Information Package / Course Catalogue
| Political Science and International Relations | |||||
| Bachelor | Length of the Programme: 4 | Number of Credits: 240 | TR-NQF-HE: Level 6 | QF-EHEA: First Cycle | EQF: Level 6 |
Ders Genel Tanıtım Bilgileri
| School/Faculty/Institute | Faculty of Econ., Admin. and Social Sciences | ||||
| Course Code | POLS 326 | ||||
| Course Title in English | Politics and Society in the Middle East | ||||
| Course Title in Turkish | Politics and Society in the Middle East | ||||
| Language of Instruction | |||||
| Type of Course | Fieldwork | ||||
| Level of Course | Introductory | ||||
| Semester | Spring | ||||
| Contact Hours per Week |
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| Estimated Student Workload | 137 hours per semester | ||||
| Number of Credits | 5 ECTS | ||||
| Grading Mode | Standard Letter Grade | ||||
| Pre-requisites | None | ||||
| Expected Prior Knowledge | None | ||||
| Co-requisites | None | ||||
| Registration Restrictions | Only Undergraduate Students | ||||
| Overall Educational Objective | To learn historically contextualize the main political, social and ideological dynamics in the Middle East during the last century. | ||||
| Course Description | This course will discuss the main historical, political, and social developments, which took place in the Middle East since the end of the 19th century as an outcome of the impact of “the West” and “modernization”. The main topics will include Imperialism, Nationalism, Revolutionary regimes (i.e. Nasserism, Islamic revolution in Iran), economic and political impact of oil resources, lack of democracy in the Middle East. The course will also discuss current issues such as the “Arab Spring, the civil war in Syria and the Arab-Israeli conflict. | ||||
| Course Description in Turkish | Bu ders 19. yüzyılın sonlarından itibaren Ortadoğu'da "Batı" ve "modernleşme"nin bir sonucu olarak ortaya çıkan başlıca tarihi, siyasi ve toplumsal gelişmeleri ele alacaktır. Başlıca konular arasında Emperyalizm, Milliyetçilik, Devrimci rejimler (örn. Nasırcılık, İran'da İslam Devrimi), petrol kaynaklarının ekonomik ve siyasi etkisi, Ortadoğu'da demokrasi eksikliği yer almaktadır. Ders aynı zamanda "Arap Baharı, Suriye'deki iç savaş ve Arap-İsrail çatışması" gibi güncel konuları tartışacaktı |
Course Learning Outcomes and CompetencesUpon successful completion of the course, the learner is expected to be able to:1) understand the main events in the Modern history of the Middle East 2) appraise the main political, social, and ideological developments in the Middle East 3) utilize insight and deep historical background of current conflicts in the Middle East 4) understand the political, economic, social, and ideological outcomes of the encounter between the Middle East and Western Modernity 5) analyze various sources and discuss various interpretations regarding current issues in politics and society of the Middle East. |
| Program Learning Outcomes/Course Learning Outcomes | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1) Adequate knowledge of political history necessary to comprehend and effectively evaluate contemporary Political Science and International Relations issues. | |||||
| 2) Understanding of the fundamental concepts that exist in the fields of social and behavioral sciences as well as the correlation between these concepts | |||||
| 3) Ability to analyze the fundamental theories in the field Political Science and International Relations and to assess their reflections into practice | |||||
| 4) Ability to critically discuss different aspects of theories and developments in Political Science and International Relations both individually and in the course of group work during classroom discussions. | |||||
| 5) Ability to conduct research independently, or with a team, about the developments taking place in the international arena, make foreign policy analyses, develop research-based conflict resolution models, and prepare comprehensive reports using computers and relevant software | |||||
| 6) Ability to take decisions as well as to implement these decisions by using the knowledge about the field and the skills that have been acquired during the undergraduate studies | |||||
| 7) Ability to recognize the relations between scientific thought and ethical behavior; pay attention to being tolerant and properly defend different ideas, ideologies and belief systems | |||||
| 8) Ability to work in international institutions and multicultural environments, with the help of the knowledge on different cultures, societies, political systems as well as linguistic skills acquired during the undergraduate studies | |||||
| 9) Ability to display language skills in English at minimum B2 level enough for debating with colleagues on issues of Political Science and International Relations, and also display language skills in a second foreign language at minimum A2 level enough for communicating in daily life | |||||
| 10) Ability to pursue lifelong learning as well as perform advanced/graduate studies in the field Political Science and International Relations and other social sciences disciplines in academic institutions at home and abroad |
Relation to Program Outcomes and Competences
| N None | S Supportive | H Highly Related |
| Program Outcomes and Competences | Level | Assessed by | |
| 1) | Adequate knowledge of political history necessary to comprehend and effectively evaluate contemporary Political Science and International Relations issues. | H | Exam |
| 2) | Understanding of the fundamental concepts that exist in the fields of social and behavioral sciences as well as the correlation between these concepts | S | Exam |
