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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "PL 359"
COURSE NAME: "History and Politics of Modern Iran"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Summer Session II 2022
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Farian Sabahi
EMAIL: [email protected]
 HOURS: MTWTH 11:10 AM 1:00 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: Pre-requisites: PL 209, PL 223 or Junior Standing
OFFICE HOURS:
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course will examine the history and the domestic and the foreign politics of modern Iran, highlighting its strategic role in the Middle East. It will analyse the institutional structure of the Islamic Republic, emphasizing how this political system can be classified as peculiar hybrid regime, and the role of Iranian civil society, particularly the youth and the women. Through critical analysis of the core texts and common explanatory theories (modernization theory, hybrid regimes theory, neoclassical realist theory), the course aims to examine Iran both before and after the 1979 Revolution to provide students with a multidisciplinary international relations perspective and a domestic political science approach.
SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

COURSE DESCRIPTION This course will examine the history and the domestic and the foreign politics of modern Iran, highlighting its strategic role in the Middle East. It will analyse the institutional structure of the Islamic Republic, emphasizing how this political system can be classified as peculiar hybrid regime, and the role of Iranian civil society, particularly the youth and the women. Through critical analysis of the core texts and common explanatory theories (modernization theory, hybrid regimes theory, neoclassical realist theory), the course aims to examine Iran both before and after the 1979 Revolution to provide students with a multidisciplinary international relations perspective and a domestic political science approach.

SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT An overview of Iran: an ethnic, religious, linguistic puzzle; Shi'i Islam; the nuclear deal (JCPOA) and international sanctions. Reza Khan's coup d’état in 1921. The rise of the modern State with Reza Shah Pahlavi (1925-1941). The Allies' invasion of Iran in 1941. Iran's role during WW2. The so-called “Children of Tehran”. The reign of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi (1941-1979). Mohammad Mosaddeq’s government and the coup d’état of 1953. The White Revolution of 1963. The Literacy Corps and its implications. Iran in the 1960s and 1970 and the economic reasons behind the Revolution of 1979. Ayatollah Khomeini. The main events leading to the Revolution of 1979 and the Islamic Republic. The seizure of the US hostages. The political institutions of the Islamic Republic. The Iran-Iraq war and its legacy. Khomeini's death in 1989. His successor Ali Khamenei. Presidents Rafsanjani, Khatami, Ahmadinejad, Rohani. Religious minorities in Iran. The Revolutionary Guards (Pasdaran). Gender issues.

TEACHING METHODS The course is based mainly on frontal lectures. Ppt and visual documentaries will integrate the teachings. If you must know the past to understand the present, a multidisciplinary approach is needed to seize the complexities of Iran. Besides history, other instruments such as economics, politics, religion, gender studies, demography, literature and cinema will be used in class. Occasionally, guest-scholars will integrate the teachings on specific topics related to the course programme, with the aim to provide different approaches to the events and processes under scrutiny.

 
LEARNING OUTCOMES:

At the end of the course, students will acquire a better understanding of a country characterized by complexity, will be able to understand how different Iran is compared to other countries in the Middle East, as well as the reasons behind the fears it raises within the West and amongst its regional rivals.
TEXTBOOK:
Book TitleAuthorPublisherISBN numberLibrary Call NumberCommentsFormatLocal BookstoreOnline Purchase
Revolutionary IranMichael AxworthyPenguin 978-0141046235 Students will be required also to read the materials published in the "schedule" section. Hard Copy  
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
NONE
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
Written assignment (I)at least 1500 words – mid-term30%
Written assignment (II) At least 1500 words – end of course30%
Final examat the end of the course30%
Attendance and class discussion 10%

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.
-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS AND EXAMINATION POLICY
You cannot make-up a major exam (midterm or final) without the permission of the Dean’s Office. The Dean’s Office will grant such permission only when the absence was caused by a serious impediment, such as a documented illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family (in which you must attend the funeral) or other situations of similar gravity. Absences due to other meaningful conflicts, such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused. Students who will be absent from a major exam must notify the Dean’s Office prior to that exam. Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused. Individual students who will have to miss class to observe a religious holiday should notify the instructor by the end of the Add/Drop period to make prior arrangements for making up any work that will be missed. The final exam period runs until ____________
ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.
STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.
SCHEDULE

SCHEDULE (tentative)

 

Week 1

 An overview of Iran: an ethnic, religious, linguistic puzzle; Shi'i Islam; the nuclear deal (JCPOA) and international sanctions.

 

Slides used in class: 

- Andreas Birken, Atlas of Islam, Brill, Leiden, 2010, pp. 20, 21, 86; 25, 26, 27.

- Ppt on Islam, its 5 pillars, the difference between Sunni and Shi’I Islam.

