MES4520 – Topics in Middle East Politics and Society II
Course content
This course focuses on one or more central topics in the field of Middle East politics and society. These topics are predominantly related to past or ongoing research activities in the Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages and may include topics such as democratization, state-society relations, Islamist movements, minorities, ethno-nationalist conflicts, insurgencies, gender issues, and the use of social media in the Middle East.
Topic 2025: Jihadi and non-jihadi insurgencies in the MENA region
The course does not overlap with MES4500 – Topics in Middle East Politics and Society I.
Examples of topics that have been given in MES4520:
Gender and Revolutions: Rethinking the "Women Question" in the Modern Middle East
Topic Spring 2024:?War contexts: The background for the war in Gaza
The course examines ways to understand the background for the Hamas - Israel war that unfolded in Autumn 2023. Three books illuminating different aspects of the situation leading up to the war will be discussed.
Learning outcome
The course is based on the reading, analysis and discussion of sources in English and, whenever possible, in a Middle Eastern language. You will learn to:
analyse primary sources in English translation (or Arabic/Persian/Turkish original for those who know the language).
present of your own analysis of texts for an audience.
write an academic essay built on both original and secondary sources.
Admission to the course
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.
This course is for students admitted to