Los Angeles City College – Spring 2020

Political Science 14 - Politics of the Middle East

Prof. Joe Meyer	Tues./Thurs. 9:35 am
Office Hours:	section: 22510
Mon. & Wed: 9am-9:30 & 11am – 11:30 Tues. & Thurs. 9am-9:30	And by appointment, all meetings must be held on campus, M - Th. FH 219 i, x2562

email: meyerjn@lacitycollege.edu

TEXT ONLY (323) 920 – 5308

Readings from online sources listed in schedule

Course Objectives:  Students will develop an understanding of the history and politics of the Middle East as a region, the various states of the Middle East and the region's impact on the world.

Student learning outcomes matrix:

The student will (outcome)	Students will analyze the political changes in the Middle East.
To the following standard (criteria)	Students will identify the fundamental aspects of Middle East society and politics.
As measured by the following method (assessment)	A written in-class essay: Random samples of students' essays will be collected and assessed using the criterion referenced rubric by a faculty committee from the department.
And scored by the following rubric (rubric)	Exemplary; Identifies the correct fundamental aspects of American governmental structure and provides detailed examples, formulates a clear and precise response using own words, answers question with detailed response and follows all directions. Acceptable: identifies the correct fundamental aspects of American governmental structure, articulates response in own words but does not express ideas clearly, answers question and follows directions. Unacceptable: Fails to identify the correct fundamental aspects of American governmental structure, fails to formulate and clearly express response using own words, does not provide through answer, does not follow directions

This course meets IGETC 4H and CSU D8.

Class Rules and Expectations, etc...

All work is Due on CANVAS (see schedule below)

NO LATE WORK ACCEPTED.

No work will be accepted via email. No Late work will be accepted -

No Late Work will be accepted in this class. All late work will earn 0 points. No exceptions. You CANNOT TEXT Work! You CANNOT email work! All work is posted on Canvas in assignments.

Learn To Use APA.

You MUST use APA citation format for ALL THE written WORK in this course: click here for a great page on APA style citations.

Here is the official APA website: www.apastyle.org

Be Honest with Yourself! .... Maybe this Class isn't for you!?

You will read and write a GREAT DEAL in this class - if all this is too much - DROP THIS COURSE NOW!

All work is posted on CANVAS and when the assignment closes it is closed - done. NO LATE WORK!!

Use your classmates, sure, but DO YOUR OWN WORK!

You MUST adapt to the Schedule. It will not change for you.

The Canvas grade book is not the official gradebook of the class. Canvas may not know your grade at all. You can count your own points.

Leaving the class and returning is extremely rude and will not be accepted. If you leave, leave for the day...You have disrupted the class once by leaving DO NOT DO IT AGAIN by returning!

If you can't be still for ninety minutes at a time - maybe you should take a different class...

FH 219 - LACC ext. 2562 - On Campus Office Hours: 

Mon. & Wed.: 9-9:30am &

11-11:30am

Tues. & Thurs.: 9-9:30am

The BEST way is to text me at (323) 920-5308 (it's google voice - text only please). During office hours, I'll get right back to you, any other time of the week (Mon. - Thurs.), I'll try to get back to you with in the day.

Text me at (323) 920-5308. TEXT ONLY - I will do pick up or listen to voice messages on this number. I will respond with 24 hours (Mon. - Thurs.).

Please DO NOT email me. Please use canvas message (inbox).

DO NOT attach anything to emails or canvas message – I will NOT open them. Simply cut and paste into canvas message. DO NOT worry about formatting.

Or TEXT at (323) 953-4000 x2562 (Non emergency calls only - I check it through our email system)

Only the proper use of phones and other devices to access the internet for class activity is allowed during class time.

If you are not using your phone for class - Please silence your phones and PUT THEM AWAY!*

No talking on the phone in class*

No texting in class.*

(No drunk texting EVER!)

*Offenders will be asked to leave the room for the remainder of the class. Second offenders will be suspended. Do not be children. Use your phone for class work only while in class.

Please: Do not communicate with me using Facebook or any other social networking. I will not respond to any "friend" requests nor any communication using any social networking. They are not proper ways to communicate with me during the semester. If you wish to follow me on Instagram: jopeyer

Please take this class seriously or DROP!

This class is transferable to UC and CSU systems and is a college level class. It meets IGETC 4H and CSU D8. We have no time for your drama, games, disruptions, nor for that matter, anything that distracts from the class. You are expected be an adult.

