The middle east and

RI 432-01. The Middle East and the Arab, Jewish and Islamic Worlds: SyllabusUniversity of the Americas, Department of International Relations and History, Dr. Paul Rich. August 2002.
Course Objective: Our goals include helping you to understand thebackground to the current crisis in the Middle East, and enabling you toform your own opinion about the Arabs, Islam, and the Middle East -- oneof the most important current topics in international relations. We willemphasize the connection between past history and present problems. Thisis probably the first course you have taken where the influence of religionis so much a part of the syllabus, and we will also en passant talk aboutgender issues in international relations studies. Last semester 5 students dropped out of the class rather than fail. Considercarefully if you are the serious student who will be able to keep up with thisdemanding reading list.
Class organization: The lectures do not duplicate the reading, and the
readings do not duplicate the lectures. They complement each other, and the
exams are based on both, as well as on any lectures by guests. Your grade is
based 60 per cent on the in term exams (10 percent for each of 3 exams
during the term and 30 percent for the end of term exam), 10 percent for the
debate, and 30 percent on your end of term paper. BUT!! Dr. Rich reserves
the right to conduct up to and additional 3 snap 10 very short question exams
(questions like “in what century was the holy Koran written? Who was the
last king of Egypt?) during class in addition to foregoing schedule, and to
deduct any wrong answers from your grade for the course. (each wrong
answer would be .1 of a point.) Often n either in term nor quickie exams will
be announced. They will be part of a regular class meeting.
Dr. Rich’s office is in the IR department on the second floor of Building 8,and you do not need an appointment to see him. He is glad to see you atany time. You are also encouraged to email him if you have questions. Hisemail is on the UDLA server simply as “rich”. Ask Dr. Rich about thecourse, about future study plans overseas, and about your thesis. Alsoinquire about working in his office for your social service or as a scholarship student. This a very genuine invitation. Take advantage of it. At the start ofthe semester bed sure what you must read and what is expected of you. We plan on having some guests from the Middle East. This will beannounced. Dr. Rich will detail in class the expectations for the term paper,which will be due at the last class. Class will be conducted with a ten minutebreak in the middle of the period.
To summarize, you better do the reading !! because: ____ three term-time exams, 1.0 points each____ final exam, 3.0 points____ debate on terrorism 1.0 points____ final paper 3.0 points MINUS 0.1 for each wrong answer on the quickie evaluations of yourreading, each quickie having 10 snap questions.
============================================ The following are the course units. Some units involve two lectures. Do thereading before the lectures if you want to get the most value out of thecourse. Remember, to be sure you are doing the reading, there will be threein-term exams on the reading and lectures, as well as the final exam, andperhaps the dreaded quickie exams. Readings are all on reserve at the library.
Don’t talk with others or be late to class as Dr. Rich’s reaction is draconian.
Don’t plagiarize or you will learn the meaning of misery. Advice: Give uplong weekend trips to pleasure spots or late night television viewing. Thisisn’t an easy course.
1. Today, January 14, 2003. Introductory Class: The Social Sciences
and
The Study of the Middle East.
Rules of the game. Issues presented by the subject of the Middle East: documentation, sources of information, attention paid by scholars, thepossible contribution to resolving Middle Eastern problems of research, Including, so you can’t say you weren’t told, what is plagiarism, and why itis not tolerated. Dr. Rich treats plagiarism as a capital offense. Anthropology.
Geography. Sociology. Political Science. History. Historiography. International Relations.
Causality. Proof. Prosopography. Schools. Theses. New World. Westward Movement. TheWest. Globalization. Political Culture. Rational Choice. Stone in the Pond. Gender. Indigenous.
‘Research’. English & Computing. Job Skills. End of Cold War. Pax Americana. Papers andplagiarism.
2. The Tabla Rosa or Canvas: The Political and Social Geography
of the Middle East
The geography and demographics of the region. Current regimes.
Ideologies of the nation-states of the area. Past colonial history.
