Near East Studies

The course offers an interdisciplinary overview of politics and security in contemporary Iran. It examines Iran’s geopolitical, geostrategic, and geographical significance in the region and analyzes key domestic security challenges facing the state. Adopting a knowledge-based and experiential approach, the course explores six interconnected divisions shaping Iran and its regional context: social (class divisions), societal (identity-based divisions), national (people–state relations), political (internal divisions within the political system), regional (regional rivalries), and international (great power politics). The course provides an intellectual and analytical framework for understanding the complex issues facing Iran and its ties to regional and global dynamics.

This course provides an in-depth exploration of Jordan’s culinary traditions and their connections to culture, history, and identity. The course combines a historical/anthropological approach with an overview of contemporary practices around food in Jordan to understand evolving notions of cuisine within its national culture (lifestyles, techniques, media, and representations). While Jordan’s cuisine once aggregated local and imported traditions as national in nature, it has seemingly undergone a reverse process since the start of the twenty-first century, diversifying into multiple contexts (and recipes) under the pressure of factors such as affordability, politics, and social media. This course fosters a comparative approach around the preparation of food and related rituals, offering direct experiences of Jordan cuisine as it is thought about, prepared, served, and received.

This course explores the dynamic interplay between gender, space, and state policies in Iran, focusing on how women navigate and resist the gendered narratives imposed by the state. By examining both historical and contemporary contexts, the course delves into the ways Iranian women, from various backgrounds and walks of life, have engaged with modernity, anti-modernity, and state-driven agendas. Through a mix of theoretical frameworks and case studies, students gain insights into the strategies used by women to resist and negotiate oppressive structures, with an emphasis on the spatial aspects of their resistance.