Fall 2009

MES 325 • ISLAM AND NATIONALISM IN SAUDI ARABIA

Course Description

The seminar examines the interrelations between State and religion in Saudi Arabia since the alliance between the House of Saud and the Wahhabi Islam. It follows those relations throughout the 20th century and focuses on the impact of domestic constraints, oil, regional developments and the 'special relations' with the United States, on the shaping of their present mode.

Grading Policy

Class Participation 20% Mid Term Exam #1, 15% Mid Term Exam #2, 15% Final Exam 25% Seminar Paper 25%

Texts

Madawi al-Rashid, A History of Saudi Arabia; Tim Niblock, Saudi Arabia, Power Legitimacy and Survival-The Contemporary Middle East Series; Mai Yamani, Changed Identities: The Challenge of the New Generation in Saudi Arabia.

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