Paul Rich, The Invasions of the Gulf, 2nd ed., iUniverse (Allborough), 2001,vii-67.
Paul Rich ed., Readings in Middle East Studies, Publicaciones, 1993,“Maps” in section 14, 163-184.
Samuel Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations: Remaking of World Order,Simon & Schuster, 1997, 13-81.
The first exam will be based on the maps and you will have to know thegeography of the Arab and Muslim world to pass.
Robert Spencer, Islam Unveiled, Encounter, San Francisco, 2002, ix-56.
Paul Rich, Review, “Political Culture and Islam”, Digest of Middle EastStudies, Vol.3 No.4, 44-61.
3. Orientalism
Bias in history. The power of an idea.
Two page outline of final paper due at this class on Orientalism. The finalpaper will feature 25 page minimum length, in English, at least 40 items(books, articles, websites) cited in bibliography. NB, not citations butsources. There will be more citations than sources. Paul Rich and David Merchant, “The Egyptian Influence…”, Heredom,vol.9, 2001, 9-32.
Paul Rich, The Invasions of the Gulf, 2nd ed., iUniverse (Allborough), 2001,68-178.
4. Islam as a Religious and Political Movement
Bernard Lewis, What Went Wrong? Western Impact and Middle EasternResponse, Oxford University Press, 2002, 1-63.
Paul Rich, Review, “Islamic and Monarchical styles of Government”, Digestof Middle East Studies, Vol.5 No.3, 15-20.
5. Women in the Arab World
Gender issues in political science and scholarship.
Paul Rich ed.,Arab War Lords and Iraqi Star Gazers, 2nd ed., iUniverse(Allborough), 2001,i-xxvi AND 203-212.
Bernard Lewis, What Went Wrong? Western Impact and Middle EasternResponse, Oxford University Press, 2002, 64-96.
6. The Magreb and Egypt
Paul Rich, “Imperialism and Its Consequences”, Digest of Middle EastStudies, Vol.5 No.1, 52 ff.
Teams will be selected for the terrorism debate.
7. Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Pakistan and the Periphery
Paul Rich ed., Wartime in Baghdad, 2nd ed., iUniverse (Allborough), 2001,i-xx.
Paul Rich ed., A Soldier in Kurdistan, 2nd ed., iUniverse (Allborough), 2001,i-xxiii.
Paul Rich ed. Iraq and Imperialism, 2nd ed., iUniverse (Allborough),2001,vii-xxx.
8. Oil and the Gulf
Paul Rich ed., A Voyage in the Gulf, 2nd ed., iUniverse (Allborough), 2001, i-xxvii.
Paul Rich, The Invasions of the Gulf, 2nd ed., iUniverse (Allborough), 2001,179-284.
9. Israel and Judaism
Frederick Lazin, “Politics and Policy Implementation”, Digest of MiddleEast Studies, Vol.4 No.3, 30 ff.
Paul Rich, Review, “Politics and Policy Intervention”, Digest of Middle EastStudies, Vol.4 No.3, 30-34.
Paul Rich, Review, “A History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict”, Digest ofMiddle East Studies, Vol.4 No.4, 15-20.
10, Terrorism debate
E. J. Dionne Jr., “The Question of Faith After September 11”, HarvardDivinity Bulletin, Vol.30 No.3, Winter 2001-02, 24 ff.
Bernard Lewis, What Went Wrong? Western Impact and Middle EasternResponse, Oxford University Press, 2002, 1-63.
11. The United States and the Arab World
David G Kibble, “Finding the Moral High Ground in Iraq”, Proceedings ofthe United States Naval Institute, Vol. 128/12/1/198, December 2002, 62-66.
Paul Rich, Review, “Friendly Fire in a Post Soviet Gulf”, Digest of MiddleEast Studies, Vol.4 No.1, 8-14.
Paul Rich, Review, “Genocide and the Kurds”, Digest of Middle EastStudies, Vol.2 No.4, 26-33.

Source: http://www.paulrich.net/students/syllabi/ri432.pdf