
GEOGRAPHY OF THE MIDDLE EAST
& NORTH AFRICA
Geog 209 - Fall 2007
T-Th 8:30 -9:50 Plus Discussion Section
Chapman 207
Prof. Shaul Cohen
Condon 107G Tel. 346-4500
Office Hours M 1:00-2:00, Th 10:00-11:00 ABA
scohen@uoregon.edu
GTF Matt Landers
Condon 202 Tel 346-4965
Office Hours M 10-11:00 W 12-1:00
mlanders@uoregon.edu
Purpose:
This course explores the geography of the Middle East with an
emphasis on politics, culture, and regional cohesion. Through a
variety of sources including modern literature, film, images of
landscape, and traditional academic texts we will pursue an
understanding of those elements that characterize the region, as
well as those features that are distinct and mark different
peoples and places. We will examine local, sub-national,
national, and international issues relating to identity and
status, history, environment, economy and other topics, in an
attempt to create a portrait of daily life in the many venues of
the region, whether they be urban or rural, coastal or desert,
North African or Asian, Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Arab, Israeli,
Turkish, Iranian, and so on. Our goal will be to use the
information available to us to discern patterns in the region
that allow us to grasp its richness and complexity, to gain a
sense of its past, contextualize current changes, and to
anticipate future directions.
Resources:
For this course we will work from a number of selected writings, and we will also
read two novels and part of a third. The first, by Tayib Salih, is Season of
Migration to the North, a tale of identity and crisis in Sudan on the
background of the British colonial experience. The second, by Alaa al-Aswany,
is The Yacoubian Building, currently a
best-seller in the Arab world, a more modern tale of politics, character,
misdeed and human folly. The third is part of Cities of Salt
by Abdelrahman Munif. You must
also read the New York Times on a daily basis. You can get a cheap
subscription to the New York Times at the bookstore, or find it on the web.
In addition to these sources we will review a number of short films in class and
feature films out of class that are a critical component of the course.
Requirements:
Class and film attendance is essential for the course as we will often depart from the text material in lectures. You will be writing a short synopsis of the novels for 10% each of the grade, and a summary essay based on the novels and films, relating them to themes developed throughout the course worth 20% of the final grade. Two in-class tests will be worth 20% of the grade each. 10% of your grade will be based on participation in all the elements of your discussion section. There will also be a map quiz of the region to ensure your familiarity with some basic place names and physical features. This will be given during the last class of the term, Thursday, November 29, and must be passed at a 90% or better rate in order to receive credit for the course (re-testing during exam week is possible if necessary). Discussion section attendance is mandatory, sections meet weeks 1, 2, 4, 7, 10. You must also attend three out of the five supplemental movie showings which will take place during one evening of weeks 3, 4, 6, 7, and 9.
Grade Summary
Novel synopses
3 @ 10% each
In class tests 2 @ 20% each
Final Essay 20%
Section Grades 10%
I'm happy to make accommodations for students with special learning needs, please see me asap so that we may do so.
Course Policy
Please respect others in class. This includes your own conduct
and commentary, spoken, written, and unspoken. Please keep side
conversations to a minimum, if you don't I will certainly notice,
as will those seated near you. If your cell phone rings during class I get to
answer it. If laptops are in use during class they are for note-taking
only. If you have concerns or
complaints, please communicate clearly, and in a timely fashion.
If you have needs, desires, concerns, apprehension, etc., don't
keep them a secret! Effective measures on my part require some
initiative on your part. In this vein, be aware that I am firm on
the dates given to you concerning tests, papers, and other
assignments. There is a 20% penalty for material turned in one
day late, and 10% additional penalty for each day thereafter.
Without advance warning and sufficient cause I will not grant
incompletes. Leaving town early, an abundance of exams, general
stress and other such reasons will not qualify for an incomplete.
I am glad to discuss grades with you, but you must notify me of
your desire to do so within one week of receiving the grade
(final course grades excepted.) Be careful to follow appropriate
rules concerning citation, do not work together on essays or
tests. A tip for the wise: the
quality of your writing counts. If you have concerns about your essays, or think you could benefit from assistance, take advantage
of the writing lab. Finally, I am available for
conversation much of the time, feel free to stop by the office.
Part I - The Region
Week 1 Introduction to the Region
Week 2 History/Religion
Film Thursday The City Victorious
Week 3 Religions/Histories
First Evening Film - Lawrence of Arabia Tues. Oct 9th, 7 pm Mck 125
Discussion on Thursday of Season of Migration to
the North - Essay due!
Week 4 People and Politics
Second Evening Film - Three Kings Mon. Oct 15th 7 pm Mck 221
Week 5
Test 1 Thursday
Part II - The Players
Week 6 Iraq - begin
Israel/Palestine
Second Class Film A Voice Like Egypt Tuesday
Read "Terra Sancta: Maps, Politics, and History in the Holy Land" from the
journal Mercator's World, available in Blackboard
Discussion Thursday of The Yacoubian Building - Essay due!
Third Evening Film - Late Summer Blues (Israel) Mon. Oct 29th 7 pm Mck 221
Week 7 Egypt
Fourth Evening Film - Children of Heaven (Iran) Tues. Nov 6th 7 pm
Mck 221
Week 8 Third Film Crude Diplomacy Oil and the new Geopolitics
Discussion of Cities of Salt
Test 2 Essay due Thursday
Week 9 Internal Tensions - Rural Urban, Religion, Ethnicity, Resources
Fifth Evening Film - Zaman (Iraq) Monday Nov 19th 7 pm Mck 221
Take Home Exam Due Tuesday
Week 10 Regional Overview and Review Map Quiz Thursday
No Final Exam, but Final Essay due Monday of exam week at 12:00 in my office!
Basic Guidelines for Essay Writing
By following these guidelines you will produce an essay that directs the reader's attention to the style and content of your work, and avoids distraction that comes from improper form. These suggestions are a starting point, feel free to exceed them....
1) Proof-read your essay! Better yet, proof-read it and then have a friend proof-read it. Run a spell-check program if you have one, but don't assume that it will catch all the errors. Number each page after the title page. Feel free to print on both sides of the page if you can.
2) Save a copy of the essay before you turn it in. Never hand in the only copy of your work.
3) Your essay should have a thesis statement or statement of your goals in the first paragraph.
4) Contextualize your topic. How does it fit in the "big picture"? What is its significance?
5) Use proper citation. Maintain consistency throughout the paper. Remember, if you are quoting, paraphrasing or taking primary ideas from another source, you must indicate this through citation.
6) Write clearly and concisely. Illustrate your arguments with detailed examples. Remember, you are not writing a report. You are making an argument, or testing a hypothesis or theory, or challenging a viewpoint or conclusion. Your topic needs to be appropriate for this purpose. Whatever you write about, your writing must reflect your own thought on the topic, without being chatty. Back up your position with material that gives it weight and authority!
7) Try to provide a powerful conclusion. In it you briefly recap those elements that have contributed to your argument, and restate the significance of the issues and your analysis.
8) If you have questions or concerns come in and talk about
them. You can also get help at the Academic
Learning Service's Drop-in Writing Lab, which is open
M-F from 9:00-4:00. It is located in PLC room 7, and they
will help you with most anything, no charge! Use the link to
check out their website.