POL 331 Government and Politics in the Middle East and North Africa

3 hours 

This course introduces students to the politics of the Middle East region. While students will learn about the legacy of colonialism in the region, the course will focus on its modern political history (beginning in 1914), and examine a number of issues of central importance in contemporary politics: the Arab-Israeli conflict, political Islam, political Judaism, petro-politics, U.S. foreign policy in the region, among others. Students will also gain a comparative perspective on how the concepts of justice, law and conflict are interpreted and institutionalized across the region.