"Be Grown or Be Gone" We have no time for childishness.

Please do not involve me (nor the class) in the drama that is your life! Or your forgotten paper, pencil, etc. What grade are you in?

NO EXCUSES! Here is a list of real excuses sent to me from my online students. SPARE ME YOUR LAME EXCUSES!

Please don't just get up and walk out it. It is rude and disruptive. If you leave class, leave for the day, please. If you cannot "sit and stay" for an hour and twenty minutes... maybe this class is not for you....

Students must be prepared for each class day. This includes, but is not limited to, reading, writing, thinking, etc.

You need to educate yourself on the background needed for this class.

Here are some pages of helpful links: On the Cold War and on the UN, WTO, IMF/World Bank etc.

Course Schedule:

Part One – History, Culture, Diversity

MINIMAL Readings for Part I:

Muslims love Jesus, too: 6 things you may not know about Jesus in Islam
https://www.vox.com/2017/12/18/10660648/jesus-in-islam-muslims-believe-christmas-quran

Mary in the Koran: https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/mary-in-the-quran

Timeline of Early History of Islam: http://teachmideast.org/articles/timeline-of-early-islamic-history/

Timeline of History of Islam: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/teach/muslims/timeline.html

Golden Age of Islam: http://irfi.org/articles/articles_401_450/golden_age_of_islam.htm

The Rise and Fall of the Ottoman Empire: http://www.themontrealreview.com/2009/The-Ottomans.php

An innovative site on Islam and Muslims today: https://aboutislam.net/

1 – 2/11 – Global Awareness - Maps & Intro to Poli Sci

2/13 - "Iraq, Cradle of Civilization." (Part 1 - Legacy))

2 – 2/18 – Intro to Time Lines – What is History?

2/20 – What is the MENA? More Maps…

3 – 2/25 - Class discussion #1 “First Knowledge and Middle East Stereotypes.”

2/27 - "Force from the Desert" (Part 3 - East to West)

4 – 3/3 – Library Day - meet in front of MLK Library.

3/5 - “The Muslim Renaissance” (Part 4 - East to West)

5 - - 3/10 – "Rise of the Ottomans" (Part 6 East to West)

3/12 – “The Ottomans and the West” (Part 7 East to West)

6 – 3/15 - QUIZ 1 (In class, in groups, for fun)

3/19 - COUNTRY CHOICE DAY - Class Discussion #2 “US Middle East Stereotypes in News and TV/Film.”

Your Country Choice is Due on Canvas before 11:59 3/22

Part Two - Social and Political and Economic Development

Minimal Readings for Part Two:

Brookings Institute

https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/the-middle-east-and-north-africa-in-2018-challenges-threats-and-opportunities/

Social Power and Development in the Middle East: a transnational perspective. Sandra Halperin Department of Politics & International Relations Royal Holloway, University of London

https://www.ineteconomics.org/uploads/papers/HALPERIN_Sandra_paper.pdf

The Conversation, Social Media in Middle East

http://theconversation.com/five-years-after-the-arab-spring-how-does-the-middle-east-use-social-media-54940

More from Brookings:

https://www.brookings.edu/series/the-new-geopolitics-of-the-middle-east/

7 – 3/24 – Police State - Modernization, Social Change (or not). AND Political Development (or not).

3/26 - The roll of the Ulema – Roll of Media

Evaluating Arab Media

Class Discussion #3: Find Resources like Al Jazeera and the Gulf News and we will investigate them together.

8 - - 3/31 – NO CLASS

4/2 Library Day – Meet in front of MLK Library

Course Project 1^st Working Thesis DUE Canvas BEFORE midnight of 4/12

SPRING BREAK (4/6 – 4/12)

9 – 4/14 - All Development is related - “State-ism”

All systems are socialist – all systems are capitalists!

Food/Urbanization/Education/housing/pollution/water

Developing a So called “Middle Class” (Young, angry and well educated)

4/16 - Political verses Social verses Economic development

Stressed Regimes, Oil, and those without. Cost of Conflicts.

Course Project "Working References" DUE on Canvas BEFORE midnight of 4/19

10 – 4/21 – The War in Yemen. I tell the story. Here’s some helpful sites to read to be prepared for class for the week.

from the Council on Foreign Relations:

https://www.cfr.org/interactive/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/war-yemen

from the BBC:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29319423

Go Find More and report back to the class

4/23 – Class Discussion #4 – You decide what can/should be done? And by whom?

