POL479H1S L5101

Graduate Course Code: POL2418H1S L5101

Topics in Middle East Politics

Comparative Urbanisms in the Middle East & North Africa

Themes

This seminar explores what it means to generate theory from place and conduct comparative urban research. Bringing together readings from geography, anthropology, sociology, and political science, which take the city as their object of analysis, we will discuss the role of planning, speculation, technology, and nostalgia in shaping cities to pluralize the terrains from which we think not of one urbanism or urbanization process, but of multiple urbanisms that characterize the Middle East and North Africa region.

Texts

Gökçe Günel, Spaceship in the Desert; Begüm Adalet, Hotels and Highways; Yael Navaro, The Make-Believe Space; Sophia Stamatopoulou-Robbins, Waste Siege; and others.

Format and Requirements

Students will be expected to write and share a weekly response piece, actively participate in class, write a paper proposal mid-semester and present it in class, and submit a research paper.

Prerequisites

POL201H1 or POL201Y1 or POLB90H3 or POLB91H3