GOVT 6474 - [States and Societies in the Middle East]

(crosslisted)
(also NES 6874)

Spring. 4 credits.

Next offered 2014-2015. Co-meets with GOVT 4374/NES 4874.

D. Patel.

This seminar surveys research approaches and puzzles in contemporary Middle Eastern politics. Students will be introduced to some of the major arguments, hypotheses and debates in the literature. Topics to be considered include: the nature and legacies of colonialism, state-building and the character of contemporary Middle Eastern regimes, the political economy of oil, economic crises, elections and political ‘liberalization,’ and the role of Islamism in political, social, and economic life. The seminar is designed principally for graduate students who focus their research on the Middle East and advanced undergraduates who have taken courses in Middle Eastern politics or history.