POLS 492-001 Capstone Seminar
Middle East Politics
Spring 2012
Tentative Syllabus
Instructor
Class Hours
Classroom
Office
Office Phone
Office Hours
e-mail
: Gamze Çavdar
: MWF 3:00 pm-3:50 pm
: Clark C362
: B 347 Clark
: (970) 491-4869
: 1:00 pm-2:00pm
: gamze@lamar.colostate.edu
Course Description:
Despite its significance, the Middle East is one of the least-understood regions particularly in
the West. It is commonly assumed that the Middle East is filled with backwardness, violence,
religious fanatics and oppressed women wearing buqras or headscarves. It is also presumed
that Islam is at the center of the region’s politics, economics, and the socio-cultural life
shaping each and every aspect of Muslim life. However, despite its connation with Islam, the
Middle East region holds only a small percentage of the world’s Muslims. Moreover, Islam
does not dictate a Muslim’s political identity as Muslim societies, just like others, are shaped
by factors such as class, race, gender, ideology, and the like. After surveying some of these
misconceptions about the region, this seminar starts with explaining the factors behind this
notion of Middle East exceptionalism through the concepts and historical processes, such as
power, colonialism and imperialism. Then, the seminar provides a survey of a few political
philosophers from the region and historically examines the emergence of the modern Middle
East. The rest of the course is devoted to the examination of some major political issues
including the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, current popular uprisings and Islamism. Turkey is
also examined as a case study to demonstrate the diversity and complexity as well as the
unity within the region. A comparative survey, this course not only compares the regional
countries with each other, but also non-regional examples are often discussed to
demonstrate that the trends associated with Middle East politics are neither uniform, nor
unchanging, nor unique.
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Course Objectives:
__Students learn and be familiar with the way the region is often portrayed in the Western
popular culture, media and scholarship.
__Students find out the deficiencies of these essentialist arguments by examining the
evidence themselves.
__Students learn the diversity within the region as well as the change that they experienced
over time.
__Students learn the factual details of a number of issues and current events.
__Students get familiar with the group work.
Readings:

Required Book:
Roger Owen, State, Power and Politics in the Making of the Middle East (New York: Routledge,
2001).
The book is available for purchase at CSU bookstore in the Lory Student Center.

Book Chapters and Articles: Available on e-reserve, RamCT (noted below) and
World Wide Web (provided below).
Please note that this is a tentative syllabus; I reserve the right to add, remove and reorganize
the readings.
Assignments and Grading Criteria:
Of the total 100 points,
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
D
F
98-100
94-97
90-93
88-89
82-87
80-81
78-79
70-77
60-69
59<
Assignments
Grades will be based on the following assignments:
Research Paper—40%
Research Design—10%
Presentation—10%
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Mini Exams—30%
Informed Participation—10%
1. Research Paper (20-25 pages, 40%): Your paper should examine a topic
directly related to the course material and the course objectives. I will not
provide a list of suggested topics, however, you are welcome to see me if you are
having difficulty with identifying a topic. I will provide a detailed guide for your
research papers later in the semester but it is never too early to think about your
paper topic. Your papers should demonstrate:
a. The ability to convey a theme or argument clearly and coherently.
b. The ability to analyze critically and to synthesize the work of others.
c. The ability to acquire and apply information from appropriate sources,
and reference sources appropriately.
d. Competence in standard written English.
The final version of your paper in hard copy is due on May 7th (no email
attachments). Late papers will miss a full letter grade for each day after that.
If you are not familiar with using the library, then I will schedule a visit to the
library to meet with Cathy Cranston who will provide us with further assistance
about the library’s research facilities.
2. Research Design (1 page, 10%): Students write a page long description of their
paper question, the theoretical approaches that they will examine and the sources
that they will use.
The deadline to turn in your research design is February 20, 2012.
3. Presentation (10+5 minutes; 10%): Students will individually present their
papers in a 10-minute-Power Point presentation followed by a 5 minute-Q&A.
The objectives of the presentations are 1) to develop skills to summarize research
findings in a clear and concise manner; 2) to develop skills to talk comfortably in
front of audience; 3) to get feedback on papers from classmates and instructor;
4) to share their knowledge with the rest of the class.
The sign-up sheet for the presentations will be circulated by the end of the
second week.
4. Mini Exams (10% each; 30% total): There will be three COMPREHENSIVE
exams based on the readings. I will give a set of questions from the readings to
facilitate careful reading of the course material. Students will receive the
questions prior to their reading of the material. You are strongly encouraged to
complete the readings a week before, write your answers down, and revise them
after the class meetings. Some of these questions will be on the mini exams.
Please note that these exams, albeit short, are comprehensive. Students are
expected to review the questions of the prior weeks.
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The exam dates are identified in the class schedule below.
5. Informed Participation (10%): Attendance in all classes is MANDATORY. I
will take attendance each time and those students who miss more than two class
sessions will lose a whole letter grade (the only exception is a documented
emergency). Also, those registered students who fail to attend the first two class
sessions will be removed from the class.
Your attendance is required; however, it is not sufficient for class participation. I
fully expect that all students complete the readings by class time, bring their
notes to the classroom, and contribute to the class discussion. Please remember
that this course is not a lecture; I will not lecture unless an issue needs
clarification. How successful and lively the discussions are depends on how
much students are prepared prior to the meetings.
The class will be divided into groups with five students each. Each week a
student will take turn to lead and facilitate the discussions. The sign-up sheets
will be circulated by the end of the second week.
I also expect all students to follow relevant contemporary developments and to
raise these issues in their discussions. We will often examine newspaper articles
related to the course material. Links to regional newspapers are provided in
RamCt.
In order to pass the course, you must complete all the required assignments.
Failing to complete any of the assignments will result in a failing grade for the
course. You have to make your plans and travel arrangements according to the
class schedule and the exam dates. No rescheduling will be permitted.
There is no extra credit in this course.
Expectations:
1. Answer the questions to be posted for each topic; write your answers down; bring
your answers to the classroom (will collect them from time to time).
2. Each group will write down all in-class activities and turn them in at the end.
3. Bring the readings to the classroom each time.
Academic Integrity:
This course adheres to the Academic Integrity Policy of the Colorado State University
General Catalog and the Student Conduct Code. Colorado State University has long upheld
values of academic and scholastic integrity. The General Catalog's "Policies and Guiding
Principles" asserts that CSU "expects students to maintain standards of personal integrity
that are in harmony with the educational goals of the institution" - citing "principles of
academic honesty" as the first example. (1.6 Page 1).
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Disruptive Behavior:
Students need to pay attention that their behavior is not disruptive; please follow common
courtesy in your interaction with your classmates, GTAs and the instructor.
Article III.A.4. of the Student Code of Conduct defines proscribed student behavior. It states:
“Disruption or obstruction of teaching, classroom or other educational interactions,
research, administration or disciplinary proceedings, residential communities, or participation
in an activity that disrupts normal University activities, and/or threatens property or bodily
harm or intentionally interferes with the right of access to University facilities or freedom of
movement of any person on campus.”
The following behaviors in classroom will be considered disruptive:
* The use of laptops/i-pods/headphones/cell phones, etc.
* Leaving before the lecture ends/arriving after the lecture starts.
* Side conversations.
* Eating/drinking.
* Reading newspapers/books.
* Sleeping.
Schedule of Classes, Readings and Assignments
Introduction: Rules, Expectations and Assignments
January 18, 2012
Reading—to be read prior to the class meeting