Course Project 2^nd Working Thesis DUE Canvas BEFORE midnight of 4/26

Part Three - IR of the Middle East

11 4/28 – Re-Building IRAQ. I tell the story. Here’s some helpful sites to read to be prepared for class for the week.

From the Village Voice:

https://www.villagevoice.com/2003/05/06/the-grim-recent-history-of-iraq/

from the BBC (about Iraqi Kurds)

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-28147263

from the Atlantic:

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/03/iraq-oil/555827/

from the Council on Foreign Relations:

https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/rebuilding-iraq

from the Global Policy Forum:

https://www.globalpolicy.org/humanitarian-issues-in-iraq/reconstruction-of-iraq.html

Go Find More and report back to the class

4/30 – Class Discussion #5 – You decide what can/should be done? And by whom?

12 – 5/5- Class Disc #6 Discussion Your Working Thesis with the class.

5/7 – US (AND OTHERS) in Middle East from Cold War to Today. External Actors.

13 – 5/12 - SYRIA – I tell the story. Here’s some helpful sites to read to be prepared for class for the week.

from the BBC:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-26116868

from The Kurdish Project:

https://thekurdishproject.org/history-and-culture/kurdish-history/

from Congressional Research Service (a private company. This is a concise (and complete) statement of the background and current US official positions in Syria):

https://fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/RL33487.pdf

from the BBC (a time line of Syria in 20^th and 21^st century):

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-14703995

from ThoughtCo (a private online educational company):

https://www.thoughtco.com/syrian-civil-war-explained-2353569

The Syrian Civil War, Iraq, Iran and the Kurds (and the Turks and Russians)

Go Find More and report back to the class

5/14 Class Disc #7 You decide what can/should be done? And by whom?

14 – 5/19 “Palestine/Israel and The Struggle” The So-called Peace Process: I tell the story. Here’s some helpful sites to read to be prepared for class.

From Al Jazeera, a time line of the conflict:

https://interactive.aljazeera.com/aje/PalestineRemix/timeline_main.html

from Historyplex (a private online educational company):

https://historyplex.com/palestine-israel-conflict-timeline

from Prof Daniel Kurtzer (why you should care about this conflict):

https://medium.com/@dkurtzer/understanding-the-israeli-palestinian-conflict-f441c5925681

from Vox (a left leaning US media company)

https://www.vox.com/2018/11/20/18079996/israel-palestine-conflict-guide-explainer

Go Find More and report back to the class

5/21 Class Disc #8 Is there a realistic path to peace? Who does what?

Course Project DUE on Canvas BEFORE midnight 5/24

15 – 5/26 NO CLASS - MEMORIAL DAY

5/28 Course Project Day! Poster and Presentation DUE in class!

Take Home FINAL EXAM DUE IN CLASS on the Regular day and time of Final Exam Week. See LACC web page for Final Exam Week Schedule. We will not do our final on Canvas. It must be "typed," handed in - on the scheduled day of the final.

Grading, Assignments, Etc...

Class Disc Prep and performance (8 at 20 each)	160 points
Course Project Country choice (10) Course Project 1^st Thesis Statement (15) Course Project Working APA Bibliography (25) Course Project 2^nd Thesis Statement (25) Course Project Poster & Presentation (25)	100
Course Project	100
Final Exam	100
Participation beyond the class discussions	40
Total Possible Points	500

Approximate Points-to-Letter Grade scale:

A 500 - 450

B 449 - 400

C 399 - 350

D 349 - 300

F Below 300

I will not grant an incomplete - so please do not ask!

For all work on Canvas - don't worry about headers, or format, etc –

Follow the directions and put things in the correct order .... Concentrate on content...

Discussion Preparation (prep)

The first question doesn’t really take preparation but the others do. #2 involves you watching TV News and some fiction.

The rest in involve you not only reading the links I provide but also finding new sources and bringing them back to the class. You demonstrate your preparation by the quality of your contributions to the discussions.

1. When was the first time in your life you became aware of "The Middle East" as a place in the world? What are the impressions in your mind associated with your first understanding of "That part of the world"? Looking at common stereotypes that you have seen, what are the common negative stereotypes of Arabs? Muslims? Jews? Israelis?, Christians (Western Capitalists)? Do Stereotypes have ANY Value in Comparative Politics?

