Current Courses
The staff at the Crown Center teach innovative courses at Brandeis University to advance the students' knowledge of the region.
The staff at the Crown Center teach innovative courses at Brandeis University to advance the students' knowledge of the region.
Monday and Wednesday, 4:00-5:30 p.m.
Prof. Hayal Akarsu
Examines the peoples and societies of the Middle East from an anthropological perspective. Explores problems of cross-cultural examination, the notion of the Middle East as an area of study, and the role of anthropology in the formation of the idea of the “Middle East.” To this end, the course is divided into sections devoted to understanding and problematizing key concepts and themes central to our understanding of the region, including tribe and state, family and kinship, gender and sexuality, honor and shame, tradition and modernity, and religion and secularism. Course materials will include critical ethnographies based on field work in the region as well as locally produced materials such as literature, music, film and other visual arts.
Tuesday and Thursday, 12:00-1:30 p.m.
Prof. Amy Singer
Examines the history of the Turkish Republic, from its founding in the wake of World War I until the beginning of the 21st century. Through discussions of politics, economics, society and culture, the course studies the forces that shaped and reshaped Turkey. Like the Ottoman Empire from which it emerged, Turkey has attracted the attention of admirers and detractors alike. Meanwhile, it has played key roles and continues to be an important economic, political and cultural hub in the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and the world.
Monday and Wednesday, 4:00-5:30 p.m.
Prof. Eva Bellin
This course introduces key concepts and questions in comparative politics and seeks to provide students with a grounding in the basic tools of comparative analysis. It applies and evaluates competing theoretical approaches (cultural, institutional, social-structural, and leadership-centered) to explain several important phenomena such as (1) democracy and democratization; (2) revolution; and (3) ethnicity and ethnic conflict. It also explores recent debates about the importance of civil society and political institutions in shaping political outcomes. Cases will be drawn from Africa, Asia, Western Europe, the Americas, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East.
Tuesday and Thursday, 10:00-11:30 a.m.
Prof. Gary Samore
Explores and analyzes the theories behind, dynamics within, and problems encountered with arms control as part of regional security in the Middle East and Asia, with emphasis on the nuclear weapons programs of Israel, Iran, India, Pakistan and North Korea.