CHIP 2200 People/culture/politics Of Middle East

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the complexities and nuances of political life in the Middle East through analyses of its people, culture, and history. The first half of the course adopts a multidimensional approach that examines the cultural and social roots of politics, the legacy of colonialism, the sources of political power, grassroots challenges to elite control, the political economy of the region, and the prospects for political reform. Throughout, this half of the course emphasizes an interdisciplinary framework for understanding the politics of the Middle East and highlights linkages among culture, economics, politics, and power. The second half of the course will deal with a series of country studies, the legacy of the Iraq conflict, and the growth of Middle East-based international terrorism. During this half of the course, students will draw on the first part of the course to assess these issues, the legacy of the Iraq conflict, and the growth of Middle East-based international terrorism. During this half of the course, students will draw on the first part of the course to assess these issues.