- Video by Ahmad Kiarostami - Kiosk: Love for Speed (Eshgh e Sorat) with English subtitles.

 

Suggested readings:

- Vali Nasr, The Shia Revival. How Conflicts within Islam Will Shape the Future, Norton, NY, 2006, pp. 227-254.

- Daryush Shayegan, Cultural Schizophrenia. Islamic Societies Confronting the West, Syracuse University Press, Syracuse, 1997, pp. Vii-x, 3-15, 22-29.

 

Reza Khan's coup d’état in 1921. The rise of the modern State with Reza Shah Pahlavi (1925-1941). Conscription. Persia becomes “Iran”.

Required reading:

- Ervand Abrahamian, Iran between Two Revolutions, Princeton Univ. Press, 1982, pp. 135-165.

 

Suggested readings:

- Cyrus Ghani, Iran and the Rise of Reza Shah. From Qajar Collapse to Pahlavi Power, I.B. Tauris, London, 1998, pp. 395-407 (epilogue).

- Stephanie Cronin, “Conscription and Popular Resistance in Iran (1925-1941)” in Eric J. Zürcher (ed.), Arming the State. Military Conscription in the Middle East and Central Asia 1775-1925, I.B. Tauris, London, 1999, pp. 145-168.

- Michael Zirinsky, “The Rise of Reza Khan”, in John Foran (ed.), Social Movements in Iran: Historical and Theoretical Perspectives, University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, 1994, pp. 44-77.

 

The Allies' invasion of Iran in 1941. Iran's role during WW2. The so-called “Children of Tehran” (documentary film on Polish refugees finding shelter in Iran in 1942, 33').

Required reading:

- Houman Sarshar (ed.), Ester's Children. A Portrait of Iranian Jews, The Center for Iranian Jewish Oral History, The Graduate Society Foundation, Beverly Hills, 2005, p. 246.

 

Further readings:

- Simin Daneshvar, Savushun. A Novel about Modern Iran, Mage, Washington D.C., 1990 (novel).

-Dorit Bader Whiteman, Lonek's Journey. The True Story of a Boy's Escape to Freedom, Star Bright Books, 2005 (memoir).

- Fariborz Mokhtari, In the Lion's Shadow. The Iranian Schindler and his Homeland in the Second World War, The History Press, 2011.

 

Week 2

The reign of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi (1941-1979). Mohammad Mosaddeq’s government and the coup d’état of 1953.

Required reading:

- Axworthy, Revolutionary Iran, Penguin, 2013, pp. 47-59.

 

Further readings:

- Abbas Milani, The Shah, Palgrave, NY, 2012.

-Ervand Abrahamian, The Coup: 1953, The CIA, and The Roots of Modern U.S.-Iranian Relations, The New York Press, New York, 2013. 

- Darioush Bayandor, Iran and the CIA. The Fall of Mosaddeq Revisited, Palgrave, NY, 2010.

- S. Kinzer, All the Shah’s Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror, Hoboken, John Wiley Sons, 2003.

 

The White Revolution of 1963. The Literacy Corps and its implications.

Required readings:

- The White Revolution of Iran by His Imperial Majesty Mohammad-Reza Pahlavi Aryamehr Shahanshah of Iran, The Imperial Pahlavi Library, Kayhan Press, Tehran, 1967, pp. 1-24.

- I.G. Edmonds, The Shah of Iran. The Man and His Lands, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York, 1976, chapter “Iran Today”, pp. 165-176.

 

Further readings:

- Ann Lambton, Landlord and Peasant in Persia, I.B. Tauris, London, 1991.

- Eric Hooglund, Land and Revolution in Iran 1960-1980, University of Texas Press, Austin, 1982.

- Farian Sabahi, The Literacy Corps in Pahlavi Iran (1963-79). Political, Social and Literary Implications, Sapiens Ed., Lugano, 2002.

 

Iran in the 1960s and 1970 and the economic reasons behind the Revolution of 1979. Kamran Shirdel's documentaries (on poverty and prostitution in Tehran).

Required reading:

- Axworthy, op. cit., pp. 59-75.

 

Further reading:

- Nikki Keddie, Roots of Revolution: An interpretive History of Modern Iran, Yale University Press, 1981.

 

Week 3

Ayatollah Khomeini's biography, writings and political views.

Required reading:

- Hamid Dabashi, Theology of Discontent. The Ideological Foundation of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, NY University Press, NY, 1993, pp. 409-484 (Khomeini: The Theologian of Discontent).

 

Further reading:

- Baqer Moin, Khomeini: Life of the Ayatollah, New York, St. Martin’s Press, 2000.

 

The main events leading to the Revolution of 1979 and the Islamic Republic. The seizure of the US hostages.

Required reading:

- Axworthy, op. cit., chapter 2 “The 1970 and the Slide to the Revolution”, pp. 76-132.

