International Relations of the Middle East

Study Course Description

Course Description Statuss:Approved

Course Description Version:1.00

Study Course Accepted:22.02.2024 11:00:32

Study Course Information
Course Code:		SZF_023		LQF level:		Level 6
Credit Points:		2.67		ECTS:		4.00
Branch of Science:		Politics		Target Audience:		Political Science
Study Course Supervisor
Course Supervisor:		Toms Rātfelders
Study Course Implementer
Structural Unit:		Faculty of Social Sciences
The Head of Structural Unit:
Contacts:		Dzirciema street 16, Rīga, szfrsu[pnkts]lv
Study Course Planning
Full-Time - Semester No.1
Lectures (count)		11	Lecture Length (academic hours)		2	Total Contact Hours of Lectures		22
Classes (count)		9	Class Length (academic hours)		2	Total Contact Hours of Classes		18
Total Contact Hours								40
Study course description
Preliminary Knowledge:
No specific prior knowledge of the Middle East issues is required.
Objective:
The objective of the course International Relations in the Middle East is to introduce students to the main historical developments in international relations in the Middle East region in the 20th century and how they relate to the present day. The course will examine the developments within the theoretical and conceptual frameworks of international relations, which will provide students with an understanding of the role of the Middle East region in the study of contemporary international relations, as well as enable them to apply the knowledge gained in other courses to the analysis of the actions of countries in the region within the international system. At the same time, students will be introduced to research concepts in international relations of the Third World and post-colonial countries: omnibalancing, regime security, Arab street, etc. These will complement the Western perspective on international relations previously covered in the studies and will allow for a better understanding of the facets of foreign policy-making in Middle Eastern countries.
Topic Layout (Full-Time)
No.	Topic			Type of Implementation		Number	Venue
1	Introduction. The Importance of the Middle East and the Regional System in Contemporary International Relations.			Lectures		1.00	auditorium
2	The Birth of the Modern Middle East: The First World War, the Ottoman Empire, the Arab Revolt, the Sykes-Picot Agreement, the Creation of the Mandates.			Lectures		1.00	auditorium
3	The Colonial Period and Its Impact on the Establishment of Independent Countries in the Middle East			Lectures		1.00	auditorium
4	Why Is There So Much Conflict in the Middle East?			Classes		1.00	auditorium
5	Arab Nationalism and the Arab Cold War Period: The Nasser Factor, Attempts at Realignment, the Six-Day War (1967).			Lectures		1.00	auditorium
6	Weakening of Arab Nationalism and Strengthening of Nation States: The Yom Kippur War (1973), the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990), the Rise of the Influence of Political Islam, the Iranian Revolution (1979), the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988)			Lectures		1.00	auditorium
7	Arab Unity: Historical and Contemporary Aspects			Classes		1.00	auditorium
8	The Period of US ‘Hegemony’ in the Middle East: The Gulf War (1990), the Iraq-Iran Issues, the Invasion of Iraq (2003).			Lectures		1.00	auditorium
9	Arab Spring, Arab Winter and the Future of the Middle East			Lectures		1.00	auditorium
10	Summary: Analysis of Events in the Middle East Today			Classes		1.00	auditorium
11	Middle East Issues Today: The Sunni-Shia Conflict			Lectures		1.00	auditorium
12	Middle East Issues Today: Syrian Civil War			Lectures		1.00	auditorium
13	Middle East Issues Today: Yemeni Civil War			Lectures		1.00	auditorium
14	Middle East Issues Today: Nuclear Program of Iran			Lectures		1.00	auditorium
15	Latvia’s Place in the Modern Middle East			Classes		1.00	auditorium
16	Simulation game: Israeli–Palestinian Conflict I			Classes		1.00	auditorium
17	Simulation game: Israeli–Palestinian Conflict II			Classes		1.00	auditorium
18	Student paper project presentations I			Classes		1.00	auditorium
19	Student paper project presentations II			Classes		1.00	auditorium
20	Student paper project presentations III			Classes		1.00	auditorium
Assessment
Unaided Work:
Students are required to read the literature for every lecture and seminar. This literature must be included in the preparation of opinion pieces and the final report. Students must take a 5-minute written test at the beginning of each seminar on the literature read and lecture material. Similarly, to prepare for the simulation game, students must develop a written position for the side they represent. In the simulation game, students have to create a single document describing a proposal to solve the problem situation. Finally, students must also present their report idea.
