Georgetown University

Course Goals & Description

This course introduces students to some major themes in politics of six Gulf States –Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman. The course visits each Gulf state in turn with an eye on their efforts in political and economic development. In each case the discussion will turn around a particular salient issue: state-religion relations in Saudi Arabia, state-society relations in Kuwait and Qatar, challenges of state and nation building in Oman, challenges of economic development in the UAE. While these issues will be discussed in depth in respective cases, the course will also bring to light similarities and differences across the Gulf region. The course finally discusses two further critical topics: transnational Shi’a network that also spans the Gulf and international relations of the Gulf.

Texts & Readings

David Commins, The Wahhabi Mission and Saudi Arabia, I.B. Tauris 
Laurence Louer, Transnational Shia Politics, Oxford 
Jill Crystal, Oil and Politics in the Gulf, Cambridge 
Marc Valeri, Oman: Politics and Society in the Qaboos State, Oxford 
Christopher Davidson, Abu Dhabi, Oxford 
Assignments & Expectations of Students

Students’ final grade will depend on the following: 
Class Participation: 15% 
Critical Commentaries (four in total) on the books: 40% 
Final Research Paper 45%