Near East Studies

This course introduces students to the politics of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), with a particular focus on regional dynamics related to religion, authoritarianism, foreign intervention, and popular politics. The first half of the course provides the main historical, social, and economic features underpinning current politics in MENA by examining historical state formation, authoritarian governance, and political economy in the region. In so doing, the course equips students with the main analytical tools needed to comprehend and critically analyze the course of current political developments, which the second half of the course addresses. Students learn about the trajectory of the Arab Spring, the rise and decline of Islamist political movements, and ongoing struggles with civil wars and terrorism, among other topics. The course requires students have basic knowledge of theories and concepts of political science to participate in the course.

In 1800, two empires dominated the region of the Middle East: the Ottoman and Qajar Empires. Today, there are seventeen nation-states in the Middle East. How and why did this happen? This course serves as an introduction to the history of the modern Middle East with an emphasis on developing an understanding of how the region we call the Middle East came to take its current shape. Students explore the encounter with European modernity and subsequent European imperialism, modernisation efforts, responses to colonialism, the rise of new ideologies such as nationalism, and the role of religion in politics and political discourse. The course focuses on the Arab provinces of the Ottoman Empire, Iran, Turkey, and the Middle East in the 20th and 21st centuries.

This course seeks to unravel the complexity of the Israeli political, social, and cultural aspects and provide tools for understanding the uniqueness of Israeli society and peoples. Students read and discuss issues such as religion and democracy; ethnicity and nationalism; cultural diversity; and gender, media, and popular culture. The course introduces Israel's contemporary society through a holistic approach using lectures, films, and discussions.

This course covers the first half of Islamic history from 600 to 1300 C.E. At the beginning of this period, Arab Muslims established a new religion and a new empire. These developments took place at the intersections of religions (Jewish, Christian, and Zoroastrian faiths) and at the crossroads of empires (Roman and Sasanian states) in the Middle East. Within this context, we will study the construction of Muslim empires and the dynamics of life in Islamic societies during the classical and medieval periods. The course concludes in the 1300s, a pivotal moment when Islamic societies had to respond to invasions by Turks, Crusaders, and Mongols that contributed to the fragmentation of Islamic civilization. By studying the early years of Islamic history, we can witness the construction of a major civilization from its very beginnings.

This course explores the violent, unremitting nature of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and how it has shaped Israeli society. It examines topics such as Jerusalem's fate, the Palestinian refugees, the settlements, and security concerns. The course builds a multilayered perspective on conflict resolution efforts through examination of the Oslo peace process and other past and present activities by the Israeli peace camp.

This course examines the main political and cultural features of early modern Islamic empires from the Balkans to Bengal, and acknowledges that they represent much more than a region waiting to be expanded upon by Europeans. The secondary perspective of the course is to explore a historical depth that can be used to contextualize contemporary legitimacy claims and the use of imperial history in political discussions. The course does this by providing students with in-depth knowledge of a rich Islamic tradition that shaped and brought together a wide geographic area – one that is markedly different from what is typically emphasized in courses on political Islam.

Modern day Israel and Palestine, the land between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, covers an area that is six times smaller than the state of Pennsylvania, but has about the same population size (about 12.7 million people). In addition to the high density of population, this land is the heart of a religious, ethnic, national, and political conflict. This context makes spatial planning an immense challenge and is often used as a tool for achieving various political agendas. After presenting some brief background on the geography and the history of the land, this course focuses on topics including national and regional planning; the New Towns scheme; water planning issues; transportation planning; Jerusalem's geopolitical question; tourism development in historic cities such as Nazareth, Acre, and Bethlehem; the fence of separation, and affordable housing plans.