Syllabus
This class will meet 9 times over the course of the term, on the dates indicated below.
· Seminar, 21 February: Introduction to the course. How to write well in academia and listen actively?
· Lecture 1, 28 February: MELS: Hugh Kennedy (SOAS)
· Seminar, 14 March: Discussion about Dr Kennedy’s lecture (led by Ebru Akcasu)
· Lecture 2, 21 March: MELS: Marilyn Booth (University of Oxford)
· Seminar, 28 March: Discussion about Dr. Booth’s lecture (led by Ebru Akcasu)
· Lecture 3, (TBC, April): MELS: Alain Dieckhoff (Sciences Po)
· Seminar (TBC): Discussion about Dr Dieckhoff’s lecture (led by Tereza Jermanová)
· Lecture 4 (16 May): MELS: Charles Tripp (SOAS), 16 May 2019
· Seminar, 23 May: Discussion of Dr Tripp’s lecture (led by Tereza Jermanová)
Annotation
This course accompanies the “Middle East Lecture Series” (MELS) that is held at the Department of Middle East
Studies. The lectures that are given in the series are from prominent academics in the field, who engage with the history, culture, and politics of the Middle East from a variety of disciplines (e.g. history, political science, social anthropology, etc.). Follow-up seminars then develop the themes introduced by the lectures in depth. Students will thus get a chance to actively engage with some of the current debates in the interdisciplinary field of Middle
Eastern studies by discussing both with the MELS speakers after their lecture and with their fellow students during follow-up seminars. The course will also provide opportunity for students to develop their critical listening and presentation skills. The working language of the course as well as the MELS is English.