Comparative Politics of the Middle East

Undergraduate / Graduate

This course offers undergraduates the opportunity to critically engage with key themes in Comparative Politics and to explore these themes through the lens of Middle East politics. Every week, we introduce a Comparative Politics theme-such as State Formation, Colonial Legacies, Civil Conflict, Contentious Politics, Revolutions, and Politics of Development-and consider how these have played out in the Middle East from the postcolonial period to the present. We explore questions such as: why is authoritarianism so solidified in the Middle East despite consistent challenges? How do civil society actors and oppositions navigate the authoritarian landscape? Why is the Middle East more prone to civil conflicts and often economically underdeveloped compared to many other world regions? Students learn to critically discuss, think, and write about these questions beyond the news headlines, culturalist explanations, and popular misconceptions about the Middle East. Priority for this class will be given to advanced undergraduates and those majoring in Political Science or a related field.