Assessment Criteria:
To receive a positive final assessment, students must participate in seminars (including the simulation game), pass tests, prepare opinion papers, develop and present a report and pass the exam. Assessment criteria for opinion pieces: • Relevance to the seminar topic and critical evaluation thereof; • Compliance with the specified volume criteria; • The validity of the arguments made, with reference to the literature or other sources read during the course; • Grammar and compliance with text formatting rules; • Factual accuracy; • Amount of sources used. Report assessment criteria: • Ability to identify the main political events of the chosen country in the 20th century and justify one’s choice; • Ability to identify the main trends and directions in the foreign policy of the chosen country and to justify one’s opinion; • Ability to identify the foreign policy decision-making mechanism of the chosen country and to justify one’s opinion; • Involvement of the literature used within the course and also outside the course in developing the work; • Grammar and compliance with text formatting requirements; • Factual accuracy. Assessment criteria for the simulation game: • Active participation in the discussion; • Confidence about and factual accuracy of the arguments expressed; • Ability to cooperate and build consensus with other players in the simulation game; • Factual accuracy of the written position. Seminar assessment criteria: • Active participation in the discussion; • Factual accuracy of the arguments expressed. The final average grade will be constituted by the following: seminars (60%) + factual test (40%): 25% of the final grade Quality of opinion pieces: 25% Report quality: 25% Exam grade: 25%
Final Examination (Full-Time):		Exam (Written)
Final Examination (Part-Time):
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge:		The course will provide students with the knowledge to identify the main developments in international relations in the Middle East in the 20th century and an understanding of their impact on the current situation in the region. The student should also be able to identify the main international players involved in the region (USA, Russia, China, EU, etc.) and their foreign policy interests. Students will be able to understand the characteristics of the Middle East regional system and its impact on national decision-making processes.
Skills:		The course develops students’ critical thinking skills and their ability to assimilate large amounts of information. The simulation games will also develop debating, teamwork and consensus-building skills that can be useful when working in public administration, international institutions and the private sector.
Competencies:		Students will be able to orient in the main theoretical concepts of international relations in the Middle East and to apply them both to the analysis of political processes in the region and to the research of international relations.
Bibliography
No.	Reference
Required Reading
1	Visa literatūra ir angļu valodā un piemērota gan latviešu, gan angļu plūsmas studentiem
2	(Blackwell companions to world history) Youssef M. Choueiri. A Companion to the History of the Middle East. Wiley-Blackwell (2005).
3	Benjamin MacQueen. An Introduction to Middle East Politics. Sage Publications Ltd, (2013).
4	Atlas of the Middle East. (2003).
5	Ellen Lust. The Middle East. CQ Press (2014).
6	Eugene Rogan. The Fall of the Ottomans. The Great War in the Middle East. Basic Books (2015).
7	Heather Deegan. Third Worlds. The Politics of the Middle East and Africa-Routledge. (1996).
8	Hinnebusch. Foreign Policies of Middle East States. (2014).
9	Jackson
10	Louise Fawcett. international relations of middle east. 6th ed. Oxford University Press, (2023).
11	Mark Gasiorowski. The Government and Politics of the Middle East and North Africa.
12	Mehran Kamrava. The Modern Middle East_ A Political History since the First World War. 6th ed. University of California Press, (2013).
13	MEPolicyCouncil. What-Where Middle East.
14	Peter Mansfield, Nicolas Pelham. A History of the Middle East. Penguin, (2019).
15	Raymond Hinnebusch. The International Politics of the Middle East. 2nd ed. Regional International Politics Series. (2015).
16	Raymond Hinnebusch, Jasmine Gani. The Routledge Handbook to the Middle East and North African State and States System. Taylor Francis Group (2020).
17	Roger Owen. State, Power Politics in the Making of the Modern Middle East. 3rd ed. (2004).
18	Subaltern realism
19	The International Relations of the Persian Gulf by F. Gregory Gause, III.
20	William L Cleveland, Martin Bunton. A History of the Modern Middle East. 6th ed. Westview Press (2016).