IAFF 6378 Arabic for Diplomacy

Dina El-Hefnawy

Mon 5:10 – 7:00 PM

This course examines the ever growing state and public realm of modern diplomacy. It builds on global interest in enhancing state and public diplomacy in today’s diplomatic climate. We will examine how government officials working in foreign affairs and political leaders communicate in a modern world of globalization, conflict, and complex policy issues. We will read and analyze articles from multiple media sources, focusing on TV interviews of Arab leaders and officials. This course is designed to help students engaging in the study of international affairs and diplomatic relations expand their Arabic language skills and cultural competence. This course is of special interest to students studying global communication, international relations, and media studies. Taught Spring 2024.

Mon 5:10 – 7:00 PM

IAFF 6379 MES Capstone

Marc Lynch

Fri 4:00 – 5:00 PM

Second in a two-course sequence with IAFF 6377. A project-oriented course, designed to synthesize the skills and knowledge that students have acquired in their graduate study. Restricted to students in the MA in Middle East studies program. Taught Spring 2024.

Fri 4:00 – 5:00 PM

IAFF 6378 Oil: Industry, Economy, & Society

Robert Weiner

Mon 7:10 – 9:40 PM

This course takes a multidisciplinary approach (primarily political economy and management) to oil and its effects on business, nation-states, and the world economy. The first half of the course adopts a top-down viewpoint, examining the global oil environment. The second half is more bottom-up, using cases to grapple with industry issues. The course is conducted in a mixture of seminar and lecture formats. A group proposal, paper, and presentation, as well as active class participation are expected, and constitute over half the assessment. Taught Spring 2024.

Mon 7:10 – 9:40 PM

IAFF 6378 Conflict & Humanitarian Crises

Basma Alloush

Tue 7:10 – 9:00 PM

Protracted conflicts across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have increased the vulnerability of millions of people and created staggering levels of humanitarian need. The effects of conflict are compounded by recurring and extreme weather conditions, water scarcity, and the COVID-19 pandemic. These shocks have combined to exacerbate political and economic instability, increased rates of poverty, hunger, and inequality and created the conditions for prolonged humanitarian crises and massive migration and internal displacement. This course will examine the historical, political, economic and environmental root causes of humanitarian crises in the MENA region and explore the relationship between conflict and humanitarian need and suffering in Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Iraq among other countries. With a focus on humanitarian policy and programming, the course will consider the role of the state, non-state actors, and international and regional organizations in responding to crisis and conflict; and how security challenges, counterterrorism laws and sanctions and geopolitical interests affect humanitarian access. Taught Spring 2024.

Tue 7:10 – 9:00 PM

IAFF 6378 US Foreign Policy in the Middle East

Ambassador Gordon Gray

Tue 5:10 – 7:00 PM

This course examines U.S. engagement in the Middle East since World War I by studying the evolution of U.S. policy, reviewing key decisions, and assessing 21 st century challenges. Students will build on this foundation to determine what U.S. national security interests are – and what U.S. priorities should be – in this region, and how the current inflection point in the global world order affects them. The course also seeks to provide an analytical framework for better understanding differing perspectives on U.S. policy. Student presentations, writing assignments, and active class discussion will help students improve the analytical, written, and oral communications skills essential for a successful career in international affairs. The instructor is a former career diplomat who served as a U.S. Ambassador and as a Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs. Taught Fall 2023.

Tue 5:10 – 7:00 PM

IAFF 6378.16 Political Economy of the Middle East

Shana Marshall

Thu 7:10 – 9:00 PM

This course will introduce students to the political foundations of the region’s economy. We will examine how the economy of the MENA has been shaped by encounters with external actors (foreign traders, colonizing governments, transnational firms, international financial institutions, development agencies, etc.) but also how the region has impacted the global economy, with a special focus on the Gulf states and their role in shaping global financial markets. We will examine the legacy and ongoing impact of Western development and reconstruction agencies and their discourses, with special attention to the region's agrarian zones as well as zones transformed by imperial wars. Other important regional actors such as militaries, oil companies, sovereign wealth funds and labor movements will also be examined. This course will introduce students to mainstream political economy approaches concurrently with their critiques, in order to provide an understanding of the evolution of theories and practices of economic development and their political origins. Taught Fall 2023.

Thu 7:10 – 9:00 PM

PSC 6478 International Relations of the Middle East

Marc Lynch

Wed 5:10 – 7:00 PM

Why has the Middle East been the site of so much armed conflict, protracted political stalemate, and transnational violence? Why have its problems consumed so much of the energy and attention of global powers? How has U.S. foreign policy shaped the region since World War II? What explains the new lines of alliance and conflict since 2011? How should we understand the rise of sectarianism and jihadist movements? What best explains the causes and effects of major wars in Middle East? What are the major drivers of alliances and rivalries among the region’s powers? Why has the region been afflicted by so many proxy wars and insurgencies? This course examines the major theoretical frameworks for understanding the international politics of the contemporary Middle East. Among the major issues covered are the formation of the Middle East state system, alliance politics, the causes and effects of wars, peace negotiations, America’s role in the region, Israel’s relations with its neighbors, the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, international political economy, Iran’s role in the region, transnational jihadist movements, transnational mobilization and identity politics. The course considers historical cases such as well as contemporary issues. The goal throughout is to think through the value and significance of the major theoretical approaches to the international relations of the Middle East, and their application to policy debates. Taught Fall 2023.

Wed 5:10 – 7:00 PM

IAFF 6378.80 Gender in the Middle East

Attiya Ahmad

Thu 5:10 – 7:00 PM

Why is there such an emphasis on gendered power relations in the Middle East? How do we go about examining the significance of gender to the contemporary Middle East? To address these questions, this course provides students with the historical and analytical foundations to examine the role gender—understood as forms of interrelations through which difference and power are produced—plays in the contemporary Middle East. Two major objectives animate this course. The first is to learn about the diversity of gender relations and gendered experiences in the contemporary Middle East. The second is to develop a robust analytical vocabulary that will enable us to critically interrogate gendered power relations and how these intersect with colonial modernity, geopolitics, religion, kinship, sexuality, dis/ability, political economy, and affect. Taught Fall 2023.

Thu 5:10 – 7:00 PM

IAFF 6378 Readings in Arab Politics and Society

Dina El-Hefnawy

Thu 5:10 – 7:00 PM

This course offers individual advanced level Arabic instruction on themes related to the student's academic course of study and intellectual interests. Topics, readings, and assignments will be discussed with the instructor at the beginning of the semester, with instruction and expectations targeted at the student's current level of proficiency. Please note that this course may be taken more than once, with a new individualized syllabus each term, and can be used to satisfy Middle East Electives or Professional Field courses on the MESP course of study. Taught Fall 2023.

Thu 5:10 – 7:00 PM

PSC 6377 Government and Politics in the Middle East

Daniel Neep

Mon 7:10 – 9:00 PM

This course will help students understand the tumultuous changes that have swept the Middle East over the last decade. We will focus our attention on topics such as revolutions and protests, authoritarianism and repression, political economy, and the politics of ethnicity, religion, and nation. Although the course is primarily concerned with domestic factors, we will compare different cases across the region to better understand the causes - and consequences - of political change in the contemporary Middle East as a whole. Taught Fall 2023.

Mon 7:10 – 9:00 PM