George Washingtong University -   Department of Anthropology 
Anth 177: INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL ECONOMY
Fall 2001 - MW 6:10-7:25
 

 1. COURSE DESCRIPTION AND SCOPE

 The Middle East encompasses a large geographical area, home to a multitude of ethnic and religious communities. Major ethnic groups that inhabit the region include Arabs, Armenians, Berbers, Kurds, Persians, and Turks. Religious communities comprise dozens of denominations, rooted in the three Abrahamic faiths of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

 The multiplicity of life forms and the plurality of cultural expressions are united by a complex web of norms and aspirations derived from and rooted in Islam. Middle Eastern societies are the heirs of expansive and far-reaching civilizations, culminating in the Islamic civilization that lasted for over ten centuries, and left its impact in every facet of Middle Eastern life. Understanding the forms of social life that dominate the Middle East requires, hence, a systematic examination of the interplay of Islamic norms and local traditions.

 The cultural diversity of Middle Eastern society underscores the importance, indeed the centrality, of anthropological approaches for gaining insights into Middle Eastern social experiences. For these insights to be complete, they must, however, be supplemented by sociological analysis. Although reading material and analysis used in this course are essentially anthropological, we shall occasionally employ sociological tools to link anthropological insights gained in different parts of the Middle East.

 Finally, studying Middle Eastern society gives us the opportunity to examine some methodological issues, and to understand the power and limitation of various anthropological approaches. We will, in particular, pay close attention to the intricacies of data interpretation, the hazard of both over-generalization and over-simplification, and the pitfalls of inter-cultural extrapolation.

  2. REQUIRED READINGS

 Assigned reading for the course will be drawn from the following:

1.      Daniel Bates and Amal Rassam. (2000) Peoples and Cultures of the Middle East. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall. [PCME]

2.      Donna Lee Bowen and Evelyn A. Early, eds. (2001) Everyday Life in the Muslim Middle East. Indiana University Press. [ELME]

3.      Lawrence Rosen. (1990) The Anthropology of Justice: Law as Culture in Islamic Society. Cambridge University Press. [AJ]

4.      Course Packet. [CP]

 Books are available at the University Bookstore, and the Course Packet at the Pulse (Marvin Center). Additional reading material is available in the reserve section at Gelman Library.

 3. COURSE REQUIREMENTS 

Class preparation: Students should study assigned readings prior to coming to class, and be prepared to discuss assigned material for scheduled topics. While class discussion will focus on some salient aspects of the assigned reading, students are responsible for the entire readings assigned. 

Class participation: Students are expected to participate – questions, comments, sharing a piece of news, or critical analysis – in class. If you have difficulty speaking in class, come to my office hours instead. I want to know that you are thinking about the course!

 Quizzes: There will be no scheduled quizzes. However, you should expect to be given pop quizzes at the beginning or the end of the class. No make up quizzes will be offered, regardless of the circumstances of absenteeism. Under extraordinary circumstances students may be given additional assignment to make up for a missed quiz.

 Research paper: Each student is required to write and submit a term paper on a topic selected in consultation with me. Papers are to be 15-20 double-spaced typewritten pages in length. Additional information on topics will be given subsequently. Paper proposals are due on September 24 while the papers themselves are due December 3, 2001.

Late papers will be graded down 1 point for each day the paper is late. Papers submitted after December 10 will receive zero grade.

 Make up exams: Only under extraordinary circumstances may a make up exam be given, provided the student approaches me within a week of the original exam, and submits a proof of inability to attend the exam.

 4. COURSE GRADING

 1.  Quizzes and in class participation (20%)

2.  Term paper (30%)

4.  Mid-term examination (25%)

5.  Final examination (25%)

5. SCHEDULE OF CLASSES AND ASSIGNED READINGS

 Introduction and Overview (8/27)

 The Middle East: Assumptions and Problems [CP]

Introduction [PCME]

Paradise Lost – Introductory Remarks [CP]
           

Geography, History, and Methodology (8/29-9/5)

 Ch. 1 – The Setting: Human Geography and Historical Background [PCME]

Oriental Studies as Intercultural Studies [CP]

On the Use of Oriental Studies [CP]
 

Islam: Cultural and Religious Expressions (9/10-24)

 Ch. 2 – Islam: The Prophet and the Religion [PCME]

Ch. 3 – Islam as Culture and as Politics [PCME]

Islam as a Determinant of Middle East Civilization [CP]

Selections from the Quran [ELME]

The Sound of the Divine in Daily Life [ELME]

Abu Illya and Zakat [ELME]

An American Woman on the Hajj [ELME]

 Term Paper Proposals Due (9/24) 

Film: Meet in Gelman BO1 (9/26)

 Middle East Villages and Cities (10/1-10/22)

 Ch. 4 – Communal Identities and Ethnic Groups [PCME]

Ch. 5 – Pastoralism and Nomadic Society [PCME]

Ch. 6 – Agriculture and the Changing Village [PCME]

Ch. 7 – Cities and Urban Life [PCME]

Rites of Hospitality and Aesthetics [ELME]

The Doum Tree of Wad Hamid [ELME]

The Nasiriyya Brotherhood of Southern Morocco [ELME]

Editing al-Fajr: A Palestinian Newspaper in Jerusalem [ELME]

Suqs of the Middle East: Commercial Centers Past and Present [ELME]

 Mid-Term Exam (10/24)

 Family and Gender Relations (10/29-11/5)

Ch. 8 – Sources of Social Organization: Kinship, Marriage, and the Family [PCME]

Ch. 9 – Women and the Moral Order: Identity and Changes [PCME]

Women and Citizenship in the Quran [CP]

The Divorce Between Zubaida Hatun and Esseid Osman Aga [CP]

Muslim Women in Court According to the Sijill of Late Ottoman Jaffa and Haifa [CP]

Dilemmas of Adolescence: Courtship, Sex, and Marriage in a Moroccan Town [ELME]

Pragmatic Morality: Islam and Family Planning in Morocco [ELME]

Personal Status Law in Sudan [ELME]

The Veiled Revolution [ELME]

 Guest Speaker (11/7)

 Popular Culture (11/12-21)

 Components of Popular Culture in the Middle East [CP]

Humor: The Two-Edged Sword [ELME]

Darid Laham: Political Satirist as Modern Storyteller [ELME]

Sad Songs of the Western Desert [ELME]

A Folk Revival in Morocco [ELME]

 Authority and Leadership (11/26-28)

 Ch. 10 – Local Organization of Power: Leadership, Patronage, and Tribalism [PCME]

Ch. 11- Challenges and Dilemmas: The Human Conditions in the Middle East Today  [PCME]

 Law and Culture (12/3-5)

 Law and Culture: The Appeal of Analogy [AJ]

Determining the Indeterminable [AJ]

Reason, Intent, and the Logic of Consequence [AJ]

Judicial Discretion, State Power, and the Concept of Justice [AJ]

 Term Papers Due (12/3)

 Final Exam (12/10)