POL2634 Middle East PoliticsBahçeşehir UniversityDegree Programs FILM AND TELEVISIONGeneral Information For StudentsDiploma SupplementErasmus Policy StatementNational QualificationsBologna Commission
FILM AND TELEVISION
Bachelor TR-NQF-HE: Level 6 QF-EHEA: First Cycle EQF-LLL: Level 6

Course Introduction and Application Information

Course Code Course Name Semester Theoretical Practical Credit ECTS
POL2634 Middle East Politics Fall 3 0 3 6
This catalog is for information purposes. Course status is determined by the relevant department at the beginning of semester.

Basic information

Language of instruction: English
Type of course: Non-Departmental Elective
Course Level: Bachelor’s Degree (First Cycle)
Mode of Delivery: Hybrid
Course Coordinator : Assoc. Prof. ESRA ALBAYRAKOĞLU
Recommended Optional Program Components: None
Course Objectives: The aim of this course is to introduce students to the major political structures and questions in Middle Eastern politics. The first section examines the origins of Middle Eastern states and introduces you to critical structures like religion, tribes, and the family. In the second section, we examine why authoritarianism has persisted in the region, and how it is linked to other issues like nationalism, militarism, and rentierism. The third section assesses the degree to which civil society and social movements—including the revolutionary movements of the ‘Arab Spring’—have challenged longstanding regimes and state structures. And in the fourth and final section, we consider the future of Middle Eastern politics by evaluating some of the lingering concerns and the emerging prospects for liberalization and reform.

Learning Outcomes

The students who have succeeded in this course;
The students who have succeeded in this course;
I. Analyze the Middle East utilizing both historical and theoretical concepts
II. Understand the role of ideology and religion, oil in the Middle East
III. Compare and contrast Middle East countries’ foreign policies
IV. Evaluate the economic, cultural and demographic changes in the Middle East
V. Recognize national and international factors in Middle East foreign policy making process

Course Content

Ancient civilizations; the role of religion; the legacies of colonialism; the Middle East regional system, the impact of the international system on the middle east, the challenge of security in the region.

Weekly Detailed Course Contents

Week Subject Related Preparation
1) An Introduction to the Middle East
2) Ancient Middle East: Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Phoenicians.
3) Great Empires: Persian Empire, Carthage, Rome Empire, Egypt and Hellenism.
4) Religion in the Middle East: Christianity and Judaism
5) Rise of Islam: The “Golden Age”, Rashidun Caliphate and Split in Islam.
6) Spread of Islam: Umayyad, Abbasid, Fatimid and Ayyubid Dynasties.
7) Reconquista in Spain, Andalusia and The Crusades.
8) Mongol, Seljuq and Byzantine Empires influences in the Middle East.
9) Rise of the Ottoman Empire. Ottoman’s influence in the Middle East
10) I. World War, Interwar Period, Second World War and the consequences: Impact of the war on the Jewish public and the region, increasing sympathy towards the Jewish public and Zionism and twice Promised Land.
11) Modern Middle East: Historic moments, assessments of specific events.
12) September 11 Attacks: Foreign Policies of the Middle East States, US Post-September 11.
13) The new world order, new approaches and analysis of current issues.
14) Review

Sources

Course Notes / Textbooks: William L. Cleveland – Modern Middle East History
Louise Fawcett - International Relations of the Middle East
Raymond Hinnebusch & Anoushiravan Ehteshami - The Foreign Policies of the Middle East States
Ian J. Bickerton - The Arab-Israeli Conflict
Laura Zittrain Eisenberg & Neil Caplan- Negotiating Arab - Israeli Peace
David S. Sorenson - Interpreting the Middle East
Robert D. Lee – Religion and Politics in the Middle East
Peter Mansfield – A History of the Middle East
Bernard Lewis – The Middle East
Benjamin MacQueen - An Introduction to Middle East Politics
References: William L. Cleveland – Modern Middle East History
Louise Fawcett - International Relations of the Middle East
Raymond Hinnebusch & Anoushiravan Ehteshami - The Foreign Policies of the Middle East States
Ian J. Bickerton - The Arab-Israeli Conflict
Laura Zittrain Eisenberg & Neil Caplan- Negotiating Arab - Israeli Peace
David S. Sorenson - Interpreting the Middle East
Robert D. Lee – Religion and Politics in the Middle East
Peter Mansfield – A History of the Middle East
Bernard Lewis – The Middle East
Benjamin MacQueen - An Introduction to Middle East Politics

Evaluation System

Semester Requirements Number of Activities Level of Contribution
Attendance 14 % 20
Midterms 1 % 40
Final 1 % 40
Total % 100
PERCENTAGE OF SEMESTER WORK % 60
PERCENTAGE OF FINAL WORK % 40
Total % 100

ECTS / Workload Table

Activities Number of Activities Workload
Course Hours 14 42
Study Hours Out of Class 14 104
Midterms 1 2
Final 1 2
Total Workload 150

Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes

No Effect 1 Lowest 2 Low 3 Average 4 High 5 Highest
           
Program Outcomes Level of Contribution
1) Being familiar to the main concepts and methods of the social sciences and the fine arts devoted to understanding the world and the society 4
2) Having comprehensive knowledge regarding different media and branches of art 3
3) Knowing the historical background of audio-visual moving images in the world and in Turkey and keeping pace with the new developments in the area 1
4) Having a good command of the language and the aesthetics of audio-visual moving images in the world and in Turkey 1
5) Being able to create a narrative that could be used in a fiction or a non-fiction audio-visual moving image product 2
6) Being able to write a script ready to be shot 2
7) Having the skills to produce the photoboard of a script in hand and to shoot the film using the camera, the lights and other necessary equipment
8) Being able to transfer the footage of a film to the digital medium, to edit and do other post-production operations
9) Being able to create a documentary audio visual moving image from the preliminary sketch stage to shooting, editing and post-production stages
10) Being able to produce an audio visual moving image for television and audio products for radio from preliminary stages through shooting and editing to the post-production stage
11) Being culturally and theoretically equipped to make sense of an audio-visual moving image, to approach it critically with regard to its language and narration and being able to express his/her approach in black and white 3
12) Having ethical values and a sense of social responsibility 5