Taught in Spanish at Pontificia Universidad Católica; may not be offered every semester. In this course, you’ll critically analyze the social and political reality of Middle East countries from an interdisciplinary perspective, considering cultural, geographic and economic variables in the region. We’ll cover the unfolding of events since the beginning of the 19th Century, considering different milestones that have impacted the region, and we’ll analyze specific cases of some countries that have been and are vital to an understanding of current identities and geo-political situations. Your goal in this class is to develop a deep understanding of current phenomena via a reflective, historical, and critical perspective.
On successful completion of this course, you will be able to
- Distinguish the countries that make up the Middle East, starting from historical processes that started with the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, considering also the influence of global and regional powers during and after the two World Wars.
- Analyze the social and political development of the Middle East countries, through the study of historical milestones and their unique contexts, including the Sykes-Picot Agreement, the different independence processes of the countries in the region, the Cold War, the Nahda, Gulf Wars, emergence of Islamic movements, and the Arab Spring.
- Appreciate and understand the contemporary situation of the region, considering especially the historical and current roles of women in the Arab societies.
- Analyze specific countries of the region as case studies, in terms of their global and regional relevance.
Matriculated Syracuse students: May not earn credit for both this course and PSC 344. For Syracuse Political Science majors, this course counts toward the Comparative Politics concentration.
(PUC ICP0148)
Department: Political Science
Location: Santiago
Credits: 3