Laurie Brand, “Middle East Studies and Academic Freedom: Challenges at Home
and Abroad,” International Studies Perspectives (2007), 8: 384-395. (RamCt)
Challenging Common Conceptualizations of the Middle East
Dates: January 20, 23, 25 and 27
Readings:

Mary Ann Tetreault, “Deconstructing the Other: Teaching the Politics of the
Middle East,” P.S. Political Science and Politics 29(4) (1996): 696-700. (RamCt)

Edward Said, Orientalism 1-92. (RamCt)

Edward Said, “Islam and the West are Inadequate Banners,” The Guardian,
September 15, 2001, available at
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2001/sep/16/september11.terrorism3

Bernard Lewis, “Islam and Liberal Democracy,” The Atlantic Monthly (1993) 8998, available at http://www.theatlantic.com/past/docs/issues/93feb/lewis.htm.
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-------No meeting on January 30th----History I: Science, Philosophy and Art
Dates: February 1, 3 and 6
Readings:

Mustapha Kamal Pasha. 1997. “Ibhn Khaldun and World Order,” in Innovation
and Transformation in International Studies, ed. By Stephen Gill and James Mittelman.
New York: Cambridge University Press—56-70. (RamCt)

Jack Kalpakian, “Ibn Khaldun’s Influence on Current International Relations
Theory,” The Journal of North African Studies, 13(3): 363-376.

Mahmoud Dhaouadi, “Ibn Khaldun: The Founding Father of Eastern
Sociology,” International Sociology (1990) 5(3): 319-335. (RamCt)

Cyrus Masroori, “An Islamic Language of Toleration: Rumi’s Criticism of
Religious Persecution,” Political Research Quarterly, 63(2): 243-256. (RamCt)

Jelaluddin Rumi, Love is a Stranger (Translated by Kabir Edmund Helminski)
(Brattleboro, Vermont: Threshold Books, 1993), 5-12, 14-17, 36-37, 56-57.
(RamCt)

John Locke, “A Letter Concerning Toleration” available at
http://www.constitution.org/jl/tolerati.htm.

Julie L. Carnagie et al. “Jalal Ad-Din Ar-Rumi,” World Religions Reference Library
(Detroit: UXL, 2007), 179-185.(RamCt)
History II: Religion and Politics
Dates: February 8, 10, 13 and 15
Readings:

John Esposito, Islam and Politics (New York: Syracuse University, 1984), 1-32.
(RamCt)

Carl Brown, Religion and State (New York: Columbia University, 2000), 1-30, 175180. (RamCt)

William R. Hutchison, Religious Pluralism in America (New Haven: Yale University
Press, 2003), 1-29. (RamCt)

“Religious Wars in Europe (1517-1648)” Gale Encyclopedia of World History
(Detroit, Gale, 2008). (RamCt)
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________Mini Exam on February 17, 2012 ________
_______Research Design is due on February 20, 2012________
History III:
The Emergence of the Modern Middle East
Dates: February 20, 22, 24 and 27
Meetings:

Roger Owen, State, Power and Politics, 1-63.

