This course is intended to provide an introduction to the analysis of politics and society in the Middle East.
The focus of the course will be on the formation and consolidation of various Middle Eastern states that emerged out of the Ottoman and Persian empires at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries. Different patterns of state-formation will be examined against the background of the colonial history and its impact on the development of state-society relationship. Inevitably, this will lead us to the discussion of the problems of political legitimacy and authority crisis in the Middle Eastern states that have persisted, in various degrees, up until today. For instance, more recent events surrounding the so- called Arab Spring and subsequent developments will be thoroughly discussed within a larger framework of Arab political development.
For a better comprehension of the socio-economic and political structures of various Middle Eastern countries, the course covers, at the backstage, a comprehensive analysis of critical events and dramatic developments in the region particularly since the end of the Second World War. In doing that, however, it refrains from being a simple chronological survey of changes in social, economic, political dynamics and shifts in the patterns of inter-state relations in the area. Rather, it pays attention to the interplay between domestic and international factors in shaping Middle Eastern politics.
Vertical Tabs
Course Learning Outcomes
| Learning Outcomes | Program Learning Outcomes | Teaching Methods | Assessment Methods |
| · Students will be able to relate the problems with different patterns of nation and state-formation in the Middle East to the background of the colonial history and its impact on the development of state-society relationship. | 1,2,3,8,9,11 | 1,2,3, | A, D |
| · They will also be able to analyze the basic dynamics of state-society relations in the region and identify social, historical and economic roots of persistent authority crisis and legitimacy problems experienced by the majority of the Middle Eastern regimes since formal independence. Within this framework, they will be able to interpret more recent political crises in the area, including the series of revolts called “the Arab Spring.” |
2,3,4,5,8,9,6
7,10 |
1,2,3,12 | A, C,D |
| · From a political economy perspective, students will be able to discuss relatively unique regime-opposition relationship in the oil-producing Middle East states and establish a link between “rentierism” and the level of political development. |
1,2,3,8,9,11
13 |
1,2,3,12 | A, C,D |
| · Students will also be able to evaluate the impact of Arab Nationalism and Islamism, the two political ideologies that have dominated the political landscape of the Middle East for much of the 20th century, on domestic, regional and international politics. In particular, they will be able to identify the basic parameters of “Islam-Democracy” debate in various country cases. |
1,2,3,4,8,9
|
1,2,3,12 | A, C,D |
| · Also, students will be able to point out the striking interplay between domestic and international factors in shaping politics in the countries of this strategically significant area. |
1,2,3,4,8,9
7 |
1,2,3,12 | A,D |
Course Flow
| COURSE CONTENT | ||
| Week | Topics | Study Materials |
| 1 |
Introduction
|
|
| 2 |
The Ottoman Decline, the Colonial Rule & the Emergence of the Modern Middle East States
|
*Milton-Edwards, “What is the Middle East? Orientalism – the debate.” Milton-Edwards, 2006, pp:1-15. *Owen, R., Preface, Introduction & Chapter 1: “The End of Empires: the Emergence of the Modern Middle Eastern States,” pp: xi-26 *Milton-Edwards, “Colonial Rule: World War I and the death of the Ottoman Empire; 1918 and after: mandates and continued colonisation, European decline” Milton-Edwards, 2006, pp:17-44. *Rafeq, “A Different Balance of Power: Europe and the Middle East in the 18th and 19th Centuries” in Choueiri, Y., A Companion to the History of the Middle East 2005. (DS 62.C63), pp: 229-247. |
| 3 |
Government, Opposition& Legitimacy in Middle East
|
· El-Ghobashy, “Governments & Oppositions”, pp: 29-48.
*Anderson, Lisa, “State in the Middle East and North Africa” Comparative Politics v20 n1 oct1987 pp1-18 *Hudson, M., Chapter 1: “The Legitimacy Problem in Arab Politics,” pp: 1-30 *Hudson, M., Chapter 4: “The Crisis of Authority,” pp: 82-106 *Hudson, M., Chapter 6: “Modernization and Its Consequences,” pp: 126-162 |
| 4 |
The Impact of International Developments on Middle Eastern Politics
|
· Gause, “The Impact of International Politics” pp:49-68.
Post-9/11 period: *Owen, Part III (chapter 12 & conclusion), “The impact of the 11 September attacks,” pp:219-240. *Milton-Edwards (2006), “The United States and the Middle East: Pax Americana?” pp:237-259. *Milton-Edwards (2005), “After the Storm (2003 American invasion of Iraq),” 2005, pp:118-129.
