Course Description

This course will introduce the contemporary political, social, and economic situation of the most dynamic region of the world. During the course, we will focus on the current global topics and the specific topics for the region (activism, religion, migration, climate change, decarbonization, political pluralism, etc.). We will put events and relations of the main actors in the region into perspective. The course will try to explain the complicated ties and impacts of political decisions. We will talk not only about major actors in the Gulf Area but about the current challenges presented by the environmental changes, energy transitions, liberal and pro-democratic movements, human rights activism, the proliferation of weapons, and economic issues. The aim of the course is to introduce Iran and Saudi Arabia as the most important actors; however, the course will contain current issues in Iraq, Yemen, Syria, Qatar, Oman, Lebanon, and Israel too. All these countries have problems, crises, and influence on others in the region. Their politics are strongly entwined and impact global events.

The course will not focus on the history and development of the region but solely on the events of the past decade, therefore we will not discuss the Arab Spring, but the development and things that arrived after that.

Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to understand current issues and relations in the region; understand the complexity of relations and explain the dynamics and impact of individual events; students will also be able to make well-supported arguments on the topic of contemporary conflict, crisis, and challenges in the region; and will be able to interpret individual events, political proclamations and crisis within context.

Course Requirements

1) Students are expected to read the required readings for each lecture. Compulsory readings for the course are to be found in the Study Materials folder of the Information System.

2) Students are expected to attend each lecture, with exceptions stated by the Masaryk University Study and Examination Regulations.

3) Presented PowerPoint presentations will be provided in the Study Materials folder of the Information System after each lecture.

4) The teacher has the right to adjust the course schedule during the semester.

 AI-generated text is unacceptable and the detection of such text will be subjected to plagiarism rules. It is possible to work with the information offered by AI, but it must be reformulated in one's own words, and using AI to create the final text is not possible. Language or translating apps as Grammarly or Google Translate are not considered AI, therefore can and SHOULD be used to improve the quality and comprehensiveness of the text.

Grading

The final grade will be calculated as a sum of four parts. The maximum is 50 points; the minimum to complete the course is 26 points.

• The mid-term test stands for 5 points.
• Group paper for 20 points, group presentation/discussion participation for 5 points, and actualities for bonus points.
• Final oral exam for another 20 points (2 open questions for 10 points each).

The grade will be calculated as follows:

Mid-term Test and Final Oral Exam

The online mid-term test has a single term and cannot be repeated. It consists of ten test questions to be answered in 3 minutes; for each test question, there is only one correct answer for a maximum of one point. The highest possible score is 5 points. The test can not be repeated or taken at another time.  For a medical emergency, please contact me and provide the doctor's confirmation.

          The final exam will be an oral examination based on the lectures and readings. The student will have to prove his knowledge by answering two open questions via main points and discussing these topics (each for 10 points maximum); altogether the highest possible score for the final oral exam is 20 points. The final exam’s duration is 20 minutes. The exams will take place in person, after the last lecture - from the end of December till the end of January.  Slots will be open at the beginning of December.

Group paper and presentation

Group assignments presentation and discussion: students will be divided into groups and will choose one of the topics related to the current conflict spots: Syria vs. non-state actors, Yemen vs. KSA, Lebanon vs. non-state actors, Iraq vs. Iran and non-state actors, or an alternative topic suggested by students (after consultation - approval is necessary) / the paper will analyze current situation with the focus on the influence of individual actors playing part and evaluate the impact, criticize or agree with the turn of events and propose solutions or predictions for the future development in a limited way – they can focus on individual actor only or individual event within the conflict). The presentation will have a form of a short performance – students will take part as individual actors/stakeholders and with the help of a prepared “scenario” will debate in front of the rest of the class to inform us about the main points and positions.

Cheating and plagiarism

Teaching at FSS MU presupposes students know the study regulations and that they do not commit fraudulent fulfillment of study obligations, especially copying at exams and plagiarism, i.e., publishing other people's own ideas and taking over the ideas of other authors without mentioning authorship. Plagiarism is one of the most serious ethical offenses in the academic environment, it denies the mission of the university and the meaning of study. From a legal point of view, plagiarism is the theft of someone else's intellectual property.

Under no circumstances can fraudulent fulfillment of study obligations be tolerated at FSS. Cases of fraudulent behavior will be punished according to their severity by a range of penalties, from deduction of points, non-recognition of adequate obligations in the course, and expulsion from the course to the strictest sanction, namely unconditional expulsion from the study. We encourage students to acquaint themselves with the problem of plagiarism and ways to avoid it.

Lecturer: Mgr. Lenka Martínková

Office hours: Tuesday 17:00 - 18:00 or after the previous appointment (online consultation is available as well)

Please do not be afraid to ask the question or contact me via mail, I usually reply within 24 hours