POL 220 Exam 1 Study Guide

Take-home essays (approximately 1½ - 2 pages; 400 - 500 words): due the class period before each exam. You can find out the latest essay topics at www.stchas.edu/faculty/proesler/220/220_Assignments.html.

Look at the map on page 6: be able to identify Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Jordon on a map.
Discuss the importance of water in the Middle East.
H.ow important is "nationality" to most people of the Middle East? Why are Egypt and Iran exceptions?
Differentiate western individualism with the Middle Eastern focus on the family.
Which emporer presided over the first Church Council which established the Nicene Creed? Why was this significant?
How did the writings of Plato and Aristotle survive the purge of the Byzantine empire?

What are the three "Abrahamic" faiths? How are they similar (discuss the lecture's comparison of the various sacred texts treatment of women)?
Discuss what happened to the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem. How does the Arch of Titus in Rome (see photo) reflect what happened nearly 2000 years ago?
What is Zionism? What factors led Jews to push for this?
What is significant about the Council of Nicaea?
How does Kulman explain the Koran's "variations" from verse to verse? What does it mean to say that it is "fruitless to engage in debates" about what makes a good Muslim?
Contrast the Islamic and Christian perspective on Jesus.
How does the Bart Ehrman clip illustrate the difference between Christianity and Islam regarding their sacred texts?
How does the Kaaba pertain to Isaac / Ishmael?
BRIEFLY explain the five pillars of Islam.
Distinguish between Sunni and Shiite Islam.
What was the significance of the Abbasid dynasty ending Ijtihad?
Contrast the different connotations of the Crusades in the West and in the Middle East. Use the example of the sacking of Constantinople in the Fourth Crusade to help explain why Westerners were eager to forget them.

According to the film Islam, Empire of Faith,, why did Islam spread so easily and quickly?
In general, how did Muslims historically treat religious minorities?
Give examples (from Overbye and the film) of Muslim scienific and technological superiority in the 10th through 14th centuries.
Explain the millet system of justice in the Ottoman empire. Contrast tolerance of religious minorities under Ottoman rule with religious minorities in Catholic Spain?
How far east and west did Sulayman's empire reach?
What was the impact of World War I on the Ottoman empire?

Discuss the alliances during WWI and the double-dealing on the part of the Western powers.
Discuss the negative effects of colonialism on the region.
Discuss Pan-Arab nationalism and Pan-Islamism. Why would the Ottomans promote one but not the other? Which did opponents of Ottoman rule (such as Lawrence of Arabia) focus on?
How did the Cold War affect the Middle East?
Discuss Manji's explanation of "the trouble with Islam."
Briefly discuss three theories on the collapse of Muslim power and the rise of European power. With which do you agree the most? Which of these theories do you think best explains what happened?

End of Quiz 1 Stuff

NOTE: some of the above material is NOT onQuiz1, but WILL be on Exam 1

Explain Huntington’s cultural divisions. Why does Roesler find these divisions too simplistic?
Discuss Huntington's 'clash of civilizations.' Do other explanations, such as the impact of colonialism, better explain fighting between Muslims & non-Muslims?
Give examples of religious fundamentalists (Christian, Jewish and Muslim) helping set government policy (give an example from each religion). Do you agree with the 60 Minutes statement that "we have to get God out of this conflict." Why?
Huntington argues that the West needs "to exploit differences and conflicts among Confucian and Islamic states; to support in other civilizations groups sympathetic to Western values and interests; to strengthen international institutions that reflect and legitimate Western interests and values and to promote the involvement of non-Western states in those institutions. Do you agree with his prescription?
What did Said mean when he argues that the "Clash of Civilizations thesis is a "gimmick … better for reinforcing defensive self-pride than for critical understanding of the bewildering interdependence of our time.”
What does Roesler argue are the 3 reasons why the increase in globalization has led to increased resentment of the US?
What does Michael Scheuer argue about US foreign policy?

Watch this Daily Show clip on US/Saudi relatioons (from about 1 minute to 4 minutes). What was Jon Stewart’s point regarding relationship between the US and Saudi Arabia in the last 100 years?
Discuss the Lebanese power-sharing agreement between Muslims and Maronite Christians. How did our siding with the Christians affect Muslim attitudes towards us and what happened in 1983?
According to the R/C text, when did US Foreign Policy tilt in favor of Israel?
What do Mearsheimer and Walt argue about the "Israel Lobby?" How does this and the 60 Minutes (Zion's Christian Soldiers clip) illustrate the role of interest groups in US Foreign Policy-making?
According to this Colber clip, what does Michael Scheuer argue is the motivation for Arab anger?

What role did the Ottoman Empire have in preserving a common Middle Eastern culture, including food, and culture?

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