Jason Brownlee

Course Description:

The course will examine how social scientists have explained major problems in the Middle East and North Africa. Topics will include authoritarianism, women's rights, popular protests, natural resource wealth, war, and foreign intervention. We will read and discuss a variety of recent books and articles from the scholarly literature.     

Grading Policy:  

Grades will be based on a combination of writing assignments, oral presentations, and regular in-class participation,      

Texts:  

Bayat, Life as Politics; Charrad, States and Women's Rights; Jones, Desert Kingdom; Mitchell, Carbon Democracy; Stacher, Adaptable Autocrats,     

Course Description

In spring 2011, Egypt was described in American media as the “anchor” of US policy in the Middle East, a “strategic cornerstone,” and “the most important Arab country.” This course helps explain how Egypt came to occupy such a prominent place. Our analysis will move chronologically from the struggle for independence in the early 20th century to the January 25, 2011 Revolution that toppled long-ruling Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak. Students will be asked to read carefully and write clearly. Class discussions and assignments will require comprehending and critiquing the assigned material.

Course Requirements

Upper-division standing required.

6 semester hours of lower-division coursework in government.

Grading policy

Grades will be based on response papers (20%), exams (40%), attendance (20%), and in-class debates (20%).

Texts

Rabab El Mahdi and Philip Marfleet, Egypt: The Moment of Change.

William Strunk, E. B. White and Roger Angell, The Elements of Style, 4th ed.

Other readings to be determined.

Research Methods and Qualitative Analysis in Social Science

Introduction to the theoretical debates and nuts-and-bolts surrounding the main tools of qualitative methodology, including archival research and interviewing.

Grading policy

Grades will be based on in-class participation (40%), response papers (30%) and project proposals (30%).

Texts

Catherine Boone, Political Topographies of the African State.

David Collier, ed., Rethinking Social Inquiry.

For a complete list of texts visit the Amazon.com Listmania page for Research Methods and Qualitative Analysis in Social Science.

In spring 2011, Egypt was described in American media as the “anchor” of US policy in the Middle East, a “strategic cornerstone,” and “the most important Arab country.” This course helps explain how Egypt, the most populous country in the Middle East, came to occupy such a prominent place. Our analysis will move chronologically from state-building under Muhammad Ali in the early 19th century to the January 25, 2011 Revolution that toppled long-ruling Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.

We will draw upon a range of works from the humanities and social sciences, including academic articles, novels, and films. Students will be asked to read carefully and write clearly. Class discussions and assignments will require comprehending and critiquing the assigned texts.

Course Requirements: 

Map quiz                                                                                                10%

Three short answer and multiple-choice exams (20% each)                        60%

Attendance and participation                                                                        30%

Primary course texts:

Afaf Lutfi Al-Sayyid Marsot, A Short History of Modern Egypt (1985). Additional texts to be determined. There will also be course packet of other readings.

Government 312L satisfies the second half of the mandated six hours of government that every UT student must take.  Course covers analysis of varying topics concerned with American political institutions and policies, including the United States Constitution, and assumes basic knowledge of government from GOV 310L, which is a prerequiste. May be taken for credit only once.

Government 312L satisfies the second half of the mandated six hours of government that every UT student must take.  Course covers analysis of varying topics concerned with American political institutions and policies, including the United States Constitution, and assumes basic knowledge of government from GOV 310L, which is a prerequiste. May be taken for credit only once.

Government 312L satisfies the second half of the mandated six hours of government that every UT student must take.  Course covers analysis of varying topics concerned with American political institutions and policies, including the United States Constitution, and assumes basic knowledge of government from GOV 310L, which is a prerequiste. May be taken for credit only once.