FULLERTON COLLEGE

Political Science 216

Government and Politics of the Middle East

 

Instructor:  Dr. Naji J. Dahi                                               

Office: Social Sciences 1425-02

Phone: (714) 992-7524

E-Mail: [email protected]

Web Site: http://www.geocities.com/ndahi

Office Hours: MW: 9:45-10:30

TTH: 1:20-3:00

Time and Place: MW 10:30-11:50, Room 1427

 

I.        Required Texts:

 

James Bill and Robert Springborg. Politics in the Middle East, New York: Harper Collins College Publishers, Fifth Edition.

 

Monte Palmer. The Politics of the Middle East. Wadsworth Publishers. 2007.

 

II.       Course Objectives:

 

This course is designed to introduce students to the area study of Middle East politics. Upon completion of the course students will acquire analytical knowledge of Middle East history and politics in terms of the meaning of Islam; Arab nationalism; Zionism; the Arab-Israeli conflict; group and class dynamics; patrimonial leadership; modernization and political development. Students will also acquire an in depth analysis and understanding of the following Arab and non-Arab countries: Arab (Iraq) & non-Arab (Iran and Israel). We will also try to address the following issues and questions:

 

·        What is the image of Arabs in the US? Why is there such an image?

·        Is Islam really a threat to the United States?

·        Why did the US “really” invade Iraq?

·        Is the US invasion of Iraq a first step towards other invasions in the region?

·        What are the causes of hostility towards US foreign policy in the region?

·        What is the solution to the Arab/Palestinian-Israeli conflict?

·        Will there be a Palestinian state?

·        Can the United States be a neutral broker in the peace process?

·        What is the basis of US foreign policy towards Israel and the Middle East?

 

III.      Evaluation & Grading:

 

A.     Examinations: 80 percent of your final grade will be based on three exams. All exams are made up of multiple choice questions and/or short answer questions. The exams will be multiple-choice questions and will test your factual and analytical knowledge. The exam dates are listed in the class schedule section below. Each of the first two exams will count as 25 percent of your grade. The final will count as 30 percent of your grade.

 

A.     Paper Assignment: The assignment will be short (4-5 pages) and will be based on a topic that I will choose. You will get more instructions on the content and structure of the assignment early in the semester. The assignment will count as 10 percent of your grade. The due date of the paper assignment is listed in the class schedule below.

 

A.     Participation & Attendance (10 points): This portion of the grade is based on your attendance and participation. A roll call will be taken occasionally based on my discretion. These attendance points will add valuable points to your final grade. As such absences will reduce your class participation grade.

 

B.    Classroom Rules: The following classroom rules must be obeyed at all times:

 

1. No late entry into the classroom. If you are more than 15 minutes late, then do not enter the classroom.
2. No early exit from the classroom without my prior permission.
3. Turn off all cell phones and beepers before you enter the classroom.
4. No sleeping in the classroom.
5. No private conversation in the classroom.
6. You must take notes when attending class.

 

Failure to obey any or all of these rules will result in being asked to leave the class for one or two class sessions.

 

C.    Make-up Exams: No makeup exams will be administered. If you miss an exam, consult with your professor for available options.

 

D.    Extra Credit: There are no extra credit assignments in this course. However, the instructor reserves the right to assign extra credit should a valid topic arise.

 

E.     Exam Review Sheets: Each exam has a review sheet. The review sheets are meant to guide you in your study for the exam. The review sheets are posted at the following web site: http://www.geocities.com/ndahi

 

F.     Grade Breakdown: As a general rule there is no curve in this class. Grade breakdown is as follows: 90-100 A; 80-89 B; 70-79 C; 60-69 D; 0-59 F. However, the instructor reserves the right to use a curve should the class average drop below a "certain" level.

 

IV.     Tips for Success

 

A.        Reading Assignments: You should complete reading assignments prior to attending the relevant lecture. Use the syllabus as a guide. Completing readings prior to lecture will enormously aid your understanding of the material being discussed. If you are not able to complete reading assignments before the class, then do the readings after the class. Use the lecture as a guide for reading and highlighting what is important in the book.

 

B.        Notetaking: It is important to take accurate and complete notes while attending lectures. Taking notes is a skill that you must learn for success in College and in any future career. As such bringing tape recorders to class with the intention of taping lectures without my oral or written consent is strictly prohibited. For students needing special accommodations please see me at the beginning of the semester.

 

C.        Communicating with the Instructor: If you have questions about the subject matter of this class or your progress in the class you should not hesitate to raise your concerns after the class is dismissed. The instructor is willing to stay after the class to discuss student problems.

