Fall 2007
POLITICS OF THE MIDDLE EAST
Prof. Mehrzad Boroujerdi

PSC 344.M001/MES 344.M001                                 Class Time: T, TH: 9:30-10:50 AM
Office: 332 Eggers Hall                                     Classroom: HL 102
Office Hours:    Tuesday 11:00-1:00                             Office Phone: (315) 443-5877 
http://faculty.maxwell.syr.edu/mborouje/                        mboroujerdi@maxwell.syr.edu       

TA: Michael Makara                                                    Office: Eggers 024
Phone: 443-9068                                                         e-mail: mamakara@maxwell.syr.edu
Office Hours: Friday 10:00-1:00 (or by appointment)

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The Middle East has experienced crises and stirred emotion in the West more than any other region of the “Third World.”  Particularly from the Western perspective, examples of crises abound -- the persistent Arab-Israeli conflict, the rise of political Islam, September 11 attacks, and the Gulf wars. Consequently, this course addresses the following question: Is there anything particular or peculiar about the Middle East? Our collective aim in this course is to critically contemplate on a wide range of viewpoints that have been offered on this question.

With this aim in mind, we will begin by probing how and why we should be studying the Middle East and what are some of the salient geographical, historical, and religious features of this area. We will then scrutinize the nature of contemporary politics in the region by analyzing such issues as the role of political elites, great powers, the Arab-Israeli conflict, and gender politics. In the second part of the course we will turn our attention to an examination of what factors have inhibited the growth of democracy in the Middle East.  

You should consider this course a collective exercise in critical thinking.  My role, as well as that of the Teaching Assistant, is to steer class discussion and engender an informal participatory class environment where we can all search collectively for a broader understanding of the subject matter.  Needless to say, the present structure of the course reflects my focus and interests.  However, I welcome a broadening of aims and interests. Please take note of the fact that this syllabus represents the anticipated scheduling of lectures/readings/assignments; changes may be made to suit the actual composition and competencies of the class. 

COURSE PHILOSOPHY: A Chinese proverb says that “teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself.” A Western sage (Karl Jaspers) supplemented this maxim by maintaining that “university life is no less dependent on students than on professors. The best professors flounder helplessly at a school where the student body is unfit.  Hence, it is all up to the young people who are supposedly entitled to study.  They must show themselves worthy of this privilege to the best of their ability.” This course has been organized on the premise that you are worthy of this privilege and that the teacher only opens the door.  The success of this course depends entirely on your continued and sustained participation.  Therefore, I ask that you be agile participants and intervene as often as possible in class discussion.  Please keep in mind that in this course you will be exposed to a wide range of alternative views, some of which may force you to question, rethink, and, if necessary, abandon your present "understanding" of Middle Eastern culture, history and politics.  Who knows, by the end of the course you might feel that you have taken part in a serendipitous voyage of discovery!

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

Attendance: Attendance in this class is mandatory! We will take attendance at the beginning of each class and you can be excused from having missed two classes. After that you will be penalized for any class that you miss. Also, in light of the fact that my presentations will complement rather than reiterate the assigned readings, you will miss a great deal by not coming to class. Attendance is also mandatory for all exams, and make-ups will be given only for bona fide emergencies (i.e., severe illness documented by a physician). 

Participation: In addition to being physically present, I expect you to be mentally present as well! As such, you should complete all assigned readings before each class meeting so that you are familiar with the concepts, facts, theories, and controversies with which we are dealing. Furthermore, you can engage in discussion through the listserv I have set up for this course (psc34401@listserv.syr.edu). You and I will use this listserv to (a) post interesting or informative e-mails about the subject matter of the course; and (b) respond to points and issues raised by the instructors or your peers.

Map Quiz: You will be given a blank map of the Middle East and asked to identify twenty countries in the region. The quiz will be on September 13.

Mid-term Exam: You will have an in-class midterm exam on October 25.

Research/Reflection Papers: Each student is expected to write a 7 to 10 page (typed, and double-spaced) paper in this course. You can either write a research and/or a “reflection/opinion” paper. In a research paper, students are expected to undertake an in-depth examination of a particular event, dilemma, or controversy concerning Middle Eastern politics and society in which they are interested. In a reflection/opinion paper, students are expected to critically reflect on a topic of their choice whereby they critically engage in a dialogue with the concepts and ideas raised in films, class lectures, and assigned/recommended readings. Each paper should have an elaborate bibliography (books, journal articles, newspaper articles, Internet sources, etc) and follow the “Four C” rule: clear, concise, coherent, and creative.

