POLS 312

Politics of the Middle East

Area Studies courses cover the government and politics of selected nations within a distinct geopolitical area of the world in order to gain understanding of the institutions and dynamics of the area. This Area Studies survey course is designed to give students an understanding of the Middle East. It covers the region in biblical times, its history as part of the Ottoman Empire, its independence and inclusion in the Mandate system and its modern day existence through the twentieth century. The impact of religion, colonialism, the natural resource situation, socio-economics, ideology, conflict and resolution and foreign and domestic policies will be examined in the region on a country-by-country basis. The Palestinian Question, from both the Israeli and Palestinian perspectives will also be analyzed. The course includes an examination of dominant political institutions, actors, processes and belief systems within the context of political culture and history and an analysis of area political economy and foreign policy in the environment of global interdependence. Countries to be covered include Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. The course concludes with a summation of the region as it stands today and an assessment of where it is likely to go in the near future.

Units: 3.0

Hours: 54 hours LEC