 

D.   Academic Honesty: Students caught cheating on a test will fail both the test and the course. Books, notes, and dictionaries are not to be used for test. If you have any questions on the meaning of words during an exam do not hesitate to ask.

 

V.  Notes in the Margin

 

A.  Critical Thinking Approach: This professor utilizes the Critical Approach to the study of politics. In that vein, research, data, and information will be presented in the classroom that challenges what a majority of students have acquired about politics and government while in high school. The information and data presented is sourced and it is replicable by any student who will take the time to do the necessary research.

 

While this approach to teaching government and politics is welcomed and appreciated by an overwhelming majority of my students, there are a few students that do not enjoy such an approach to teaching. Professors who use this approach report that these few tend to have very rigid belief systems and have difficulty critically assessing that belief system. They refuse to go through the process of self-evaluation and self-criticism. They fear that critical thinking and research might undermine their firmly held beliefs; any data/information that challenges their political and social views is ipso facto seditious and is labeled “unpatriotic.” These few almost always confuse criticizing government with lack of patriotism; they confuse love of government and its institutions for love of country. This is of course false. Love of country does not mean love of government. As Republican President Theodore Roosevelt observed:

 

 “Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official. It is unpatriotic not to tell the truth, whether about the president or anyone else. That we are to stand by the president, right or wrong is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”

 

Therefore, be prepared to be flexible in this classroom and do not make false assumptions about the patriotism of others who enjoy thinking critically about government and politics.

 

B.  Structure of Classroom Sessions: Classes that meet twice per week during the Fall and Spring semesters are sometimes made up of two parts: the lecture and a story about a salient issue taken from a newspaper/magazine/Internet source. These stories are intended to stimulate critical thinking on the part of the student. Students are only tested on the lecture notes and the book used in this course. These stories are simply a tool to further enhance the ability of students to question their perception of reality as it is presented to them by television news.

 

C.   Your Ideology and Mine: Your beliefs and values about politics and society have absolutely no impact on your grade. Your grade is based on the exams, participation, and a paper. Do not assume that agreeing with the instructor’s ideology will enhance your grade and do not assume that disagreeing with the instructor’s ideology will hurt your grade. Basically, there is no relationship between your beliefs and values and your grade. 

 

V.      Class Schedule

 

DATE		READING	CLASS ACTIVITY
W JAN 12 M JAN 14		Bill & Springborg, Chap 9 Palmer, Chap 1, p. 1-15	The Middle East: importance and diversity.
W JAN 21 M JAN 26 W JAN 28 M FEB 2		Bill & Springborg, Chap 2 p. 31-47; Chap 4 p. 103-111 Palmer, Chap 1, p. 15-27	Islam and its teaching. The Spread of Islam. Sects in Islam.
W FEB 4 M FEB 9 W FEB 11		Bill & Springborg, Chap 2 p. 47-62 Palmer, Chap 1, p. 27-42; Chap 4, 175-179.	The Ottoman Empire. Colonialism, Arab Nationalism, and Islamic Revivalism
W FEB 18 M FEB 23 W FEB 25		Bill & Springborg, Chap 3 & 4 Palmer, Chap 2, p. 80-97; Chap 4, p. 200-202; Chap 5, p. 252-258.	Group and class structure in the Middle East. What is Patrimonialism? How does it explain Middle East politics?
FIRST IN CLASS CLOSED BOOK EXAM ON MONDAY MARCH 2
W MAR 4 M MAR 9	No Reading Assignment		The nature of authoritarianism in Less Developed Countries
W MAR 11 M MAR 16 W MAR 18 M MAR 23 W MAR 25 M MAR 30 W APR 1 M APR 13 W APR 15	Palmer, Chap 6; Chap 4, p. 204-207; Chap 7 p. 349-355. Bill & Springborg, pp 293-301		Iraq: British colonialism and the Iraqi monarchy. The Iraqi revolution ad Iraqi independence. The US, Baath takeover, and the Saddam era. The US, the Iran-Iraq War and WMDs. Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, the First Gulf War and the UN Sanctions. The US invasion of Iraq and its aftermath. Return of indirect colonial rule: Iraq under US control.
SECOND IN CLASS CLOSED BOOK EXAM ON MONDAY APRIL 20
W APR 22 M APR 27 W APR 29 M MAY 4 W MAY 6 M MAY 11	Bill & Springborg, Chap 7 Palmer, Chap 3		Israel: The Political System, Zionism. The Arab Israeli Conflict. The peace process and its future.
PAPER DUE IN CLASS ON MONDAY MAY 11
FINAL EXAM IS ON WEDNESDY MAY 20, 9-10:50