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

Khamenei on Nuclear Technology

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