The Middle East after the Cold War: The Gulf War of 1991 and its aftermath: *Milton-Edwards, “The Kuwaiti Crisis” Milton-Edwards, 2005, pp:95-105. *Owen, Roger, “Reflections on the Meaning and Consequences of the Gulf Crisis” *Owen, Chp 6: “The Remaking of the Middle Eastern Political Environment after the Gulf War,” 103-120 *Hudson, Michael, “After the Gulf War,” 1991, pp: 407-426
Arab-Israeli Conflict & Wars: *Milton-Edwards, “The Arab-Israeli Conflict” Milton-Edwards, 2005, pp:8-21. *Milton-Edwards, “The colonial legacy? East-West relations, 2006, pp:261-263. *Tibi, Bassam, “Structural and Ideological Change in the Arab Subsystem Since the Six Day War” The Cold War: *Milton-Edwards(2005), “Superpower Conflict in the Middle East: war by proxy,” pp:36-48. *Hudson, M., Chapter 5: “The Legacy of Imperialism,” pp: 107-125
Arab Nationalism: The Age of Revolution in the Arab World · Cleaveland, “The Middle East in the Age of Nasser” pp: 301-344. · Kalidi, Rashid, “Consequences of the Suez Crisis in the Arab World” *Owen, Chp 4: “Arab Nationalism, Arab Unity and the Practice of intra-Arab State Relations,” pp: 64-83 *Milton-Edwards (2006), “Nationalism: Arab nationalism and revolution,” pp:45-71. *Choueiri (2005), “Nationalisms in the Middle East: The Case of Pan-Arabism,” pp: 291-312. |
| 5 |
Political Economy of Middle Eastern State
|
*Luciani, Chapter 3: “Allocation vs. Production States: A Theoretical Framework,” pp: 65-84 *Owen, “The Arab Economies in the 1970s” *Milton-Edwards, “Political Economy: Riches of a Region” Milton-Edwards, 2006, pp:73-100. |
| 6 |
Authoritarianism, the Democracy Question and “the Arab Spring”
|
*Dalacura, “The 2011 Uprisings in the Arab Spring” Int Affairs v88n1 jan2012 *Ajami, “The Arab Spring at One” Foreign Affairs march 1 2012 *Hamzawy, “How Arab Governments Resist the Trend to Democracy” US News&World Report 08/20/2010. *Bellin, Eva, “Robustness of Authoritarianism in the ME” Comparative Politics v36 n2 jan2004, pp:139-156 *Posusney, M.P., “Enduring Authoritarianism: ME lessons for comparative theory” Comparative Politicsv36 n2 jan2004, pp:127-138. *Rubin, “The Military in Contemporary Middle East Politics,” MERIA v.5 n1 March 2001. · *Brumberg, “Democratization in the Arab World: The trap of Liberalised Autocracy” J.of Democracy v13 n4 2002 |
| 7 |
Religion & Politics in the Middle East
|
· Schwedler, “Religion and Politics” pp: 111-132.
· Owen, Chapter 9: “The Politics of Religious Revival,” pp: 173-197 · Sidahmed & Ehteshami, “Introduction” in Islamic Fundamentalism 1996. pp:1-18. *Choueiri, “The Political Discourse of Contemporary Islamists” in Sidahmed & Ehteshami, 1996, pp:19-34. Islam-Democracy Debate · Hamzawy & Ottaway, Islamists in Politics: The Dynamics of Participation Carnegie Papers 98 Nov.2008 http://carnegieendowment.org/files/islamist_participation.pdf · Young, Dietrich, “Islam and Politics: A Fixed Relationship?” Critique v.16 n.1 2007, pp:19-35. · “Islamist Parties and Democracy” J. of Democracy, v36. n.2 2008 · Wittes, “Islamist Parties: Three Kinds of Movements,” J.of Democracy, v36. n.2 2008, pp:7-12. · Masoud, T.,“Islamist Parties: Are They Democrats? Does it Matter?” J.of Democracy, v36. n.2 2008, 19-24. · Kubba, Islamist Parties: Institutions Make the Difference” J.of Democracy, v36. n.2 2008, pp:37-42. · Tibi, Bassam, “Islamist Parties: Why They Can’t Be Democratic” J.of Democracy, v36. n.2 2008, pp:43-48. *Hamzawy&Brown, “Islamist Parties: A Boon or a Bane for Democracy?” J.of Democracy, v36. n.2 2008. *Berman, Sheri, “Islamism, Revolution, and Civil Society” APSA v.1 n2 2003, pp.257-272. *Haqqani & Fradkin, “Islamist Parties: Going Back to the Origins” J.of Democracy, v36. n.2 2008, pp:13-18. *Zeghal, Islamist Parties: Participation without power” J.of Democracy, v36. n.2 2008, pp:31-36. |
| 8 |
Cases I: Arab Single Party Regimes
|
**Owen, Chp2: “The Growth of State Power in the Arab World: the Single Party Regimes, pp:27-44 |
| 9 |
Cases I: Arab Single Party Regimes
|
*Dawisha, Adeed, “The Unraveling of Iraq: Ethno-sectarian Preferences and States Performance in Historical Perspective” The Middle East Journal v.62 n.2 Spring 2008, pp: 219-230. |
| 10 |
Cases II: Non-Arab Regimes & The Palestinian Authority
|
*Owen, R., Chapter 5: “State and Politics in Israel, Iran and Turkey from the Second World War,” pp: 84-102 *Grigoriadis & Ansari, “Turkish and Iranian Nationalisms” in Choueiri 2005, pp:313-333. |
| 11 |
Cases II: Non-Arab Regimes & The Palestinian Authority
|
|
| 12 |
Cases III: Arab Monarchies
|
*Owen, Chapter 3: “The Growth of State Power in the Arab World under Family Rule…,” pp: 45-63
|
| 13 |
Cases III: Arab Monarchies
|
· Kuwait & UAE– Herb, “Kuwait & the United Arab Emirates” pp: 335-366. |
| 14 |
General Review
|
Angist, “Trends & Prospects” pp: 463-470.
