COURSE UNIT TITLE

: POLITICS IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Description of Individual Course Units

Course Unit Code Course Unit Title Type Of Course D U L ECTS
IRE 4102 POLITICS IN THE MIDDLE EAST ELECTIVE 3 0 0 6

Offered By

International Relations

Level of Course Unit

First Cycle Programmes (Bachelor's Degree)

Course Coordinator

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR MÜGE AKNUR

Offered to

International Relations

Course Objective

The course aims at introducing the students to the domestic politics of the Middle East. It will focus on a variety of themes including the colonial rule, post-colonial state formation and nation building in the region, the Arab-Israeli conflicts, the political economy of the region, the rise Islamic movements, persistence of authoritarian rule, political liberalization as well as Arab Spring.

Learning Outcomes of the Course Unit

1   Gain an understanding of the historical background of the Middle East region by concentrating on the colonial period and its impact on current politics.
2   Gain an understanding of the state formation and Arab-Israel conflict and their impact on current politics.
3   Analyze the impact of religion and economy on domestic politics in the region.
4   Analyze the political liberalization process (including the recent political liberalization movements, such as Arab Spring) in the region by taking culture, religion, civil society, economy and international actors into consideration.
5   Design and write a research paper in order to analyze domestic politics in the region.
6   Work effectively individually and/or as a part of a team.
7   Demonstrate analytical skills in writing and presenting a report.
8   Acquire the skills to use library and internet resources independently.

Mode of Delivery

Face -to- Face

Prerequisites and Co-requisites

None

Recomended Optional Programme Components

None

Course Contents

Week Subject Description
1 Introduction to the Middle East Politics Power Point Slides provided by the instructor
2 Colonial Rule and Post-Colonial State Formation in the Middle East Beverley Milton-Edwards, Contemporary Politics in the Middle East, pp. 15-31
3 Nation and State Building David S. Sorenson, An Introduction to the Modern Middle East, pp. 11-34 Documentary on Arab-Israeli Conflict
4 Nation and State Building: Egypt William Ochsenwald and Sydney Nettleton Fisher, The Middle East, A History, pp. 193-204. Documentary on Arab-Israeli Conflict
5 Nation and State Building: Iraq and Syria William L. Cleveland & Martin Bunton, A History of the Modern Middle East, Fourth Edition, Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 2009, pp. 204-213; 217-225.
6 Nation and State Building: Palestine and Israel William L. Cleveland & Martin Bunton, A History of the Modern Middle East, Fourth Edition, Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 2009, pp. 239-290.
7 Midterm Exam and Political Economy of the Middle East Melani Commett, "The Political Economy of Development in the Middle East," in The Middle East, eds., Ellen Lust, (14th edition) Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, CQ Press, 2017, pp. 106-159.
8 Islamist Politics Robert Lee and Lihi Ben Shitrit, "Religion, Society and Politics in the Middle East, ," in The Middle East, eds., Ellen Lust, (14th edition) Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, CQ Press, 2017, pp. 205-241.
9 Islamist Politics and Islamist Movements Najib Ghadbian, Democratization and Islamist Challenge in the Arab World, Boulder: Westview Press, 1992, pp. 59-82. Müge Aknur, The Muslim Brotherhood in Politics in Egypt: From Moderation to Authorianism , Uluslararası Hukuk ve Politika, 9, 33 (2013), pp. 1-25.
10 Authoritarianism in the Middle East Daniel Brumber, Democratization in the Arab World The Trap of Liberalized Autocracy, Journal of Democracy, 13, 4 (2002), pp. 56-67. Eva Bellin, The Robustness of Authoritarianism in the Middle East: Exceptionalism in Comparative Perspectives, Comparative Politics, 36. 2 (2004), pp. 139-157.
11 Authoritarianism in the Middle East and Arab Spring Rex Brynen, Pete W. Moore, Bassel F. Salloukh, Marie-Joelle Zahar, Beyond the Arab Spring: Authoritarianism and Democratization in the Arab World, Boulder and London: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2012, Chapter 1: New Horizons in Arab Politics, pp. 1-13; Chapter 2: North Africa: Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, pp. 17-40.
12 Group Presentations
13 Group Presentations
14 Group Presentations

Recomended or Required Reading

Beverley Milton-Edwards, Contemporary Politics in the Middle East, Cambridge: Polity Press, 2000.
David S. Sorenson, An Introduction to the Modern Middle East, Boulder, CO.: Westview Press, 2008.
William Ochsenwald and Sydney Nettleton Fisher, The Middle East, A History, Boston: McGraw Hill, 2004.
Melani Commett, The Political Economy of Development in the Middle East, in The Middle East, eds., Ellen Lust, (14th
, edition) Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, CQ Press, 2017.
Robert Lee and Lihi Ben Shitrit, Religion, Society and Politics in the Middle East, , in The Middle East, eds., Ellen Lust,
(14th edition) Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, CQ Press, 2017, pp. 205-241.
Müge Aknur, The Muslim Brotherhood in Politics in Egypt: From Moderation to Authorianism , Uluslararası Hukuk ve
Politika, 9, 33 (2013).
Daniel Brumber, Democratization in the Arab World The Trap of Liberalized Autocracy, Journal of Democracy, 13, 4
(2002).
Eva Bellin, The Robustness of Authoritarianism in the Middle East: Exceptionalism in Comparative Perspectives,
Comparative Politics, 36. 2 (2004).
Rex Brynen, Pete W. Moore, Bassel F. Salloukh, Marie-Joelle Zahar, Beyond the Arab Spring: Authoritarianism and
Democratization in the Arab World, Boulder and London: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2012.


Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods

1. Lecture
2. Individual or Group Work (Researching and presenting a paper)
3. Exams

Assessment Methods

SORTING NUMBER SHORT CODE LONG CODE FORMULA
1 MT Midterm
2 TRP TermPaper
3 PRS Presentation
4 FN Final
5 FCG FINAL COURSE GRADE MT * 0.30 + TRP * 0.30 +PRS * 0.10 + FN * 0.30
6 RST RESIT
7 FCGR FINAL COURSE GRADE (RESIT) MT * 0.30 +vTRP * 0.30 + PRS * 0.10 +RST * 0.30


*** Resit Exam is Not Administered in Institutions Where Resit is not Applicable.

Further Notes About Assessment Methods

None

Assessment Criteria

1. To be able to understand the colonial period of the Middle East and its impact on current politics.
2. To be able to analyze the state formation in the region, rise of Arab nationalism, rise of political Islam, political economy of the region and the persistence of authoritarianism.
3. To be able to analyze a subject such as (Islamist groups or rentier states or authoritarianism in the region) individually or within a group.
4. To show analytical capacity in writing the term paper and presenting it.
5. To be able to use the library electronic databases and the internet properly.

The Rubric used for the Evaluation of the Term Paper and its Presentations.
a) Poor (0%) b) Fair (40%) c) Good (60%) d) Very good (80%) e) Excellent (100%)

Term Paper Evaluation Criteria (Total Points 100):

1) Introduction -Justification of the subject choice- 10 Points a) An introduction is not provided b) An introduction is insufficiently provided c) An introduction is offered although the order is unclear d) An introduction is sufficiently provided e) The subject under examination is thoroughly presented, and the sequence in which it will be examined throughout the paper is well described.

2) Theoretical Framework - 10 Points a) Theoretical framework is not explained b) Theoretical framework is explained weakly and inadequately c) Theoretical framework is offered, but its relevance to the issue is not properly proved d) Theoretical framework is superficially examined and its relevance to the issue is properly explained e) Theoretical framework is thoroughly analyzed, and its relevance to the topic under examination is clarified.

3) Historical Background - 10 Points a) Historical background is not examined b) Historical background is examined insufficiently c) Historical background is examined either briefly or in too much details d) Historical background is examined sufficiently e) Historical background is adequately and accurately examined.

4) Case Study - 25 points a) Case study is analyzed superficially b) Case study is not sufficiently examined c) Analysis of the case study has some weaknesses d) Case study is analyzed sufficiently e) Case study is properly and adequately analyzed with the help of the theoretical framework.

5) Conclusion -15 points a) No conclusion provided b) Conclusion provided is insufficient and inconsistent c) Conclusion is adequate but composed in a disorganized way d) An explanatory and systematic conclusion is written e) Conclusion is developed coherently and analytically, within the scheme of theoretical framework.

6) Citation in the text and references (APA style) -15 points a) No citation in the text and no bibliography provided b) APA citation and reference style is not used c) APA style is written with major mistakes d) APA style is written with minor mistakes e) Both citations in the text and in the references are written correctly according to APA style.

7) Types of references 15 points a) Only internet sources are shown as references b) Internet sources and translation of Turkish books are shown as references c) Journal articles and books from the internet are shown as references d) Journal articles and books from less known publishers are shown as references e) Journal articles from electronic data bases and books published in prestigious publishers are shown as references.














Language of Instruction

English

Course Policies and Rules

1. Attending at least 70 % of lectures is mandatory.
2. Plagiarism of any type will result in disciplinary action.
3. Participation in class discussions and group presentations are compulsory.

Contact Details for the Lecturer(s)

muge.aknur@deu.edu.tr

Office Hours

To be announced.

Work Placement(s)

None

Workload Calculation

Activities Number Time (hours) Total Work Load (hours)
Lectures 14 3 42
Preparations before/after weekly lectures 14 5 70
Preparation for midterm exam 1 6 6
Preparation for final exam 1 10 10
Preparing term assignments 1 20 20
Preparing presentations 1 10 10
Preparation for quiz etc. 0 0 0
Midterm 1 1,5 2
Final 1 1,5 2
Quiz etc. 0 0 0
TOTAL WORKLOAD (hours) 162

Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes

PO/LOPO.1PO.2PO.3PO.4PO.5PO.6PO.7PO.8PO.9PO.10PO.11PO.12PO.13
LO.14
LO.24
LO.33
LO.44
LO.54
LO.64
LO.74
LO.84