 

Suggested reading:

- Axworthy, op. cit., chapter 3 “Like the Person He Ought to Be: Islamic Republic, 1979-80”, pp. 133-186.

 

Week

The political institutions of the Islamic Republic.

Required reading:

- Asghar Schirazi, The Constitution of Iran: Politics and the State in the Islamic Republic, I. B. Tauris, London, 1997, 1-21, 291-308.

 

Further reading:

- Wilfried Buchta, Who Rules Iran? The Structure of Power in the Islamic Republic, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Washington, 2000.

 

Week 4

The Iran-Iraq war and its legacy.

Required reading:

- Axworthy, op. cit., chapter 4 “Jang-e Tahmili: The Imposed War, 1980-88”, pp. 187-267.

- Saeed Zaydabadi-Nejad, The Politics of Iranian Cinema. Film and society in the Islamic Republic, Routledge, Abingdon, pp. 56-69.

 

Further reading:

- Farhang Rajaee (ed.), The Iran-Iraq War. The Politics of Aggression, University Press of Florida, Gainesville, 1993.

 

Khomeini's death in 1989. His successor Ali Khamenei. Presidents Rafsanjani, Khatami, Ahmadinejad, Rohani.

Required readings:

- Axworthy, op. cit., chapter 5 “The End of the War, the Death of the Emam, and Reconstruction: Khamenei and Rafsanjani, 1988-97”, pp. 268-323.

-  Axworthy, op. cit., chapter 6 “Bim-e Mowj (Fear of the Wave): Khatami and Reform, 1997-2005”, pp. 324-369.

- Kasra Naji, Ahmadinejad. The Secret History of Iran's Radical Leader, I.B. Tauris, London, 2008, pp. xi-xiv (introduction), 1-56 (chapter 1, “From the Desert to the Palace”).

- Michael Axworthy's contributions: https://www.newstatesman.com/writers/321261

 

Suggested readings:

- Ali Ansari, Iran, Islam and Democracy. The Politics of Managing Change, The Royal Institute of International Affairs, London, chapters 4 and 5, pp. 52-109.

- Saeed Zaydabadi-Nejad, The Politics of Iranian Cinema. Film and society in the Islamic Republic, Routledge, Abingdon, pp. 90-100.

- Anoushirvan Ehteshami and Mahjoob Zweiri, Iran and the Rise of its Neoconservatives. The Politics of Tehran's Silent Revolution, I.B. Tauris, 2007.

 

Week 5

Religious minorities in Iran. The Sunnis. The Jews. Documentary film Jews of Iran by Ramin Farahani.

 

Required readings:

-Houman Sarshar (ed.), Ester's Children. A Portrait of Iranian Jews, The Center for Iranian Jewish Oral History, The Graduate Society Foundation, Beverly Hills, 2005, pp. 104-105.

-Farian Sabahi, “Iran, Iranian Media and Sunnite Islam”, in Brigitte Maréchal and Sami Zemni (eds.) The Dynamics of Sunni-Shia Relationships, Hurst, London, 2013, pp. 163-177.

 

The Revolutionary Guards (Pasdaran). Repression. The Green Movement of 2009.

Required reading:

- Asef Bayat, Why did Iran's Green Wave not feel the Arab Spring?, Sadighi Annual Lectures, Amsterdam, 2012.

- online report on the Revolutionary Corps by Counter Extremism Project: https://www.counterextremism.com/sites/default/files/threat_pdf/Islamic%20Revolutionary%20Guard%20Corps%20%28IRGC%29-10302018.pdf

 

Further reading:

- Hamid Dabashi, Iran, the Green Movement and the USA, Zeb Books, London, 2010.

 

Gender issues.

Required readings:

- Hassan Yousefi Eshkevari, “Rethinking Men's Authority over Women: Qiwama, Wilaya and their Underlying Assumptions”, in Ziba Mir-Hosseini, Kari Vogt, Lena Larsen and Christian Moe (eds.), Gender and Equality in Muslim Family Law, I.B. Tauris, London, 2013, pp. 191-212.

- Mohsen Kadivar, “Revisiting Women's Rights in Islam: 'Egalitarian Justice” in Lieu of 'Deserts-based Justice'”, in Ziba Mir-Hosseini, Kari Vogt, Lena Larsen and Christian Moe (eds.), Gender and Equality in Muslim Family Law, I.B. Tauris, London, 2013, pp. 213-236.

 

Further readings:

- Farian Sabahi, We, the Women of Tehran (PDF available).

- Parvin Paidar, Women and the political process in twentieth-century Iran, Cambridge Unviersity Press, Cambridge, 1995.

- Farah Azari, Women of Iran: The Conflict with Fundamentalist Islam, Ithaca Press, London, 1983.