|
| 15 |
Conclusion
|
Angist, “Trends & Prospects” pp: 463-470.
|
Recommended Sources
| RECOMMENDED SOURCES | |
| Textbook | Angrist, Michele P., Politics& Society in the Contemporary Middle East 2010 |
| Additional Resources |
Owen, Roger, State, Power and Politics in the Making of the Modern Middle East, 2004.
Cleveland, William, A History of the Modern Middle East (3rd Edition), 2004. Ottaway,The New Middle East, http://www.carnegieendowment.org/files/new_middle_east_final1.pdf Hamzawy, Islamist Participation in Politics http://carnegieendowment.org/files/islamist_participation.pdf |
Material Sharing
| MATERIAL SHARING | |
| Documents | |
| Assignments | Term paper & weekly reading assignments. |
| Exams | Mid-term and final exams taken in the classroom |
Assessment
| ASSESSMENT | ||
| IN-TERM STUDIES | NUMBER | PERCENTAGE |
| Mid-term | 1 | 40 |
| Final Exam | 1 | 50 |
| Term Paper &Presentation | 1 | 10 |
| Total | 100 | |
| CONTRIBUTION OF FINAL EXAMINATION TO OVERALL GRADE | 50 | |
| CONTRIBUTION OF IN-TERM STUDIES TO OVERALL GRADE | 50 | |
| Total | 100 | |
Course’s Contribution to Program
| COURSE'S CONTRIBUTION TO PROGRAM | ||||||||
| No | Program Learning Outcomes | Contribution | ||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||||
| 1 | Students will demonstrate their comprehensive knowledge of the basic concepts and theories of Political Science and International Relations as well as other related disciplines such as Law, Economics and Sociology. | X | ||||||
| 2 | Students will interpret the structure, institutions and operation of national, international and supranational entities via utilization of the concepts and theories of Political Science and International relations and produce project reports that include possible solutions to problems of such institutions when necessary. | X | ||||||
| 3 | Students will demonstrate that they have developed a comparative, analytical and interdisciplinary approach vis-à-vis human societies and political systems. | X | ||||||
| 4 | Students will have improved their skills and awareness of personal responsibility and team membership through conducting group or independent research projects, doing internships and producing their graduation dissertations. | X | ||||||
| 5 | Students will demonsrate proficiency in quantitative and qualitative data collections methods. | X | ||||||
| 6 | Students will prove their understanding of the rapidly-evolving dynamics of national and global environments requires constant self-assessment, life-long learning, and the ability to formulate innovative solutions to maintain their personal and professional development. | X | ||||||
| 7 | Students should be able to critically evaluate the body of knowledge in political science, assess self-competency and direct self-learning efforts accordingly. | X | ||||||
| 8 | Students will implement written and oral communication skills in English and Turkish in both academic and professional settings. | X | ||||||
| 9 | Students should be able to effectively demonstrate their knowledge of written, oral and reading skills in English both in international institutional settings and follow and interpret the global dynamics of the International Relations discipline. | X | ||||||
| 10 | Students will demonstrate their social skills and experience required by public or private institutions or in the academia. | X | ||||||
| Students will show empathy and respect towards societies other than one’s own. | X | |||||||
| Students should be able to effectively utilize computer and information technologies commonly-used in the social sciences. | X | |||||||
| Students will interpret domestic and international developments and express opinions, having acquired advanced knowledge and proficiency in the via communication with international scholars and students. | X | |||||||
| Students will respect personal, social and academic ethical norms. | X | |||||||
| Students should understand the personal, social, and ecological dimensions of social responsibility, and show duties of active and global citizenship. | X | |||||||
| Students should know that universality of social-political and legal rights and social justice are the principle components of contemporary society, and that scientific thinking is an essential prerequisite for maintaining social advancement and global competitiveness. | X | |||||||
ECTS
| ECTS ALLOCATED BASED ON STUDENT WORKLOAD BY THE COURSE DESCRIPTION | |||
| Activities | Quantity |
Duration (Hour) |
Total Workload (Hour) |
| Course Duration (Including the exam week: 16x Total course hours) | 16 | 3 | 48 |
| Hours for off-the-classroom study (Pre-study, practice) | 16 | 3 | 48 |
| Mid-term | 1 | 8 | 8 |
| Term Paper | 1 | 10 | 10 |
| Final examination | 1 | 10 | 10 |
| Total Work Load | 124 | ||
| Total Work Load / 25 (h) | 4,96 | ||
| ECTS Credit of the Course | 16 | 3 | 5 |