Course Offerings

This course examines the pillars of Sino-MENA engagement and explores the economic, political, and sociocultural implications of growing Chinese involvement in the region and offers students the opportunity to engage directly with academics and policymakers involved in this expanding and important field of study.

This course introduces students to the key themes in the political economy of the Middle East region, with a focus on Gulf Arab states. Engaging with the mainstream theoretical and empirical debates in social sciences, the course seeks to emphasize the deep, structural dimensions of political economy. Apart from building a general regional profile, the course will highlight important nuances and differences across the states and territories of the Gulf Arab region.

This course introduces students to the fundamentals of policy analysis. While this course focuses on the Middle East region, it is designed to benefit any student of international affairs seeking to enhance their policy analysis skills. Students will learn the analytical tools needed to weigh different policy approaches to a given issue and identify potential consequences of proposed policies. Through workshops and facilitated discussions with global experts, students will learn how to think and write like policy analysts across a range of industries.

Special economic zones (SEZs) are important components of development trajectories in Middle Eastern, Asian, and Latin American economies. This course provides students with an introduction to SEZs as well as the related entities of free zones and economic zones. By the end of the course, students will better understand how SEZs support domestic development initiatives as well as facilitate trade and investment flows within the global economy. 

Oil and gas dynamics remain crucial indicators of global economic wellbeing, as demonstrated by the oil price drop of 2020 and the significant price rebound of 2021-22. Energy-related considerations are at the heart of crisis caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the global response. Climate change-related initiatives will eventually pick up steam again. This course examines how global energy trends will impact oil- and gas-producing countries in the Middle East as well as how Middle Eastern energy dynamics influence the rest of the globe.