The choice of subject for the paper should be first cleared in individual discussions with the instructor. Each student needs to provide me with a one page outline of their papers no later than October 11. The outline should contain a title, main argument/finding, and a preliminary bibliography. The papers are due on November 13.Further guidelines on how to write the papers will be provided in class.

Final Exam: There will be an in-class final exam on December 12 (2:45 and 4:45 pm).

Extra Credit Assignments: Students who wish to improve their grade in this course have the option of attending any Middle East related events (speakers, films, conferences, art exhibits, etc) held on campus during the semester and write a 1-2 page report on the event. Each assignment will replace 1% of the lowest grade students have received in the midterm, final exam or their research paper. Students can do up to five extra credit assignments and hence improve their overall grade by 5%.
 
Living up the Course: You will be expected to monitor developments in the Middle East as they occur. Events that occur there can help to further stimulate debate and reflections in the classroom. In order to keep abreast of these developments everyone is encouraged to read a daily newspaper such as the New York Times, The Guardian, The Independent or the Washington Post. If you can read Arabic, Hebrew, Persian or Turkish then feel free to follow a newspaper of your choice in that language as well (for a list of newspapers from around the Middle East, visit www.onlinenewspapers.com). Alternatively, following a Middle Eastern blog for the duration of the semester might also help provide material and inspiration for your various projects (here are a few examples of blogs in Arabic, English, French, Hebrew, and Persian).

Algeria - http://dzblog.jexiste.fr/dzblog/       Arab World - http://itoot.net/
Egypt - www.bigpharaoh.com       or             http://www.sandmonkeyblog.com/
Iraq - http://iraqblogcount.blogspot.com/      Iran - http://1.blognews.name/  
Israel - http://israblog.nana.co.il/                   Lebanon – http://www.beirutspring.com/        
Morocco - http://riadzany.blogspot.com/      Saudi Arabia – http://saudijeans.org/        
Tunisia - http://tuniblogs.com/                      Turkey – http://aegeandisclosure.blogspot.com
Gaza a-mother-from-gaza.blogspot.com       UAE – http://secretdubai.blogspot.com

Caveats:

• This class, which does not assume any prior knowledge of the Middle, is the gateway course for those wishing to obtain a Minor in Middle Eastern Studies (http://thecollege.syr.edu/depts/mes/index.htm). However, students who like to beef up on their knowledge of the region’s history may wish to also take HST 318: Islamic Civilization 1500-1900.
• The top three research papers in this course will be considered for the Middle Eastern Studies’ Hasan Abdullah Yabroudi Prize which carries a $500 stipend (see http://thecollege.syr.edu/depts/mes/Awards.htm). Winners will be announced at the end of the Spring 2008 semester.
• In this course we follow the university’s policy regarding academic honesty (http://provost.syr.edu/provost/units/academicprograms/academicintegrity/). Those who engage in plagiarism will get an automatic F and will be referred to university officials for further disciplinary action.
• Students who may need special consideration because of any sort of disability should make an appointment to see the instructor in private. 
• Students who wish to see additional films and videos on their own about the Middle East (available in the media section of Bird Library) can visit the following site: http://thecollege.syr.edu/depts/mes/CampusResources.htm

GRADING CRITERIA:
Assignment                                                       When                                       Percentage
Attendance                                                       all the time                                      10%          
Map Quiz                                                         September 13                                 10%
Mid-term Exam                                                October 25                                    20%
Research paper                                                November 13                                 30%  
Final Exam                                                       December 12                                 30%
REQUIRED TEXTS: (available at Orange Bookstore and SU Bookstore)

Course Reader (#1043) available at the Copy Center located in Marshall Square Mall. The reader contains all the required articles listed in the syllabus.

Roy A. Andersen, Robert F. Seibert, Jon G. Wagner, Politics and Change in the Middle East: Sources of Conflict and Accommodation, 8th edition (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007). 

Arthur Goldschmidt Jr. and Shibley Telhami, The Contemporary Middle East (Westview Press, 2006).

