ETHNIC CONFLICT, POLITICAL VIOLENCE, AND PEACE, American University, School of International Service in Washington DC, 2021
This course offers a comparative, global framework to understand and examine the drivers of ethnic conflict and political violence. The primary goal is to make theoretical and empirical assessments of state policies vis-à-vis minority groups in ethnically divided societies. The selected reading materials evolve around two questions: 1) how do the states regulate ethnic diversity? 2) How do these models introduce and influence conflict, violence, and peace processes? We will evaluate and discuss the issues from a comparative lens. The course will begin with a prelude to the subjects of the state, nation, and ethnic groups and end with the application of different models in contemporary cases of ethnic conflicts, such as Northern Ireland, Israel-Palestine, Iraq, Turkey, and Sri Lanka. The objective is to equip students with a strong theoretical background and analytical skills. By the end of the course, students are expected to know how to prepare a research outline and submit a well-written and articulated paper that presents their analytical skills to integrate course materials into case studies.
INTERNATIONAL REGIMES: STATES, REGIMES, AND DEMOCRATIZATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST, Queen’s University, Political Studies, Canada, 2016-2017
The purpose of this course is to develop a conceptual and empirical understanding of interlocking relations about states, regimes, and political change in the Middle East. Students will have an opportunity to explore the dynamics of change and resilience in specific cases, such as Tunisia, Egypt, Turkey, Israel/Palestine, Iraq, and Syria. They will compare and contrast these various cases while expanding their horizons on the conceptual and empirical underpinnings of the regimes in the Middle East and beyond. The first half of the course deals with the definition of political regimes and regime types while the second half focuses on the question of political change and its certain aspects.
INTERNATIONAL CONFLICT ANALYSIS, Bogazici University Summer School, Istanbul, 2013
The purpose of this course is to make empirical and normative assessments of state policies vis-à-vis minority groups in ethnically divided societies. Most of the topics are based on the taxonomies provided by John McGarry and Brendan O’Leary in their co-authored book The Politics of Antagonism, which was published in 1993. This course also aims to explore alternative designs of state institutions in ethnically diverse societies. The first half of the course will examine the methods of difference elimination, while the second half is devoted to the analysis of the methods of difference management. The course will begin with a prelude to the subjects of state, nation and ethnic groups and end with the application of different models in contemporary cases of ethnic conflicts, such as Northern Ireland, Cyprus, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Sri Lanka.
TEACHING ASSISTANTSHIPS
- Teaching Assistant, DEVS 240: Culture and Development (2018);
- Teaching Assistant, POLS 241: Political Transformations (2018);
- Teaching Assistant, POLS242: Comparative Regimes (2016);
- Teaching Assistant, POLS 242A: Comparative Politics (2012; 2010);
- Guest Lecturer, POLS 243: Democracy and Democratization (2012);
- Teaching Assistant, POLS 243: Democracy and Democratization (2011);
- Head Teaching Assistant, POLS 243: States, Nations, and Democracy (2012);
- Teaching Assistant, POLS 101: Introduction to Politics (2010);
- Teaching Assistant, POLS 250: Political Theory (2009);
- Research Assistant, Prof. John McGarry and Prof. Margaret Moore (2012-2010;2008)
