Comparative Politics and International Relations of the Middle East
MIT OpenCourseWare offers this survey of scholarship on Middle Eastern politics, covering political and economic development, authoritarianism and democratization, social movements, the role of women, regional inter-state relations, Islamism, terrorism, colonialism, state-building, resistance, and the Arab uprisings. The course draws on classic and recent academic work to frame debates rather than settle them, tracing how scholars explain the region's patterns of governance and conflict. Materials include the syllabus, readings list, and assignments as posted by MIT, free to access online with no certificate offered. Suited to students who already have some grounding in comparative politics or international relations, given the course's advanced level and dense reading load.