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GEOG487/687:PoliticalGeographyoftheMiddleEastUniversityofNevadaRenoInstructor:Dr.JessieClark

COURSEDESCRIPTIONTheMiddleEastisaregionofsignificantimportancetoourunderstandingofcontemporaryeconomic,social,andpoliticalprocessesintheworldtoday.But,whatandwhereexactlyisthe‘MiddleEast’?ThiscourseexaminesthepoliticalgeographyofthemodernMiddleEast.Wefocuslargelyonpoliticaltransformationsfromthe19thcenturyonward,inwhichwecantracemanyrecentgeopolitical,economic,andsocialchangesintheregion.Inthiscourse,wewillhistoricizehowtheplaceofthe‘MiddleEast’isconstructedandtowhatend,examinecontemporarytransnationalandgeopoliticalissuestiedtothisregion,andexplorehowtheMiddleEastispopulatedandpracticedbyordinarypeoplelivinginandoutsidetheregion.AmajorgoalofthiscourseistodispelpredominantgeographicalimaginariesabouttheMiddleEastandcultivateanappreciationforthevast,complex,andinterrelatedsocial,economic,andculturaldiversityofthisplace.Indoingso,wewilllearntoviewtheMiddleEastnotasadistantplaceover“there”,butasaregionthatisshapedbyandshapesglobalprocessesintimatelytiedto“here”.COURSEOBJECTIVES1. Studentswill cultivateanappreciation for thepolitical,cultural,andeconomicdiversityof the

MiddleEast.2. StudentswilllearntocriticallyreadhowtheMiddleEastisdiscussed/representedinmedia.3. StudentswillrecognizehoweventsintheMiddleEastareintimatelytiedtotheirlives.4. Studentswilldevelopcriticalreading,writing,anddiscussionskills.

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STUDENTLEARNINGOUTCOMESAsaresultoftakingthisclass,studentswillbeableto:

1. DescribehowandwhytheMiddleEasthasbeenconstructedasageographicalconcept,thehistorical and contemporary colonial and geopolitical experiences of the region, and howordinarypeoplewithinandoutsidetheregionexperiencetheMiddleEast.

2. CriticallyassesshowtheMiddleEastisrepresentedincontemporarymediaandhowtheserepresentationsconnecttoandreflectgeopoliticalrelationshipsandpowerrelations.

3. Contextualize in writing and discussion course concepts in world events and personalexperience.

4. Demonstrate through writing and discussion an ability to read, comprehend, and analyzescholarlyarticles.

REQUIREDTEXTSGelvin,J.2016.TheModernMiddleEast:AHistory,4thEd.NewYork,NY:OxfordUniversityPress.***Kanafani,G.1999.MenintheSunandOtherPalestinianStories.LynneRiennerPublishers.Munif,A.1987.CitiesofSalt.VintageInternational.***Thistextbookisavailableatthebookstoreorcanbefoundonline.Besureyoubuythe4thedition.Readings from the main textbooks will be supplemented with additional readings, including bookchapters,scholarlyarticles,andnewspaperarticles,thatIwillpostonWebCampus.COURSEWORKReadingResponses:Thebulkofyourgradeiscomprisedofweeklyreadingresponses.Writingisatooltodigestandanalyzereadingsandwillhelpprepareyoufor in-classdiscussions.Responsesshouldbe700-800wordsinlength(approx.1-11/2pp.singlespaced,12pt.TimesNewRoman)andrespondtoaseries of questions provided below. You will upload an electronic copy of your response to thediscussion portal inWebCampus by 8:00 am on Tuesdays and bring a hard copy to class. I will onlyaccepthardcopiesofyourresponsepapers.Cometoclasshavingreadyourfellowstudents’responses.Outof12possibleresponses,youwillsubmit10.Havingtwo“free”weeks ismeanttogiveyousomeflexibilitywhen yourworkload is overwhelming. Use these strategically. Notwriting a response doesNOTexcuseyoufromthereadings.NotethatnoreadingresponsesareassignedforWeeks1&15.ClassLeadership:Eachofyouwillintroducetheweek’skeyconceptsandhelpleaddiscussiononceinaterm.This involvesprovidingaone-pagehandoutandaPowerPoint/Preziof keypointsandconceptsandcrafting3-4discussionquestionstosharewiththeclass.Mid-TermPreziPresentationandclassparticipation:TBD,projectfocusedonspatialinterconnectionsandglobalprocesses,findingconnectionsacrossregions

Art and Place project: TBD, students will choose a piece of art from a list of contemporary MiddleEasternartistsandexplorehowmeaningsofplacearerepresentedinthework

FinalPortfolio/CoverEssay:Asyourfinalproject(inlieuofanexamandpaper),youwillsubmit3-4ofyourbestreadingresponsesinaportfolioalongwithacoveressayofapproximately1500-2000words(2-3pagessinglespaced).Yourcoveressayshouldweavetogethertheideasinyourchosenresponses,highlighting differences, similarities, and your own thoughts about key questions/topics that arosethroughouttheterm.Wewilldiscussthespecificparametersofthecoveressayatalaterdate.

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Activity Due Points

WeeklyReadingResponses(10/12required)

WrittenresponseuploadedelectronicallyonWebCampusby8:00ameveryTuesdayandsubmittedinhardcopyformatin-class.