2. Find a recent written media report or view a cable TV (or similar) US NEWS broadcast (or webcast etc – NON-Fiction) about Islam, or Muslim culture or beliefs. Try to identify how much is stereotype? Now do it with a FICTION TV show or Film. Are the stereotypes the same? Do stereotypes ell us more about the subject or ourselves?

3. There are many English Language sources other than Al Jazeera https://www.aljazeera.com/ and the Gulf News https://gulfnews.com/

Go Explore! Bring your examples to class and we will evaluate them together.

4. What do the Saudis want from the war in Yemen? Have they achieved those ends? Can They? Is there a path to “peace and stability” in Yemen?

5. Will Iraq ever be stable and self-governing? How could/should that happen. Who should do what?

6. Be prepared to discuss your working Thesis with the class and also – briefly – to explain the Role of the Ulema in your country.

7. Is the Syrian Civil War mostly over? What has to happen for the war to be seen as over by many participants and observers? Is there a realistic path to ending the war? What will Syria “look like”? And what of its relations with its neighbors?

8. Is there a realistic "path to peace" in the Arab/Israeli conflict in YOUR lifetime? Explain why or why not and what the US and other world powers could do to "help" the process along.

The Course Project "Country Choice."

In one paragraph, simply state which country from the region you have chosen for your Course Project. Post on Canvas. Be prepared to discuss in class.

You can choose any MENA country EXCEPT: Turkey, Israel, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, and Libya.

The Course Project "WORKING REFERENCES."

Use APA and list at least ten(10) college level sources you have already read and will use for your course project. Not Wikipedia (childish), nor blogs, nor other b.s., You should use academic journals, news sources, etc. (Your final Reference List will be longer!) Follow APA format. - Post on Canvas

The Course Project two (2) "WORKING THESIS."

In one or two sentences, take a stand on your country. Say something worth saying. Focus on the future. The main point of your course project! Post on Canvas. Be prepared to discuss in class.

THE COURSE PROJECT: (2500 words (ten pages - body of paper) APA style research paper.)

Focusing on the country you have chosen, answer the following questions:

First, briefly describe the recent history of your county (last eight years or so). Explain the impact of the "Arab Spring" on the politics, culture and economics of your country. Looking specifically at the following issues: the role of the Ulema, the ability of the leadership (political party or political elite) to stay in power (or not), government use/control of the media, the use of government and protester organized violence, the economic and political development (or not) and challenges. What are the prospects for "positive change" (more food, jobs, more political and social rights, transparency, lessen poverty, increase education and healthcare)? Or could that change be something else? Look five years ahead and make predictions about the changes that will occur in your country. Be bold but realistic.

The FINAL EXAM will be "a take home" of one or two essays that will be announced well in advance of the final and due on the scheduled day of the final. The Final CAN NOT be taken late.  

Your PARTICIPATION GRADE will be based on your active and positive participation in class. Of course your attendance and punctuality are a prerequisite for participation.   Be prepared for each class - please - do not waste our time.

Students need to be on time and attend all class meetings.   Roll will be taken at the beginning of class. ALL WORK IS DUE AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS!   If you are not present when roll is taken you will be marked absent.  Tardiness is simply rude and disrespectful.

Students with disabilities or who need any assistance or reasonable accommodation should contact the instructor.   Such students are encouraged to contact the Office of Student Services. You need to be your own advocate.

Students are encouraged to form and work in study groups. However, each student must do her or his own work.   Students who copy, cheat, plagiarize or in other fashion violate the spirit or letter (or both) of the rules of the College or the District (or both) may be excluded from this class, at a minimum.

PLEASE You need to stay in class all class long. Getting up and leaving and returning is VERY RUDE - PLEASE DO NOT DO IT. We are adults - Act like it please!.

About the individual in Modern Life:

"One aspect of modern life which strikes me very much is the elimination of the individual. In trade, vast and formidable combinations of labour stand arrayed against even vaster and more formidable combinations of capital, and, whether they war with each other or cooperate, the individual, in the end, is always crushed under...

We live in an age of great events and little men, and if we are not to become the slaves of our own systems or sink oppressed among the mechanism we ourselves created, it will only be by the bold efforts of originality, by repeated experiments, and by the dispassionate consideration of the results of sustained and unflinching thought."

Nov., 12, 1901. Sir Winston Churchill.