Current Issues in the Middle East
sserdaroglu@gsu.edu.tr
Content
Objective
To study the Middle East and the Arab world, to analyze historical, economic, political and geopolitical aspects of the region and to bring concrete examples allowing the use of basic tools of the international relations discipline.
Course Content
Cf. Weekly Program
Course Learning Outcomes
Have a detailed knowledge on the principal concepts, actors and components of the Middle East region
Master the fundamentals of Middle East history
Master the fundamentals of Middle East sociology
Be able to understand the evolution of Middle East’s political systems
Have acquired the capability of interpreting current developments in the Middle East
Have acquired the capability of specializing on a particular theme related to the region
Be able to analyze foreign policies of divergent players in the region
Be able to analyze the relations of developments in the Middle East with the evolution of the international system
Be in perfect command of French, teaching language of Galatasaray University, in order to study French texts on the Middle East
Have reached the necessary level of competence to be able to succeed in the entrance exam of Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Teaching and Learning Methods
Presentation, Q&A, Participative Debate
References
ATTIAS, Jean–Christophe, BENBASSA Esther. Paylaşılamayan Kutsal Topraklar ve İsrail, Çev Nihal Önol, İstanbul, İletişim Yayınları, 2002.
BISHARA, Marvan. Palestine/Israël : la paix ou l’apartheid, Paris, Editions La Découverte, 2001.
CORM, Geoges. L’Europe et l’Orient, La Découverte, Paris, 1989.
CLOAREC, Vincent. Le Moyen-Orient au 20ème siècle, Colin, Paris, 2003.
ÇARKOĞLU, Ali; EDER, Mine; KİRİŞÇİ, Kemal. The Political Economy of Regional Cooperation in the Middle East, London & New York, Routledge, 1998.
DEDEOĞLU, Beril. Ortadoğu Üzerine Notlar, Derin Yayınları, İstanbul, 2002.
EICKELMAN, Dale F. The Middle East and Central Asia: An Anthropological Appoach, New Jersey, Prentice Hall Inc., 1998.
HOURANI, Albert. A History of Arab Peoples, New York, Warner Books, 1992.
JANKOWSKI, James. Rethinking Nationalism in the Arab Middle East, New York, Columbia University Press, 1997.
JOXE, Alain. L’Empire du Chaos, La Découverte, Paris, 2002.
KAREL, William; RUCKER, Laurent. Une terre deux foix promises: Cinquante ans d’histoire racontée par ceux qui l’ont faite, Editions Gallimard, 2000.
KHALIDI, Rashid; ANDERSON, Lisa. The Origins of Arab Nationalism, New York, Columbia University Press, 1991.
LEWIS Bernard. The shaping of the modern Middle East, New York & Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1994.
SALAME, Ghassan. Démocraties sans démocrates, Paris, Fayard, 1994.
SAVIR, Uri. Les 1100 jours qui ont changé le Moyen-Orient, Odile Jacob, Paris, 1998.
SPAGNOLO, John. Problems of the Modern Middle East in Historical Perspective, Oxford, Ithaca, 1992.
THOBIE, Jacques. Impérialismes et le Moyen-Orient de 1914 à nos jours, Messidor, Paris, 1985.
YAPP, M.E. The Near East since the First World War, London, Longman, 1996.
ZUBAIDA, Sami. Islam, the People and the State: Essays on Political ideas and movements in the Middle East, London, I. B. Tauris, 1993.
Weekly Contents
| Week | Weekly Contents |
|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction |
| 2 | Religious and Ethnic Groups in the Middle East |
| 3 | Historical Background: the Middle East until the Eastern Question |
| 4 | Historical Background: "The Eastern Question" |
| 5 | Zionism and Arab Nationalism |
| 6 | The Middle East between the two world wars: Mandates Era |
| 7 | Partial Exam |
| 8 | Israeli-Palestinian Issue: 1948-1987 |
| 9 | Israeli-Palestinian Issue: From 1987 |
| 10 | Iran after 1945 |
| 11 | Iraq after 1945 |
| 12 | Egypt after 1945, The Arab Spring |
| 13 | Saudi Arabia and Gulf States |
| 14 | Civil Wars in the Middle East: Lebanon, Yemen, Syria |
Assessment System
| Activities | Number | Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Contribution of in-term studies to overall grade | 2 | 40 |
| Contribution of final exam to overall grade | 1 | 60 |
| Total | 3 | 100 |
| Activities | Number | Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Assignments | 1 | 10 |
| Presentation | 0 | 0 |
| Midterm Examinations (including preparation) | 1 | 30 |
| Project | 0 | 0 |
| Laboratory | 0 | 0 |
| Other Applications | 0 | 0 |
| Quiz | 0 | 0 |
| Term Paper/ Project | 0 | 0 |
| Portfolio Study | 0 | 0 |
| Reports | 0 | 0 |
| Learning Diary | 0 | 0 |
| Thesis/ Project | 0 | 0 |
| Seminar | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 40 |
Relation of Proficiency
| No | Program Learning Outcomes | Contribution | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 1 | On top of the previously obtained BA degree, must have acquired the necessary competence required by the pluridisciplinarity of IR; | X | ||||
| 2 | Must be able to perfection himself/herself on and also specialize in research methods with a view to present work data in accordance with scientific criteria; | X | ||||
| 3 | Should be able to apply the acquired knowledge at a specialist’s level; | X | ||||
| 4 | Should be able to choose his/her specialization theme and/or region while perfectionning his/her work in accordance with this choice and improving his/her capacity of analysis; | X | ||||
| 5 | Must have acquired the necessary basic knowledge in order to undertake publications and programs on IR within printed and visual media; | X | ||||
| 6 | Should be able to pursue a career specialized in IR within the private sector and NGOs; | X | ||||
| 7 | Should be able to follow national and international publications in his/her field of research. | X | ||||
ECTS
| Activities | Number | Period | Total Workload |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class Hours | 14 | 3 | 42 |
| Working Hours out of Class | 6 | 22 | 132 |
| Assignments | 1 | 20 | 20 |
| Midterm Examinations (including preparation) | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Final Examinations (including preparation) | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Total Workload | 200 | ||
| Total Workload / 25 | 8.00 | ||
| Credits ECTS | 8 | ||