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
UIR 4102 POLITICS IN THE MIDDLE EAST ELECTIVE 3 0 0 6

Offered By

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS (UOLP-SUNY ALBANY)

Level of Course Unit

First Cycle Programmes (Bachelor's Degree)

Course Coordinator

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR MÜGE AKNUR

Offered to

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS (UOLP-SUNY ALBANY)
Political Science and International Relations (UOLP-SUNY ALBANY)

Course Objective

The aim of the course is to introduce the learners to the domestic politics of the Middle East. It will focus on a variety of themes including the strategic significance of the region, colonial rule, post-colonial state formation in
the region, and pan-Arabism (Arab-Israeli Conflict), rise of political Islam, political economy and political liberalization and the recent Arab Spring in the region.

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
2 Colonial Rule and Post-Colonial State Formation in the Middle East David S. Sorenson, An Introduction to the Modern Middle East, pp. 11-41
3 Colonial Rule and Post-Colonial State Formation in the Middle East Beverley Milton-Edwards, Contemporary Politics in the Middle East, pp. 15-39
4 Pan Arabism and Arab-Israeli Conflicts William Ochsenwald and Sydney Nettleton Fisher, The Middle East, A History, pp. 533-581. Documentary on Arab-Israeli Conflict
5 Pan Arabism and Arab-Israeli Conflicts Beverley Milton-Edwards, Contemporary Politics in the Middle East, pp. 41-66. Documentary on Arab-Israeli Conflict
6 Formation of new states: Israel and Palestine
7 Formation of new States: Syria and Iraq Monte Palmer, The Politics of the Middle East, pp. 148- 153 and 223-228.
8 Old states in new forms: Egypt and Iran
9 Islamist Politics Beverley Milton-Edwards, Contemporary Politics in the Middle East, pp.121-143. Najib Ghadbian, Democratization and Islamist Challenge in the Arab World, pp. 59-82.
10 Islamist Politics Augustus Richard Norton, The Role of Hezbollah in Lebanese Domestic Politics, The International Spectator, Vol. 42, No. 4, (December 2007), pp. 475-491. Are Hovdenak, Hamas in Transition: The Failure of Sanctions, Democratization, Vol. 16, No. 1, (February 2009), pp. 59-80.
11 Political Economy: Petropolitics and Rentierism David S. Sorenson, An Introduction to the Modern Middle East, pp. 73-93. Beverley Milton-Edwards, Contemporary Politics in the Middle East, pp. 68-92.
12 Political Liberalization Beverley Milton-Edwards, Contemporary Politics in the Middle East, pp.145-171. Rex Brynen, Bahgat Korany and Paul Noble Introduction in Brynen, Korany and Noble, eds., Political Liberalization and Democratization in the Arab World: Theoretical Perspectives, pp. 3-27. Beverley Milton-Edwards, Contemporary Politics in the Middle East, pp. 68-92.
13 Group Presentations
14 Group Presentations

Recomended or Required Reading

1. Beverley Milton-Edwards, Contemporary Politics in the Middle East (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2000),
2. Najib Ghadbian, Democratization and Islamist Challenge in the Arab World, (Boulder: Westview Press, 1992)
3. David S. Sorenson, An Introduction to the Modern Middle East (Boulder, CO.: Westview Press, 2008)
4. William Ochsenwald and Sydney Nettleton Fisher, The Middle East, A History, (Boston: McGraw Hill, 2004)
5. Rex Brynen, BahgatKorany and Paul Noble, Political Liberalization and Democratization in the Arab World: Theoretical Perspectives, (Boulder: Lynne Rienner, 1995)
6. Monter Palmer, The Politics of the Middle East, (Belmont, CA: Thomson, Wadsworth, 2007)

Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods

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

Assessment Methods

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


Further Notes About Assessment Methods

None

Assessment Criteria

1. Demonstrate understanding of historical background of the region though paying attention to colonial period.
2. Evaluate the outcomes of impact of the Arab-Israeli conflicts, religion, economy and political liberalization on current politics in the region.
3. Participate a group work or individual work in analyzing the impact of religion, economy, and political liberalization on current politics in the region.
4. Demonstrate high communication skills in writing and presenting a report.
5. Acquire the skills to use library and internet resources independently.

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 12 5 60
Preparation for midterm exam 1 8 8
Preparation for final exam 1 8 8
Preparing term assignment 1 25 25
Preparing presentations 1 10 10
Midterm 1 1,5 2
Final 1 1,5 2
TOTAL WORKLOAD (hours) 157

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