General information

Course type AMUPIE
Module title Politics and Change in the Middle East
Language English
Module lecturer prof. nadzw. dr hab. Przemysław Osiewicz
Lecturer's email osiewicz@amu.edu.pl
Lecturer position profesor
Faculty Faculty of Political Science and Journalism
Semester 2021/2022 (winter)
Duration 30
ECTS 5
USOS code 14-XPOME

Timetable

Module aim (aims)

- ANALYSIS OF HISTORICAL AS WELL AS CURRENT POLITICAL PROCESSES IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION
- EXPLORING THEORETICAL ASPECTS OF POLTICS IN THE MIDDLE EAST
- EXPLORING PRACTICAL ASPECTS OF POLITICS IN THE MIDDE EAST

Pre-requisites in terms of knowledge, skills and social competences (where relevant)

- ENGLISH – LEVEL B2 OR HIGHER
- BASIC KNOWLEDGE RELATED TO THE CONTEMPORARY INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Syllabus

Week 1 The Middle East as a Region
What do we know or think of the Middle East? Definitions and borders of the Middle East. Stereotypes & prejudices

Week 2 The Foundations of Islam: Between Religion & Politics
Central beliefs of Islam, Pre-Islamic Arab Ethics, the Social Setting of Mecca, Sunnism versus Shiism, Five Popular Misconceptions about Islam, the Muslim Brotherhood

Week 3 International Organizations in the Middle East
The League of Arab States, the Gulf Cooperation Council

Week 4 The Arab Spring
Reasons, the main events, consequences and implications for the Middle East and the rest of the world
Week 5 The War in Syria
Reasons, the main events, consequences and implications for the Middle East and the rest of the world.
Week 6
The Jihadi Threat and the Rise of the Islamic State

Week 7 World Powers and the Middle East
The United States foreign policy towards the Middle East. Russia and its engagement in the Middle Eastern affairs. China and its attitude towards the region. What about the EU?

Week 8 The Northern Belt: the Republic of Turkey
Basic Facts concerning Turkey, Turkish Nationalism, System of Government, State versus Religion, the Kurdish Question, the Foreign Policy of Turkey, the Turkish economy

Week 9 The Northern Belt: the Islamic Republic of Iran
The Regimes of Reza Shah and Mohammad Reza Pahlavi Shah, Khomeini and the Iranian Revolution, the Islamic Republic of Iran Today: Constitution, System of Government; Foreign Relations, the Economy of Iran

Week 10 The Fertile Crescent: Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq
A Short Overview of Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon: the System of Government, the Main Political Issues, Economy

Week 11 The Fertile Crescent: Israel and the Palestinian National Identity
A Short Overview of the Israeli- Palestinian Conflict, the System of Government, the Main Political Issues, Economy

Week 12 The Arab Peninsula: Saudi Arabia and Yemen
A Short Overview of Saudi Arabia and Yemen: the System of Government, the Main Political Issues, Economy

Week 13 The Arab Peninsula: the United Arab Emirates and Oman
A Short Overview of the United Arab Emirates and Oman: the System of Government, the Main Political Issues, Economy

Week 14 The Arab Peninsula: Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar
A Short Overview of Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar: the System of Government, the Main Political Issues, Economy

Week 15 Final test
The Final Discussion and the Course Evaluation

Reading list

• Andersen R.R., Seibert R.F., Wagner J.G. (2011), Politics and Change in the Middle East: Sources of Conflict and Accommodation, Upper Saddle River.
• Fishman B.H. (2016), The Master Plan: ISIS, al-Qaeda, and the Jihadi Strategy for Final Victory, New Haven.
• Ismael T.Y., Ismael J.S. (2011), Government and Politics of the Contemporary Middle East: Continuity and Change, New York.
• MacQueen B. (2013), An Introduction to Middle East Politics, London.
• Phillips C. (2016), The Battle for Syria: International Rivalry in the Middle East, New Haven.
• Routledge Handbook of the Arab Spring: Rethinking Democratization, L. Sadiki (ed.), New York 2015.