Spring Syllabus

Welcome to the Class! I hope you guys enjoyed the first day of lecture. Don't forget to sign up on telebears and pick up a reader from Copy Central. Heres to a good semester! -Amir

IRAN: 28 YEARS OF REVOLUTION- Syllabus

Course Description

This course serves as an introduction to modern Iranian politics in which no prior knowledge of Iran or the greater Middle East is required. It follows the events leading up to the Islamic Revolution and describes the outcomes that have spiraled into the headlines of today. Key topics of discussion include the coup d'etat against Prime Minister Mossadegh (1953), the rule of Reza Shah Pahlavi, the Iranian Revolution (1979), the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988), the Reform Movement (1997), and the recent rise of the radical movement led by Ahmadinejad (2005). Important current events to be covered will be Iran’s nuclear program, Iran’s role in Iraq, and the Shia-Sunni divide in the Middle East. Documentaries, films, guest lectures, participation in the class blog, and class discussions are integral parts of this decal. Class will meet once a week for two hours.

Course Coordinators
Amir Abadi - amirabadi@berkeley.edu
Keyan Keihani - keihani@berkeley.edu

Course Requirements

Readings
A reader comprised of short summaries and academic articles will offer the students a background to all the topics mentioned above. Specific sources for the reader are listed in the reading list. Additional readings may be handed out in class.

Final Paper
The final paper is a 3–5 page essay. Topics will be handed out two weeks prior to the final class meeting.

Blog Participation
You must submit a one paragraph response on the blog every four weeks during the course of the semester. Three blog postings are required to pass the course. You can only respond to the topics offered in each 4 week period (responses to topics that are from a prior 4 week period are encouraged but will not count for a grade). Your responses must be critical and engaging.

The blog can be found at http://iran-decal.blogspot.com/.

Grading
Final Paper (50%), Blog Participation (25%), Attendance (25%) NOTE: YOU MUST RECEIVE A SATISFACTORY GRADE IN ALL THREE COMPONENTS IN ORDER TO PASS THE COURSE. YOU CANNOT MISS MORE THAN ONE CLASS MEETING WITHOUT THE INSTRUCTORS’ PRIOR APPROVAL.

Schedule
Week 1: Introduction; overview of the course

Week 2: Iran 1850-1953; The Great Game, the Constitutional Revolution, and a period of ineffectiveness
۞ Reading due: Roraback, Amanda. Iran in a Nutshell. pp. 1, 7-15

Week 3: The coup against Dr. Mossadegh; documentary screening, The CIA and the Coup of 1953 in Iran
۞ Reading due: Roraback, Amanda. Iran in a Nutshell. pp. 19-21
Roosevelt, Kermit. Countercoup. Forward, Ch.13.
Blum, William. Killing Hope. pp. 64-72.

Week 4: The Shah and the Iranian Revolution; documentary screening, Iran: A Revolution Betrayed
۞ Reading due: Roraback, Amanda. Iran in a Nutshell. pp. 20-29
Pahlavi, Mohammad Reza. Answer to History. pp. 101-129, 175-179
Abrahamian, Ervand. Khomeinism. Ch. 1.
Behrooz, Maziar. “Iranian Revolution and the Legacy of the Guerrilla Movement” http://www.iranian.com/Behrooz/2004/September/Left/index.html

Week 5: The Iran-Iraq War: the longest conventional war of the century
۞ Reading due: Roraback, Amanda. Iran in a Nutshell. pp. 30-32 & 62-63
Hiro, Dilip. “The Iran-Iraq War,” from Iran and the Arab World, pp. 43-67

Week 6: Contemporary Iranian government structure: a quasi-democratic theocracy
۞ Reading due: Roraback, Amanda. Iran in a Nutshell. pp. 46-49
Abrahamian, Ervand. Khomeinism. Epilogue. pp. 132-143

Week 7: Rise of the reformists
۞ Reading due: Roraback, Amanda. Iran in a Nutshell. pp. 36-37
Khatami, Mohammad. Islam, Liberty, and Development. pp. 3-16. & 135-153 Amuzegar, Jahangir. "Khatami's Legacy: Dashed Hopes." Middle East Journal, Winter 2006

Week 8: Ahmadinejad and the rise of ultra-conservatives
۞ Reading due: Roraback, Amanda. Iran in a Nutshell. pp. 37-38
Ahmadinejad's letter to President Bush (link on blog)

Week 9: Iran’s nuclear standoff with the West
۞ Reading due: Roraback, Amanda. Iran in a Nutshell. pp. 50-56
Timmerman, Kenneth. Countdown to Crisis. Ch.26
Ritter, Scott. Target Iran. Conclusion.