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"We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future."
                                                                                                George Bernard Shaw
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CLASS ASSIGNMENTS

Aug. 28: Introduction - The Nature and Structure of the Course

• Syllabus review; questionnaire; orientation quiz, and tips on how to conduct the debates
• Andersen, pp. xi-xx

Aug. 30: Humorous Look at the Middle East

• Video: Comedy Middle Eastern Style (VC12739; 56 min.)

Sep. 4: Why Bother to Study the Middle East?

• Lisa Anderson, “Scholarship, Policy, Debate and Conflict: Why We Study the Middle East and Why It Matters,” Middle East Studies Association Bulletin, v. 38, no. 1 (June 2004): 2-15.
• Timothy Mitchell, “The Middle East in the Past and Future of Social Science,” University of California International and Area Studies Digital Collection, v. 3 (2003): 1-32.

Sep. 6: Challanging Conventional Views on the Middle East

• Rami Khouri, “Missing the Epic Story of the Middle East,” Agence Global (August 11, 2007).
• Thomas L. Friedman, “Mideast Rules to Live By,” New York Times (Dec. 20, 2006).
• Marina Ottaway and Thomas Carothers, “Middle East Democracy,” Foreign Policy (November-December 2004): 22-24; 26-28.
• Aran Keshavarzian, “The Muslim World Is Not Flat,” Middle East Report, no. 242 (Spring 2007): 5.

Sep. 11: Getting to Know the Region’s Political Geography & History

• Goldschmidt & Telhami, chapters 1 & 2
• Andersen, chapter 1
• Familiarize yourself with the map, timeline, and glossary. A variety of Middle East maps are available at:

            http://rmir.cp.maxwell.syr.edu/
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/middle_east.html http://www.mideastweb.org/maps.htm http://gulf2000.columbia.edu/maps.shtml
                  http://worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/me.htm

• For chronology see:

http://www.nmhschool.org/tthornton/mehistorydatabase/mideastindex.htm         

Sep. 13: The Ottoman Empire                                                                  (Geography quiz)

• Andersen, chapter 4

                        Recommended:

• Video: The Ottoman Empire (VC 8033; 26 min.)
• Video: Ottoman Supremacy (VC 8046; 25 min.)        

Sep. 18: Nationalism and Drive for Nation-State Formation

• Andersen, chapter 5 and pp. 72-89
• Goldschmidt & Telhami, chapter 3

Sep. 20: Role of Political Elites

• Andersen, chapters 9 & 10

Sep. 25: Politics of Culture                                                    

• Andersen, chapters 7 & 8

Sep. 27: Politics of Gender & Sexuality

• Homa Hoodfar, “The Veil in Their Minds and on Our Heads: The Persistence of Colonial Images of Muslim Women,” in The Politics of Culture in the Shadow of Capital, ed. David Lloyd and Lisa Lowe (Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 1997): 248-279.

Oct. 2:  Gender and Demographic Transition

• Sally Ethelston, “Water and Women: The Middle East in Demographic Transition,” Middle East Report (Winter 1999): 8-12.
• Norma Claire Moruzzi and Fatemeh Sadeghi, “Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire: Young Iranian Women Today,” Middle East Report, no., 241 (Winter 2006): 22-28.

Oct. 4: Great Powers and the Middle East

• Andersen, chapter 12

Oct. 9: Foreign Policy of Middle Eastern States     

• Andersen, chapter 13

Oct. 11: The Arab-Israeli Conflict (I)                                    (paper outlines are due)

• Video: Palestine: 1890-1990 (VC 9240; 34 min.)
• Andersen, pp. 89-104
• Goldschmidt & Telhami, chapters 4, 5, 6

                        Recommended:

• Joel Beinin and Lisa Hajjar, “Palestine, Israel and the Arab-Israeli Conflict: A Primer,” available at:

http://www.merip.org/palestine-israel_primer/toc-pal-isr-primer.html
http://www.democracynow.org/finkelstein-benami.shtml

Oct. 16: The Arab-Israeli Conflict (II)

• Goldschmidt & Telhami, chapters 7, 8, 9

            Recommended:

• Video: Israel: A Nation is Born (USA, 1997) [VC 8302; 55 min.]
• Video: “Al Nakba: The Palestinian Catastrophe 1948” (Israel and Palestine, 1997) [VC10232; 56 min.]