200(10/12responsesX20pts.each)

Classleadership Onceinasemester 30

Mid-termpres.onConnections&classparticipation

Week6in-class 60(50presentation+10classparticipation)

ArtandPlaceproject Week12in-class 40

FinalPortfolio/Essay Week16inmymailbox 50

ParticipationRegularattendance,preparation,andcontributiontodiscussion

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TOTAL 400

SCHEDULE/READINGS***readingsaresubjecttochangeWeek1:IsthereaMiddleEast?Amanat,A.2014.“Introduction:IsThereaMiddleEast:ProblematizingaVirtualSpace”,InIsThereaMiddleEast:TheEvolutionofaGeopoliticalConcept(Eds.Bonine,M.,etal.),pp.1-7.Stanford,CA:StanfordUniversityPress.

Week2:RepresentationandthePoliticsofSightFilm:EdwardSaid:OutofPlaceSaid,E.1994.[1979]“Introduction”,InOrientalism.1978.NewYork:Vintage,1994.Parkinson,S.“Towardsanethicsofsight:ViolencescholarshipandtheArabuprising”,https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/mec/2015/08/26/towards-an-ethics-of-sight-violence-scholarship-and-the-arab-uprisings/Week3:EmpireandModernityGelvin,J.TheModernMiddleEast,pp.11-89Week4:ColonizationandDecolonizationFilm:BattleforAlgiersFanon,F.1963.“OnViolence”,InWretchedoftheEarth(pp.1-62).NewYork:GrovePress

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Week5:StateMakingandSocietyFilm:OntheWaytoSchoolGelvin,J.TheModernMiddleEast,pp.117-139(PhotoEssay)w/Mitchell,T.1991.“AppearanceofOrder”,InColonisingEgypt(pp.63-94).Berkeley:UniversityofCaliforniaPress.Gelvin,J.TheModernMiddleEast,pp.189-229Week6:WW2,Israel-PalestineGelvin,J.TheModernMiddleEast,pp.230—254TBDWeek7:PresentationsWeek8:GeographiesofOilGelvin,J.TheModernMiddleEast,pp.288-299MitchellT.2009.CarbonDemocracy.EconomyandSociety38:3,pp.399-432.Munif,CitiesofSalt

Week9:GeographiesofAidandDevelopmentBhungalia, L. 2015. Managing Violence: Aid, Counterinsurgency, and the Humanitarian Present inPalestine.EnvironmentandPlanningA47,pp.2308-2323.Clark, J. Just One drop: Geopolitics and the Social Reproduction of Security in Southeast Turkey. InMeehan,K.&Strauss,K.(Eds.)PrecariousWorlds(45-64).Minneapolis:UniversityofMinnesotaPress.Simsek&Jondergen

Week10:Gender,Sexuality,andSpaceFilm:InBetweenOzyegin,Gul.NewDesires,NewSelves:Sex,Love,andPietyamongTurkishYouth.NewYork:NYUPress,2015,pp.243-308.Culcasi,K.2019.‘WeareWomenandMenNow’:IntimateSpacesandCopingLabourForSyrianRefugeesinJordan.TransactionsoftheInstituteofBritishGeographers44:463-478. TBD

Week11:Youth,PoliticalMovements,andPublicSpaceFilm:Persepolis2019ASDA'ABurson-MarstellerArabYouthSurvey.WhitePaper,https://www.arabyouthsurvey.com/pdf/downloadwhitepaper/download-whitepaper.pdfBayat,A.2013.“TheArtofPresence”and“ReclaimingYouthfulness”,InLifeasPolitics:HowOrdinaryPeopleChangetheMiddleEast(pp.1-29,106-128).StanfordUniversityPress:Stanford,CA.Darici,H.2016.OfKurdishYouthandDitches.TheoryandEvent19(1).Tufekci,Z.2017.“ANetworkedPublic”.InTwitterandTearGas:ThePowerandFragilityofNetworkedProtest,pp.3-27.Elsayed,Y."LaughingthroughChange:SubversiveHumorinOnlineVideosofArabYouth."InternationalJournalofCommunication10,(2016):5102-5122.

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Week12:NewGeographiesofTerritoryGelvin,J.TheModernMiddleEast,pp.347-358Jabareen,Y.2015.TheEmergingIslamicState:Terror,Territoriality,andtheAgendaofSocialTransformation.Geoforum58,pp.51-55.Hamdan,A.2016.BreakersofBarrier?NotesontheGeopoliticsoftheIslamicStateinIraqandSham.Geopolitics21:3,605-627.TBD,ReadingonDemocraticConfederalismWeek13:(Im)mobilityandRefugeJones, R. 2016. “Introduction” and “The European Union: The World’s Deadliest Border”, In ViolentBorders:RefugeesandtheRighttoMove,pp.1-28.Verso:London.Ali,S.2010.“Introduction”and“Livingin‘Fly-By’Dubai”,InDubai:GuildedAge(pp.1-13.110-134).YaleUniversityPress:NewHaven,CT.Kanafani,MenintheSun

Week14:SecularismandReligionEvered,E.Ö.,&Evered,K.T.(2016).AGeopoliticsofDrinking:DebatingthePlaceofAlcoholinEarlyRepublicanTurkey.PoliticalGeography50,pp.48–60Gökariksel,B.(2012).TheIntimatePoliticsofSecularismandtheHeadscarf:TheMall,theNeighborhood,andthePublicSquareinIstanbul.Gender,Place&Cuture19(1),pp.1–20.Mahmood,S.andHirschkind,C.2002.Feminism,theTaliban,andthePoliticsofCounterinsurgency.http://fathom.lib.uchicago.edu/1/777777190136/

Week15:FinalWrap-up