Week 10: Iran’s foreign policy in the Middle East; documentary screening, Frontline: Showdown With Iran
۞ Reading due: Roraback, Amanda. Iran in a Nutshell. pp. 66-81
Nasr, Vali. The Shia Revival. Ch. 8
Klein, Joe. “Nation: Iran” Time Magazine, December 17, 2007. pp. 32-36.

Week 11: Guest Lecture, topic of the lecture to be announced two weeks prior.
۞ Final paper topics handed out

Week 12: Student chosen topic

Week 13: Final class meeting
۞ Final papers due

Welcome Spring 08 Students!

First class meeting on Tuesday January 29th, at 6 PM in 2 Le Conte.

This course is 2 units which are offered in two versions, 98 and 198. The course can only be taken as P/NP with the class meetings on Tuesdays 6:00- 8:00 PM in 2 Le Conte.

If you have 59 units or less of coursework completed sign up for PS98 with ccn 72440. If you have 60 units or more, sign up for PS198 with ccn 72443. Everyone should sign up for 2 units.

If you sign up on telebears, but do not appear on the first day of class, you will be dropped.

We look foward to seeing you in class!

Iran on the Recent U.S. Spy Report

Class is over but the content cotinues. This is Iran's UN ambassador's reaction to the recent U.S. report on Iran's nuclear program.

Submitting Final Papers

Please note that all students are required to submit a hard copy of the final exam tomorrow Monday December 3. Only if your situation is extreme and there is absolutely no way you can make it to class, there will be no excuse for your absence and we will not be accepting final exams via email attachment. Remember, the Political Science department requests a hard copy of the exams from the student facilitators to verify their students' presence in the class. We are not responsible for printing them out and will not be accepting late papers. Thanks and good luck.

Marmulak

I hope you all enjoyed the film we screened today. I heard you guys laugh a lot, and I even saw some tears at the end.

This is your last posting opportunity. Let us know what you thought about the film and its themes. How does it connect to some of the themes we have spoken about in class? For some of you that had little contact with Iranian culture before, what are you taking away from this film? Please no plot summary guys.

Good luck on your papers and we will see you for the final time next week. Also we will probably post the grades up on the blog, so keep checking it out.

-Amir

Final Paper

Instructions: You must write a 3-5 page essay responding to one of the topics below. The essay must be double spaced, in 12 point Times New Roman font, with 1 inch margins. You must also have a cover page which will include your name, your student ID number, your blog screename, the number of the essay topic you are responding to, and the title of your essay. Additionally on the cover page you must also indicate which three postings you commented on in the blog. Giving the title of the posting is enough. In order to pass this class you must have done three blog postings and this essay.

For the essays we want you to make a strong argument which you will support with evidence. Your argument must be made clear in your intro paragraph. You must also support every claim you make with a reference. (For example, you can’t just say a government is repressive without having something to back you up.) You must cite an article from the reader at least once. You can also feel free to use any outside resource you please, except wikipedia. You must include a bibliography at the end of your essay.

A hardcopy of your essay is due at the beginning of the final class session, December 3rd 2007. You may turn in the essay earlier if you please.

Topics:
1. Describe the system of concessions during the Qajar period in Iran. How did this impact the 1906 Constitutional Revolution?

2. Discuss how the U.S. government both benefited from, and was eventually repudiated for, the 1953 coup d'état against Mohammad Mossadegh. Be sure to include information regarding Cold War politics and how it legitimated the intervention.

3. Describe some of the events that contributed to the culmination of the Revolution of 1979. What inspired the Revolution? What components of the Shah’s program did people oppose?

4. “It was Iran against the world” is a statement that is constantly used to describe the Iran-Iraq war. To what extent is this true? Describe the support given to both Iran and Iraq during the war. Make sure to also discuss the controversy surrounding the Iran-Contra affair.

5. Describe the powers of the Supreme Leader. How has his actions colored the presidencies of Rafsanjani, Khatami, and Ahmadinejad?

6. Make a judgment on Ahmadinejad’s tenure as the President of Iran. What have been his accomplishments and what have been his mistakes? Be sure to discuss both his domestic and foreign agendas.

7. Should Iran be allowed to continue its nuclear program? Keep in mind Iran’s domestic needs, its stated intentions, and the possible threats the program poses.

8. Discuss the American media’s current portrayal of Iran and its government. How accurate is the portrayal? What should we expect of the media? What is at stake?

9. Should Iran be an Islamic Republic? Why or why not? What are the benefits and drawbacks of this form or government versus the benefits and drawbacks of other forms of government? You may suggest alternative government styles, but you must also comment on their feasibility in the Iranian context.

10. Topic of your choice. You must have this approved by us before writing your essay. Either speak to us in class or give us an e-mail.


Feel free to talk to us about your essays. We are always here to answer your questions. Good luck!

The Iranian Challenge

Please read this article by Trita Parsi before our foreign policy lecture.

Are his points compatible with what we've discussed in class?

Keyan