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 e-tests stand for 5 points each (10 points in total).
- Group paper for 10 points, group presentation/discussion
participation for 4 points, and actualities for bonus points.
- Final exam for another 26 points (3 open
questions).
The grade will be calculated as follows:
A
|
B
|
C
|
D
|
E
|
F
|
50-46
|
45-41
|
40-36
|
35-31
|
30-26
|
25>
|
Mid-term Test and Final 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. There will be no exception for missed tests due to any other reason.
The final exam will take place at the FSS computer room in person and will be based on the lectures and readings. The student will have to
prove his knowledge by answering three open questions via main points and
discussing these topics; altogether the highest
possible score for the final exam is 26 points. The final exam’s duration
is 45 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. There will be 4 available dates. Plan you other exams and schedule accordingly, please.
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 the 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 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 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