Oct. 18: The Arab-Israeli Conflict (III)

• Edward Said, “The One-State Solution: Why the only answer to Middle East peace is Palestinians and Israelis living as equal citizens under one flag,” New York Times Magazine (January 10, 1999): 36-39.
• Tony Judt, “The Country that wouldn’t grow up,” Haaretz.com (May 5, 2006).
• Roger Cohen, “Her Jewish State,” New York Times Magazine (July 8, 2007): 32-41.              

Oct. 23: Israeli & Palestinian Visitors from Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam
                        Recommended:

• Video: Struggle for Peace: Israelis & Palestinians (VC 6263; 58 min.)

Oct. 25: MIDTERM EXAM

Oct. 30: Why Democracy Has Not Flourished in the Middle East?

• “Democracy Index 2006,” Economist Intelligence Unit: 3-5.
• Goldschmidt & Telhami, chapter 1

Nov. 1: Does Islam Hinder Democracy? (I)

• M. Steven Fish, “Islam and Authoritarianism,” World Politics 55 (October 2002): 4-37.

           
Nov. 6: Does Islam Hinder Democracy? (II)

• Alfred Stepan with Graeme Robertson, “An ‘Arab’ More than Muslim’ Electoral Gap,” Journal of Democracy 14, no. 3 (July 2003): 30-44.
• Sanford Lakoff, “The Reality of Muslim Exceptionalism,” Journal of Democracy 15, no. 4 (October 2004): 133-139.

Recommended:

• Mark Tessler, “Islam and Democracy in the Middle East: The Impact of Religious Orientations on Attitudes Toward Democracy in Four Arab Countries,” Comparative Politics 34, no. 3 (2002): 337-354.

Nov. 8: Does Oil Hinder Democracy?

• Michael L. Ross, “Does Oil Hinder Democracy?” World Politics 53, no. 3 (2001): 325-361.

Recommended:

• Video: The Prize
•  “Persian Gulf Oil and Gas Exports Fact Sheet,” available at: http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/pgulf.html

Nov. 13: Explaining Rise of Islamic Radicalism                         (Research Papers are due)

• Sami Zubaida, “Islam and the Politics of Community and Citizenship,” Middle East Report, no. 221 (Winter 2001): 20-27.
• Salwa Ismail, “The Paradox of Islamist Politics,” Middle East Report, no. 221 (Winter 2001): 34-39.
• Dale Eickelman, “Bin Laden, the Arab ‘Street,’ and the Middle East’s Democracy Deficit,” Current History (January 2002): 36-39.
• James Traub, “Islamic Democrats?” New York Times Magazine (April 29, 2007): 44-49.

Nov. 15: U.S. Hegemony and the Middle East

• Fareed Mohamedi and Yahya Sadowski, “The Decline (But Not Fall) of US Hegemony in the Middle East,” Middle East Report, no. 220 (Fall 2001): 12-22
• David S. Cloud, “U.S. Set To Offer Huge Arms Deal To Saudi Arabia,” New York Times (July 27, 2007): A1.

Nov. 20: Perceptions of the United States                                   (Research papers are due)

• Goldschmidt & Telhami, chapters 14, 19, 20, 21

Nov. 22: Thanksgiving Holiday (no class)

Nov. 27: Iraq: What Went Wrong?

• Video: “The Lost Year in Iraq”
• Larry Diamond, “What Went Wrong in Iraq?” Foreign Affairs  (September/October 2004).

Nov. 29:  Iraq: Where to From Here?

• Ian Buruma, “An Islamic Democracy for Iraq?” New York Times Magazine (December 5, 2004).
• James Traub, “Iraq 2013” New York Times Magazine (December 10, 2006).

Dec. 4: Prospects for Political and Economic Reform in the Middle East

• Andersen, chapter 11
• Marina Ottaway, “Evaluating Middle East Reform: How Do We Know When It Is Significant/” Carnegie Papers, no. 56 (February 2005): 1-12.
• Sufyan Alissa, “The Challenge of Economic Reform in the Arab World,” Carnegie Papers (May 2007): 1-14.
• Bill Spindle, “Investors Pour into Middle East,” Wall Street Journal (2007)

Dec. 6: Evaluations & Open Discussion about the Course

• Andersen, chapter 15

Dec. 12: Final Exam (2:45 and 4:45 pm)