| 3) | Ability to analyze the fundamental theories in the field Political Science and International Relations and to assess their reflections into practice | N | |
| 4) | Ability to critically discuss different aspects of theories and developments in Political Science and International Relations both individually and in the course of group work during classroom discussions. | S | Project |
| 5) | Ability to conduct research independently, or with a team, about the developments taking place in the international arena, make foreign policy analyses, develop research-based conflict resolution models, and prepare comprehensive reports using computers and relevant software | N | |
| 6) | Ability to take decisions as well as to implement these decisions by using the knowledge about the field and the skills that have been acquired during the undergraduate studies | N | |
| 7) | Ability to recognize the relations between scientific thought and ethical behavior; pay attention to being tolerant and properly defend different ideas, ideologies and belief systems | H | Exam |
| 8) | Ability to work in international institutions and multicultural environments, with the help of the knowledge on different cultures, societies, political systems as well as linguistic skills acquired during the undergraduate studies | N | |
| 9) | Ability to display language skills in English at minimum B2 level enough for debating with colleagues on issues of Political Science and International Relations, and also display language skills in a second foreign language at minimum A2 level enough for communicating in daily life | H | Exam |
| 10) | Ability to pursue lifelong learning as well as perform advanced/graduate studies in the field Political Science and International Relations and other social sciences disciplines in academic institutions at home and abroad | S | Exam |
| Prepared by and Date | EVRİM GÖRMÜŞ , December 2023 |
| Course Coordinator | EVRİM GÖRMÜŞ |
| Semester | Spring |
| Name of Instructor | Öğr. Gör. YÜKSEL TAŞKIN |
Course Contents
| Week | Subject |
| 1) | Introduction – What is the Middle East? |
| 2) | Imperialism and European Involvement in the Middle East |
| 3) | First World War and its Outcomes in the Middle East |
| 4) | Ethnicity, Religion, and Nationalism in the Middle East |
| 5) | The Cold War and Pan-Arabism in the Middle East |
| 6) | Oil resources and the Challenges of Economic Development in the Middle East |
| 7) | Lack of Democracy in the Middle East |
| 8) | Islamic Revolution in Iran |
| 9) | Arab-Israeli Conflict |
| 10) | Arab-Israeli Wars and Peace |
| 11) | Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process |
| 12) | Fundamentalism and Terrorism in the Middle East |
| 13) | Weapons of Mass Destruction in the Middle East |
| 14) | The “Arab-Spring” – Was it a Revolution? Did it Fail? |
| Required/Recommended Readings | Required and recommended bibliography will be posted on the Blackboard. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Teaching Methods | Teaching will be done, using the Flipped Learning methods, with Pre-Class activity (reading, video etc.); In-Class activity with focus on discussions and case studies examination; Post-Class activities (homework, summary writing, etc.). Students are expected to prepare their pre-class activities and take active part in class discussions. In addition, students are expected to work in small groups (3-5) students) on their course project, which will be introduced in the first lesson | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Homework and Projects | Home-work will include: Pre-class readings and activities, which will be loaded on the blackboard; individual presentation work, which will be submitted by mid-term; and a group-work project. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Laboratory Work | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Computer Use | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other Activities | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assessment Methods |
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| Course Administration |
gormuse@mef.edu.tr 02123953600 Rules for attendance – students are expected to attend classes according to the rules of MEF University. Since this is a discussion-oriented course – students are expected to participate actively in class-discussions. Late submissions and Missing Exam - If you miss the assignments due to illness, you are required to submit a doctor’s report. If for other reasons, please communicate with the instructor in advance. A reminder of proper classroom behavior - The instructor aims to encourage and facilitate a democratic and participatory class environment. Therefore, sexist, racist or any insulting comments are NOT allowed in class. Code of student conduct – students are expected to follow and respect the code of student conduct in accordance to the rules of MEF University. Statement on plagiarism - While the instructor does not expect to encounter instances of cheating in this class, you should be aware that academic integrity is taken very seriously, and that there are significant consequences if you are caught cheating or engaging in academic misconduct, or plagiarism. |
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ECTS Student Workload Estimation
| Activity | No/Weeks | Hours | Calculation | ||||
| No/Weeks per Semester | Preparing for the Activity | Spent in the Activity Itself | Completing the Activity Requirements | ||||
| Course Hours | 14 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 98 | ||
| Presentations / Seminar | 1 | 8 | 1 | 9 | |||
| Project | 1 | 10 | 2 | 12 | |||
| Final Examination | 1 | 16 | 2 | 18 | |||
| Total Workload | 137 | ||||||
| Total Workload/25 | 5.5 | ||||||
| ECTS | 5 | ||||||