Berch Berberoglu, Turmoil in the Middle East: Imperialism, War, and Political Instability
(New York: SUNY, 1999), 7-19. (RamCt)

Eugene Rogan, “The Emergence of the Middle East Into the Modern State
System,” International Relations of the Middle East, edited by Louise Fawcett (New
York: Oxford University, 2009), 21-43. (RamCt)

Peter Sluglett, “The Cold War in the Middle East,” International Relations of the
Middle East, edited by Louise Fawcett (New York: Oxford University, 2009), 4460. (RamCt)
Struggle Over the Nile-I (documentary):
http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/struggleoverthenile/2011/06/2011667
594146703.html
Struggle Over the Nile-II (documentary):
http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/struggleoverthenile/2011/06/2011669
249391471.html
Struggle Over the Nile-III (documentary):
http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/struggleoverthenile/2011/06/2011669
5818330430.html



The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict
Dates: February 29, March 2, 5 and 7
Readings:

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-isrprimer.html

Dona Stewart, The Middle East (New York: Routledge 2009), 157-176. (RamCt)

Edward Said, “The One State Solution,” available at
http://www.nytimes.com/1999/01/10/magazine/the-one-statesolution.html?pagewanted=all
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Ramzi El-Houry, “Water for All: The Case for a One-State Solution,” available at
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/01/2012117121836414354.html


Roger Owen, State, Power and Politics, 84-91.

Robert Fisk, “Why the Middle East Will Never Be the Same Again,” Independent,
September 20, 2011, available at
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-whythe-middle-east-will-never-be-the-same-again-2357514.html
________Mini Exam on March 9, 2012 ________
12-16 March: Spring Break
Turkey: Diversity or Unity?
Dates: March 19, 21, 23 and 26
Readings:

Carter Vaughn Findley, The Turks in World History (New York: Oxford
University, 2005), 3-20. (Ramct)

Benjamin Braude, “Millet System,” Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North
Africa, edited by Philip Matter, Vol. 3 (New York: Macmillan Reference, 2004):
1543-1545. (Ramct)

Firman (decree) by Fatih Sultan Mehmet Guaranteeing the Rights of Religious
Minorities-1478 (in Arabic). (RamCt)

Roger Owen, State, Power and Politics, 96-100.

William Darity, “Ottoman Empire,” International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences
Vol.6 (Detroit, Macmillian, 2008), 83-85. (RamCt)

Ataturk: The Founder of Türkiye-documentary (to be shown in class)
 Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul by Fatih Akın-documentary (to be shown
in class)

Louis de Bernieres, Birds Without Wings (novel).
Middle East in Transition: Popular Uprisings
Dates: March 28 & 30 and April 2&4
Readings:
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
Yahya Sadowski, “The new Orientalism,” Middle East Report (July-August 1993): 1-21.
(RamCt).

Gamze Çavdar and Yavuz Yaşar, “Political Unrest and Women in the Middle East:
Moving Beyond Culturalism and Formalism” (RamCt)

Lauren Bohn, “Egyptian Activists Try to Bridge Digital Divide,” The Christian Science
Monitor, October 28, 2011. http://www.csmonitor.com/World/MiddleEast/2011/1028/Egyptian-activists-try-to-bridge-digital-divide

Abdennour Benantar, “Arab Democratic Uprisings: Domestic, Regional and Global
Implications,” New Global Studies 5(1) (2011): 1-7. (RamCt)

The Arab Awakening-documentary (to be shown in class)
http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/general/2011/04/20114483425914466.htm
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The Islamist Challenge
Dates: April 6, 9 and 11
Readings:

Quintan Wiktorowicz, “Introduction: Islamic Activism and Social Movement
Theory,” in Islamic Activism (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2004), pp. 1-36,
available
at
http://books.google.com/books?id=UoONJqsjYjcC&pg=PP1&dq=Quintan+Wikt
orowicz+islamic+activism&ei=rMeqSaW1DJGOMsXa0OcJ#v=onepage&q=Quint
an%20Wiktorowicz%20islamic%20activism&f=false.

Robin Wright, “The Islamists Are Coming,” Foreign Policy, November 7, 2011
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/11/07/the_islamists_are_coming?pag
e=0,1

Samir Amin, “Political Islam in the Service of Imperialism,” Monthly Review 59(7)
(2007), available at http://monthlyreview.org/2007/12/01/political-islam-in-theservice-of-imperialism

Stacey Philbrick Yadav, “Understanding ‘What Islamists Want:’ Public Debate and
Contestation in Lebanon and Yemen,” Middle East Journal 64(2) (Spring 2010): 199211. (RamCt)
________Mini Exam on April 16, 2012 ________
Presentations: April 13-May 3
Papers are due by 5 pm: May 7th
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