Topics will be announced when offered.

Contemporary realities of societies and politics of the Middle East and North Africa as part of worldwide ties and exchanges. An examination of alternative ways to study the region and its recent history, concentrating on the post-World War II period. A variety of discourses and practices such as those on citizenship, rights, national identity, religion, gender, transnational migrations, social movements, economic development, and urban transformations.

The course focuses on the history of foreign relations between the United States and Türkiye with a particular emphasis on the Cold War era to the present.

Challenges of European foreign policy within a changing European and global order; the EU as an international actor; the relationship between EU and member state foreign policies; European foreign policy towards Türkiye, Russia, Eastern Europe, Balkans, North Africa and the Middle East, United States, China, and Africa. Discussion of current security challenges and the strengths and weaknesses of European foreign policy.

Recent research and evidence; the changing nature of democratic and authoritarian regimes in the 21st century, examples from across the World; cross-temporal comparisons with previous historical periods; the causes and consequences of the extant problems of democracy and the rising tide of authoritarianism and hybrid regimes; declining quality of democracy in advanced democracies; personalization of politics, the weakening of political parties and neo-authoritarian, neo-conservative and neo-populist movements; new media, civil society and political communication; competitive authoritarianism; globalization and challenges to the democracy-capitalism marriage; clientelism and corruption.