Some Independently Taught Courses:
"Promotes a better understanding of a widely misunderstood region."
"The course clarifies a lot of common misconceptions about the Middle East."
"Sammy is patient, knowledgeable , great at facilitating discussion."
"Some of the debates we had were fantastic."
“I very much enjoyed how we created a country in the discussion. It showed us how difficult it is to create a new country and all of the policies and problems you need to navigate when creating a new country.”
“You make sure that we fully understand a subject with the country case study, it helped apply what we were learning in class.”
“He was engaging and made the atmosphere fun to learn in, which is hard to find in a college level course.”
“The class really solidified what we read and helped us have a clearer understanding. The discussion fit in very well with the lecture.”
"Amazing teacher for first online class I have taken!"
"Great online class. Very structured and straight forward. Instructor answered any questions promptly."
"Understanding and helpful teacher."
"Sammy Badran is helpful and supportive, whenever I needed her assistance for the course I would receive an email
within a day."
- Politics of the Middle East: The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is an important area of international concern today for many international and transnational reasons. In a comparative perspective, many characteristics of MENA states are similar. Inhabitants of the MENA region often share a common history and identity, particularly regarding their colonial legacies. On the other hand, independent experiences of countries such as Iran, Morocco, Lebanon, and Egypt have evolved in highly disparate ways. Similarly, different nations within the MENA evolved in disparate ways too. Contrary to popular conceptions, the institutions of government, political and economic liberalization, development, and social mobilization vary as widely as the peoples of the region themselves. This course is designed to increase awareness and understanding of these legacies, institutions, structures and patterns, with the intent that much of the learning that students achieve will be accomplished through student participation. The first part of the course will review broad themes encompassing most states in the region, such as colonial and post-colonial history, Arab nationalism, Islam, political economy, regime types, and political legitimacy. The second part will be devoted to a closer investigation of selected states and issues, like the cases of Egypt and the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts. The third part will be dedicated to recent issues such as the Arab Spring, and the effects recent events have had in the region and globally. Student discussion and participation are a fundamental part of the class.
- Women and Politics of the Middle East: This class will provide a nuanced understanding of women and gender in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). There will be an emphasis on how women within the MENA have organized for change both within formal institutions and through contentious politics and social movements. The class will also dispel Western views that construct Muslim women’s oppression through an Orientalist lens - that often cites Islam as the source of oppression. We will look at the role that women have played within colonialism, nationalist movements, and Islamist movements. The class will offer students insights about gender construction / conceptualizations within the MENA. We will take an intersectional approach to understanding women’s oppression and gender inequality.
- Comparative Politics: This course is an introduction to the sub-field of comparative politics, which compares different political systems and practices in different countries. Rather than look at interactions between states, we will look at what happens within states in this class. During this course we will examine key units of analysis within the field such as institutions, developed and developing states, religion, and ideology. We will explore some of the major research fields within the field such as democratization, contentious politics, development, authoritarian regimes, and political economy. In class we will look at many different case studies from around the world. The readings for this course are linked to the theories, concepts, and cases explored throughout the semester. The goal of this course is to introduce you to the sub-field.
- International Relations: Anarchy in International Relations (IR) means the absence of a global centralized order. What differentiates the study of politics within states and among states is the lack of a central international government. In other words, there is no international government running things in IR. During this course I want you to think about how the current state of anarchy affects how states (and non-states) interact with one another. We will cover an array of topics including war, peace, international political economy, and human rights from the perspective of states and non-state actors. We will go over the traditional IR theories in this class, but also focus on several competing ‘critical’ theoretical perspectives that now dominate the discipline. Theory plays a crucial role in IR and conventional views of nation states as independent actors have been increasingly challenged. Finally, the field of IR brings together elements of history, geography, philosophy, economics, and other social sciences. Therefore, the novice student may find some of the theories, concepts, and ideas difficult to understand. We will go over all these difficult concepts and ideas in class, and students will leave the course with a strong foundation in IR.
- Global Issues: This course offers a critical analysis of a wide range of global issues including terrorism, transnational activism, human rights, population and global environmental issues, human trafficking, and globalization. The process of globalization—that is, the increasing integration and interrelationships of culture, economy, and politics across nations—will be a central theme throughout the course. You will be introduced to the basics of global politics and understand the impacts of state and non-state actors on a global scale. By exploring various global issues, students will formulate their own opinions about current global events. This course can also serve as a steppingstone to other courses in International Relations.
- Research Methods: This course is about how political scientists think and do political science. We will cover an array of qualitative and quantitative research methods. Students will choose a research topic and conduct a literature review. Students will also make a research plan and be prepared to write the senior thesis. The first part of the course will focus on how to create a research design, literature review, and various methods. The second part will be dedicated to students' own research projects.
- Topics in Comparative Politics: The Arab Spring: This course focuses on the uprisings within the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) commonly referred to as the Arab Spring. We will cover the history leading up to these uprisings and consider various factors that may have caused or facilitated them. We will pay special attention to the role that regime type, regional conflicts, sectarianism, the media, and social networks played in leading up to the Arab Spring. We will examine these events through the lens of various theories of contentious politics and social movements. Students will (1) become familiar with the political and social factors that may have led to uprisings, (2) analytically assess these events using theories of contentious politics and social movements (3) gain a nuanced understanding of the region with special attention to issues surrounding religion, ethnicity, and gender.
"Promotes a better understanding of a widely misunderstood region."
"The course clarifies a lot of common misconceptions about the Middle East."
"Sammy is patient, knowledgeable , great at facilitating discussion."
"Some of the debates we had were fantastic."
“I very much enjoyed how we created a country in the discussion. It showed us how difficult it is to create a new country and all of the policies and problems you need to navigate when creating a new country.”
“You make sure that we fully understand a subject with the country case study, it helped apply what we were learning in class.”
“He was engaging and made the atmosphere fun to learn in, which is hard to find in a college level course.”
“The class really solidified what we read and helped us have a clearer understanding. The discussion fit in very well with the lecture.”
"Amazing teacher for first online class I have taken!"
"Great online class. Very structured and straight forward. Instructor answered any questions promptly."
"Understanding and helpful teacher."
"Sammy Badran is helpful and supportive, whenever I needed her assistance for the course I would receive an email
within a day."