OCMO 2205 - Shiism and Politics in the Middle East

***UPDATED for 2025/26***

The course deals with Shia politics in the Middle East (Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon and Yemen). It provides background information on the history of Shiism, with a specific focus on processes of state formation and regime building, as well as on the relation of Shia communities with the states in the modern era. It proposes a specific focus on Shia Islamic movements, which are approached in their national contexts (Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, etc.) as well as in transnational perspective, as networks of activists spanning Iran and the Arab countries. The course offers means to think critically on the evolution of Iranian foreign policy and the role of sectarian identities in the region’s contentious politics and civil wars.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• History, sociology and ideology of Shia Islamic movements
• The role of Sunni and Shia sectarian identities in state formation, regime structures and modern contentious politics
• The evolution of Iranian foreign policy

PROFESSIONAL SKILLS

• Expertise and critical thinking on a key issue in contemporary Middle East politics
• Be able to constitute a relevant bibliography on a given topic related to the course: learn to distinguish academic sources from others (press, primary sources, etc.)
• Write an essay based on relevant personal readings, combining empirical information with relevant social sciences’ concepts and theories

None

Feedback on the oral presentation will be given in class as well as in the form of a personal e-mail sent to the students.

The professor will help each student define his/her subject for the final paper and provide guidance for the bibliography

1 oral presentation of 20 mn (1 or 2 students depending on the number of students) + a final paper of 4000 words on a topic freely chosen by the students + in class participation

Oral presentation : 40% of the final grade; final essay: 50% of the final grade; in-class participation: 10% of the final grade

• In Class Presence: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester
• Reading and Preparation for Class: 4 hours a week / 48 hours a semester
• Research and Preparation for Group Work: 30 hours a semester
• Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: 48 hours a semester