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Program of Political Science and International Relations (English 30%)

PSIR469

CIVIL SOCIETY IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Course Code
PSIR469
Semester
-
Theory+Practice
3 + 0
ECTS
5
Course TypeElective Course
Course LevelBachelor's Degree
Year of Study-
Semester-
ECTS5
Name of Lecturer(s)
Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course, the students;

  1. Learn the concept of civil society and its relationship with democracy.
  2. Examine the civil society concept within the framework of the Middle East and North Africa.
  3. On a comparative basis analyze the relationship between civil society and democracy and apply it to the Middle East and North Africa countries (Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Iran, Algeria, Tunis, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, and Israel).
  4. By applying the aforementioned comparative politics concepts in no. 1 to the countries of the Middle East and North Africa improve their analytical and critical thinking and discussion abilities.
  5. Attain the necessary knowledge for pursuing an internship and a career planning in the field of the Middle East and North Africa.
Mode of DeliveryFace to face
PrerequisitesNo
Recommended Optional Programme ComponentsThere is no recommended optional programme component for this course.
Course DescriptionDemocratization of the Middle East has been a highly contested issue since the end of the Cold War, in particular. This course focuses on the extent to which civil society in the Middle East is comparable to its Western counterpart and whether civil society can trigger democratization in the region. The course has three primary goals: First, it introduces students to the concept of civil society and its relation with democracy; second, it examines civil society in the Middle Eastern context; and finally, it analyzes on a comparative basis cases of civil society and democracy in the Middle East and North Africa (Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Iran, Algeria, the Palestinian Authority, and Israel).
Course Contents
WEEK TOPICS
1st Week Introduction: What is Civil Society?
2nd Week The Relationship between Civil Society and Democracy
3rd Week Theoretical Views I: Civil Society is a concept which is stranger to the Middle East.
4th Week Theoretical Views II: Civil Society is a concept which is a part of the Middle East.
5th Week Turkey
6th Week Egypt I
7th Week Midterm Exam
8th Week Egypt II, Jordan
9th Week Iran I
10th Week Iran II
11th Week Algeria
12th Week Tunis ve Morocco
13th Week The Palestinian Authority
14th Week Israil
Recommended or Required ReadingRequired Reading
Amyn Sajoo (ed.), Civil Society in the Muslim World (London: I.B. Tauris, 2004).
Recommended Readings
Don E. Eberly (ed.), The Essential Civil Society: The Classic Essays (Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield, 2000), 1. Bölüm, ss. 3-29.
Edward Shils and Steven Grosby, The Virtue of Civil Society: Selected Essays on Liberalism, Tradition, and Civil Society (Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, 1997), 9. Bölüm, ss. 320-355.
Larry Diamond, "Rethinking Civil Society: Toward Democratic Consolidation," Journal of Democracy 5, no. 3 (July 1994), ss. 4-17.
Elisabeth Özdalga and Sune Persson (eds.), Civil Society, Democracy, and the Muslim World (Istanbul: Swedish Research Institute, 1997), 1., 2., 6., 7. ve 9. Bölümler, ss. 1-7, 9-15, 45-53, 55-61, 73-84.
Barry Rubin, "Pushback or Progress? Arab Regimes Respond to Democracy's Challenge," Policy Focus no. 75 (Washington D.C.: The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, September 2007), ss. 1-15.
Eva Bellin, "The Robustness of Authoritarianism in the Middle East," Comparative Politics 36, no. 2 (January 2004), ss. 139-157.
Eva Bellin, "Reconsidering the Robustness of Authoritarianism in the Middle East," Comparative Politics 44, no. 2 (January 2012), ss. 127-149.
Ernest Gellner, Conditions of Liberty: Civil Society and Its Rivals (New York: Penguin Books, 1994), 3., 6. ve 25. Bölümler, ss. 15-29, 50-52 ve 190-196.
John Hall (ed.), Civil Society: Theory, History, Comparison (Cambridge: Polity Press, 1995), 12. Bölüm, ss. 278-300.
Laith Kubba, "Arabs and Democracy: The Awakening of Civil Society," Journal of Democracy 11, no. 3 (July 2000), ss. 84-90.
Mehran Kamrava, "The Middle East's Democracy Deficit in Comparative Perspective," Perspectives on Global Development and Technology 6 (2007), ss. 189-213.
Augustus R. Norton (ed.), Civil Society in the Middle East Vol 2, 3. Bölüm, ss. 87-118.
Mattei Dogan and Ali Kazancıgil (eds.), Comparing Nations: Concepts, Strategies, Substance (Oxford: Cambridge University Press, 1994), 5. Bölüm, ss. 213-238.
Ali Çarkoglu and Cerem Cenker, "On the Relationship between Democratic Institutionalization and Civil Society Involvement: New Evidence from Turkey," Democratization 18, no. 3 (June 2011), ss. 751-773.
Augustus R. Norton (ed.), Civil Society in the Middle East, vol. 1, 4., 5., 8. ve 9. Bölümler, ss. 120-147, 148-185, 243-268 ve 269-293.
Maha Abdelrahman, Civil Society Exposed: The Politics of NGOs in Egypt (London: I. B. Tauris, 2004), 4. Bölüm, ss. 76-119.
Deniz Sullivan and Sana Abed-Kotob, Islam in Contemporary Egypt: Civil Society vs. the State (Boulder: Lynne Rienner, 1999), 1., 2. ve 6. Bölümler, ss. 1-17, 19-39 ve 121-138.
Sheri Berman, "Islamism, Revolution, and Civil Society," Perspectives in Politics 1, no. 2 (June 2003), ss. 257-272.
Vickie Langohr, "Too Much Civil Society, Too Little Politics: Egypt," Comparative Politics 36, no. 2 (2004), ss. 181-204.
Maha Abdel Rahman, "The Politics of 'unCivil' Society in Egypt," Review of African Political Economy 91 (2002), ss. 21-36.
Samuel Tadros, "The Coptic Winter," National Review 63, no. 21 (November 14, 2011), ss. 25-26.
Richard Antoun, "Civil Society, Tribal Process, and Change in Jordan: An Anthropological View," International Journal of Middle East Studies 32, no. 4 (November 2000), ss. 441-463.
Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods
  • Lecture
  • Discussion
  • Questions/Answers
Assessment Methods and Criteria
Quantity Percentage (%)
Mid-term 1 30
Assignment 1 5
Project 1 25
Total(%) 60
Contribution of In-term Studies to Overall Grade(%) 60
Contribution of Final Examination to Overall Grade(%) 40
Total(%) 100
ECTS Allocated Based on Student Workload
Activities Quantity Duration (Hour) Total Workload (Hour)
Midterm exam 1 1.5 1.5
Preparation for Quiz
Individual or group work 14 2 28
Preparation for Final exam 1 30 30
Course hours 14 3 42
Preparation for Midterm exam 1 20 20
Laboratory (including preparation)
Final exam 1 1.5 1.5
Homework 1 7 7
Project 1 20 20
Total Work Load150
Total Work Load / 30 (h)5
ECTS Credit of the Course5
Language of InstructionTurkish
Work Placement(s)No

Programme Qualifications / Learning Outcomes

LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
K1
K2
K3
K4 X
K5 X X X
K6 X X
K7
K8
K9
K10
K11 X X X
K12 X X X
K13