Globalization and the Politics of the Middle East
GOVT 294
Spring 2012 not offered
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| Certificates: International Relations |
The seminar explores major questions regarding the evolving role of the state, the nature of citizenship, opposition movements, and state-society relations in the Middle East within the theoretical framework of globalization. The focus of the course is on the interplay of external influences rooted in the global economy and domestic political systems. Students will grapple with major theoretical debates about globalization as a structural, ideational, and technology-related phenomenon. They will be encouraged to move beyond the dominant Middle Eastern exceptionalism narrative by exploring the impact of globalization at several levels. These include the prevailing development trajectories across the region, the reconfiguration of state-society relations in light of the neoliberal model, social policy and welfare regimes, identity politics, transnational social movements, as well as the new media and the emergence of new forms of political activism. Students will draw theoretical inferences based on the regional literature and critically apply theoretical frameworks from the globalization literature to effectively analyze socioeconomic and political developments in the contemporary Middle East. |
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Essential Capabilities:
Intercultural Literacy, Logical Reasoning
The course supports two sets of essential capabilities. These are logical reasoning and intercultural literacy. Students will master the skill of critically evaluating the cogency of arguments from the general literature on globalization, as well as assessing their relevance to the Middle Eastern context. In addition, they will be required to empirically investigate various facets of politics in the region, and to identify the weaknesses/ strengths of alternative arguments from the regional literature. Since the course will require a major research paper, students will also be required to construct logically consistent, empirically sound, and theoretically valid arguments related to the course themes. In addition, students will explore questions such as, how and to what extent have globalization dynamics transformed the politics of the region? And, has the region¿s experience been atypical? By encouraging students to comparatively reflect on empirical developments in Middle Eastern polities during the era of globalization, as well as to move beyond the notion of culturally rooted exceptionalism, the course will foster greater understanding of the region¿s culture. Further, the course will deepen the students¿ comparative reflection on the impact of globalization on societies and political systems in the developed and developing world.
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS GOVT |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (GOVT)(GOVT-Comparativ) |
Major Readings:
The readings will consist of articles from academic journals and selections from books. The first part of the course will review the theoretical literature on globalization, including debates over the nature of the phenomenon, whether it is happening, how it affects the nation-state, political mobilization, and the relationships among markets, states and societies. The second will address elements of change and continuity in the Middle East during the era of globalization. The following are some of the works to be assigned.
Abaza, Mona. CHANGING CONSUMER CULTURES OF MODERN EGYPT: CAIRO'S URBAN RESHAPING, SOCIAL, ECONOMIC, AND POLITICAL STUDIES OF THE MIDDLE EAST AND ASIA (Brill, 2006).
Andersen, Esping. WELFARE STATES IN TRANSITION: NATIONAL ADAPTATIONS IN GLOBAL ECONOMIES (Sage, 1996).
Binder, Leonard. ETHNIC CONFLICT AND INTERNATIONAL POLITICS IN THE MIDDLE EAST (Routledge, 1999).
Clement, Henry and Robert Springborg. GLOBALIZATION AND THE POLITICS OF DEVELOPMENT IN THE MIDDLE EAST (Cambridge UP, 2001).
Ehteshami, Anoushiravan. GLOBALIZATION AND GEO-POLITICS IN THE MIDDLE EAST (Routledge, 2009).
Harvey, David. A BRIEF HISTORY OF NEOLIBERALISM (Oxford UP, 2005).
Lynch, Marc. VOICES OF THE NEW ARAB PUBLICS (Columbia UP, 2007).
Mahmoud, Saba. THE POLITICS OF PIETY: THE ISLAMIC REVIVAL AND THE FEMINIST SUBJECT (Princeton UP, 2005).
Pierson, Paul. THE NEW POLITICS OF THE WELFARE STATE (Oxford UP, 2001).
Polanyi, Karl. THE GREAT TRANSFORMATIONS OF THE POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC ORIGINS OF OUR TIME (2001).
Roy, Ananya and Nezar Al Sayyad. URBAN INFORMALITY: TRANSNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES FROM THE MIDDLE EAST, LATIN AMERICA AND SOUTH ASIA (Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, 2003).
Roy, Oliver. THE POLITICS OF CHAOS IN THE MIDDLE EAST (Columbia UP, 2008).
Rutherford, Bruce K. EGYPT AFTER MUBARAK (Princeton UP, 2008).
Scholte, Jan Aart. GLOBALIZATION: A CRITICAL INTRODUCTION (Palgrave, 2000).
Salloukh, Bassel and Rex Brynen. PERSISTENT PERMEABILITY? REGIONALISM, LOCALISM AND GLOBALIZATION (Ashgate, 2004).
Springborg, Robert and John Waterbury. A POLITICAL ECONOMY OF THE MIDDLE EAST (Cambridge UP, 2008).
UNDP, THE ARAB HUMAN DEVELOPMENT (2009).
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Examinations and Assignments:
Mid-term, presentation, and major research paper. |
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