Course Descriptions

Course Descriptions

Course Code Course Name Credit
MES 500 Graduate Seminar (Lisansüstü Seminer) (0+2+0)1
A series of seminars by graduate students, faculty and guest speakers on their current research topics in Middle East studies.
MES 521 Elementary Arabic I (Başlangıç Seviyesinde Arapça I) (3+0+0)7
Introduction to the Arabic alphabet and language for students with no prior knowledge of Arabic. Development of essential vocabulary, grammar and language skills.
MES 522 Elementary Arabic II (Başlangıç Seviyesinde Arapça II) (3+0+0)7
Improvement of pronunciation, listening, reading, and writing skills necessary for basic communication and comprehension in the Arabic language.
MES 523 Elementary Hebrew I (Başlangıç Seviyesinde İbranice I) (3+0+0)7
Introduction to the Hebrew alphabet and language for students with no prior knowledge of Hebrew. Development of essential vocabulary, grammar and language skills.
MES 524 Elementary Hebrew II (Başlangıç Seviyesinde İbranice II) (3+0+0)7
Improvement of pronunciation, listening, reading, and writing skills necessary for basic communication and comprehension in the Hebrew language.
MES 531 History and Culture in the Middle East (Ortadoğu'da Tarih ve Kültür) (3+0+0)7
Cultural diversity in Middle Eastern societies throughout history. Modern ideas of culture and nation-building projects. Pre-modern and modern cultures in the Middle East. The impacts of industrialization and globalization on the emergence of modern cultures in the region. The role of the state in the formation of cultures. The emergence and survival of protest cultures. Relations between majority and minority cultures. Pre-modern and liberal multiculturalism. Contemporary sources and dynamics of cultural production and contestation in the Middle East.
MES 532 Political Economy of the Middle East (Ortadoğu'nun Ekonomi Politiği) (3+0+0)7
Political economy of state-led development. Import-substitution industrialization policies and transition to free-market economy. Exploration, use and political implications of oil. Rentier state and authoritarianism. Urbanization and housing policies.
MES 533 Comparative Politics of the Middle East (Karşılaştırmalı Ortadoğu Siyaseti) (3+0+0)7
State building, political changes and major ideological currents in the Middle East since the end of WWI. Authoritarian and patrimonial states. State-military relationships. Top-down modernization. Islamic movements, ethnic movements, political violence, and moderation. Political openings and the Arab Spring.
MES 534 Regional Politics of the Middle East (Ortadoğu Bölgesel Siyaseti) (3+0+0)7
Inter-state relations in the Middle East. Foreign policies of major states in the region. Regional cooperation initiatives since the 1950s. Regional competitions. Issues of conflict and cooperation among Arab and non-Arab states. The Arab-Israeli conflict. Impact of Arab nationalism, political Islam, militarism and the jihadist movements on regional interactions among state and non-state actors.
MES 535 Energy and Resources in the Middle East (Ortadoğu'da Enerji ve Kaynaklar) (3+0+0)7
Political issues on the energy supplies and energy markets in the Middle East. The unique role of oil in the politics and economics of the region. Oil and nationalism, religion and democracy. Water scarcity and conflict from the Nile Basin to the Levant. International and transboundary waters, existing treaties. Recurring water-sharing problems in the Middle East: Syria, Iraq, Türkiye and lsrael, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt and its neighbors. Water conflict in the Maghreb.
MES 536 Political Change and Modernization in the Middle East (Ortadoğu'da Siyasal Değişim ve Çağdaşlaşma) (3+0+0)7
Concepts of modernity, modernization and Westernization. The relation between modernization and Westernization. Modernization theories. Modernization and the colonial legacy. Modernization and economic development. Modernity and Islam. Dynamics, actors and symbols of modernization. Responses to modernization. Modernization and women. Modernization and democracy.
MES 537 Gender and Society in the Middle East (Ortadoğu'da Toplumsal Cinsiyet ve Toplum) (3+0+0)7
Theories and sources of gendered constructions in the Middle East. Social, economic and political conditions of women in global and regional scales. Comparative assessment of patriarchy in various societies of the Middle East. Women, religion and state. Gender as a dimension of development. Female political participation.
MES 538 Religion and Society in the Middle East (Ortadoğu'da Din ve Toplum) (3+0+0)7
Approaches that treat Islam as an independent variable in political and economic analyses of the Middle East, and criticisms of these approaches. Islamic exceptionalism. Orientalism. Islamic movements. Islamic feminism. Islamic economic institutions. Relations between Muslim and non-Muslim social groups in the Middle East.
MES 541 Contemporary Middle East Conflicts (Modern Ortadoğu Çatışmaları) (3+0+0)7
Arab revolt led by Haj Amin Al-Husseini. Israeli War of Independence. Armistice. Suez crisis. Six-Day war. Iraq-lran war. Lebanese civil war. Syria-Lebanon issues. The 1991 Gulf war. The first and second Intifadas. The impact of 9/11 on the region. The 2003 Iraq war and the regime change in Iraq. Iran and the issue of nuclear proliferation. Saudi Arabia's intervention in Yemen. The Syrian civil war.
MES 542 Great Powers in the Middle East (Ortadoğu'da Büyük Güçler) (3+0+0)7
The concept of the Middle East as a spatial designation of imperial strategy. The impact of great powers of the world order on regional politics. An overview of great power politics in the Middle East since the emergence of the modern states system in the 17th Century. Analytical tools for examining resources of the region for great powers, the region's effect on great power competition, the formation of regional strategies of great powers, alliances with great powers and the political goals of regional powers.
MES 543 The Arab-Israeli Conflict (Arap-İsrail Çatışması) (3+0+0)7
Various stages, actors and stakes of the Arab-Israeli conflict and peacemaking projects. A historical examination of the conflict from post-imperial colonial administration to modern nation-building. Contextualization of the conflict within the changes in world politics. Comparative perspectives ranging from postcolonial approaches to conflict resolution models, and theories of ethnic and religious conflict.
MES 544 Politics of Terrorism in the Middle East (Ortadoğu'da Terörizm Politikaları) (3+0+0)7
Debates about the definition of terrorism. History, causes, and methods of terrorism in the Middle East. The Sunni-Shia conflict. Iran and Hizbollah. Global jihadist movement. Salafism. Al Qaeda. The Syrian civil war and the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS). Counterterrorism and counterinsurgency strategies in the Middle East.
MES 580 Term Project (Dönem Projesi) Non-Credit
In-depth study of a project by the students under the guidance of a faculty member.
MES 581-89 Special Topics in the Middle East Studies (Ortadoğu Çalışmalarında Özel Konular) (3+0+0)7
Particular topics in the field of Middle East studies, which are not covered as themes or issues in compulsory or the elective list of courses.

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