grygiel — *Geography, Geopolitics, and Geostrategy* • Ó Tuathail — *Geo-Power* • Dhaka — *Ethnogeopolitics of Afghan State* • Schetter — *Ethnoscapes and Territorialisation* ✔ Requirements • Use at least 3 key concepts • Use at least 2 sources • Show understanding + reflection Evaluation: Concepts (30%) · Sources (25%) · Argument (20%) · Reflection (15%) · Clarity (10%) ATMA-based reflective assignment
Assignment 2: The Afghan State — From Confederacy to Centralisation *State Formation · Empire · Fragmentation* 📝 Task Write one continuous analytical-reflective essay (1500–2000 words) addressing the following: Afghanistan’s state formation has been described as a “non-linear process of macro-political aggregation imposed upon deeply autonomous micro-societies.” How does this statement help us understand the nature and limits of the Afghan state between 1747 and 1901? Build your argument by working through the following core propositions from the text: 1. “Political entities… built up to a critical size and then split up… only to disintegrate again.” ➜ Use this to explain the cyclical and unstable nature of state formation 2. “A confederation is NOT an institutional state… dependent entirely on personal authority.” ➜ Analyse the limits of charismatic rule vs institutional governance 3. “The territory contained extraordinary ethnic diversity… multi-layered fragmentation.” ➜ Examine how micro-societies constrained central authority 4. “Foreign rivalry allowed Afghanistan to survive… but hollowed out its sovereignty.” ➜ Evaluate the buffer state paradox of the Great Game ➜ Your essay must read as one flowing argument, showing how these propositions connect. 💡 Reflective Component (integrate into your essay) As you engage these arguments, reflect on: Does Afghanistan appear as a failed state, or as a state shaped by conditions beyond its control? Can political unity emerge in a society structured around deep local autonomy? What aspect of this argument changed how you understand state formation itself? 👉 Reflection must emerge from your engagement with the text — not from general opinion. 📚 Prescribed Source Amin Saikal — *Modern Afghanistan* (Module: “From Tribal Confederacy to National Coalescence”) ✔ Requirements Checklist Use at least 3 direct concepts or claims from the text Refer to at least 2 rulers or phases (e.g., Ahmad Shah, Abdur Rahman) Demonstrate how textual arguments translate into historical explanation Maintain a clear, sustained, text-grounded argument Evaluation Criteria Textual fidelity (30%) · Conceptual clarity (25%) · Argument coherence (20%) · Reflective depth (15%) · Clarity & structure (10%) ATMA-based reflective assignment (high-fidelity source engagement)
Assignment 3: Discuss the aspects of Afghanistan and Central Asia relations that impact regional stability and development, Afghanistan's integration, and tackling socio-economic and security challenges.