AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF BEIRUT
Government and Politics in Lebanon
Professor Farid el Khazen
Spring 2004
Office Hours: Monday: 10:00-11:00
Wednesday: 10:00-11:00
Jesup Hall 207 or by appointment
Email: fk00@aub.edu.lb
Ext: 4330
This graduate course is intended to provide an in-depth analysis of the major themes and issues in contemporary Lebanese politics. The course is based partly on lectures, partly on discussions of the assigned readings. Students should be prepared to discuss the reading material critically and analytically on a weekly basis. Class participation, therefore, is an integral part of the course.
The focus of the course will be on Lebanese politics from the Mutasarrifiyya period in the mid-nineteenth century to the present. The following themes will be explored: the political system, confessionalism, political parties and political elites, the electoral process and political change, political crises and armed conflict, the socioeconomic scene and conflict, Lebanon's foreign relations, and the political process in the postwar period from 1990 to the present.
The first part of the course includes a brief historical introduction to modern Lebanese politics and history and an overview of the academic debate on Lebanese political system and on the approaches to the study of Lebanese politics in crisis and non-crisis situations.
Part two deals with the political system and its institutions in prewar and wartime Lebanon. It also covers communal relations, the political elites, the electoral process, and political parties and the way in which they influence the political process.
Part three situates Lebanese politics in comparative perspective both in the regional system (the Arab state system) and in international politics.
Part four examines the causes (political, social, economic) and nature of conflict (political, armed) in Lebanese society from the mid-nineteenth century to the present.
Part five covers Lebanese politics in the postwar period from 1990 to the present. It examines the following themes: the changing nature of political institutions, communal relations, economic reconstruction, Syrian-Lebanese relations, the south Lebanon war, and the changing regional and international scene and its impact on Lebanon.
In our discussion, an effort will be made to situate Lebanese politics in comparative perspective both within the regional context and in comparison with the experience of other developing countries.
Learning Outcomes:
If students complete the course satisfactorily, they are expected to develop the following skills:
v Student should acquire in depth knowledge of the evolution and workings of the Lebanese political system from the mid-nineteenth century to the present.
v Students should be able to analyze the major events that have marked Lebanese politics in crisis and non-crisis situations from 1920 to the present.
v Students should have developed critical reasoning of Lebanon’s political institutions, communal relations, electoral politics, and political parties.
v Students should be able to situate Lebanese politics in the broader context of comparative politics, particularly in Lebanon’s regional order.
v Students should be familiar with the major literature on contemporary Lebanese politics and society.
Major Works on Modern Lebanon (listed in alphabetical order)
On pre-20th century Lebanon
Akarli, Engin, The Long Peace: Ottoman Lebanon, 1861-1920 (1993).
Chevallier, Dominique, La Société du Mont Liban à l'époque de la Révolution Industrielle en Europe (1971).
Fawaz, Leila Tarazi, An Occasion for War. Civil Conflict in Lebanon and Damascus in 1860 (1994).
Gemayel, Nasser, Les Echanges Culturels entre les Maronites et l'Europe: du Collège Maronite de Rome (1584) au Collège de 'Ayn Warqa (1789) (1984).
Harik, Iliya F., Politics and Change in a Traditional Society: Lebanon 1711-1845 (1968).
Khalaf, Samir, Persistence and Change in 19th Century Lebanon: A Sociological Essay (1979).
Khater, Akram Fouad, inventing Home, Emigration, Gender, and the Middle Class in Lebanon, 1870-1920 (2001)
Labaki, Boutros, Introduction à l'Histoire Economique du Liban: Soie et Commerce Extérieur en Fin de Période Ottomane, 1840-1914 (1984).
Makdisi, Ussama, The Culture of Sectarianism. Community, History, and Violence in Nineteenth-Century Ottoman Lebanon (2000).
Polk, William R., The Opening of South Lebanon, 1788-1840: A Study of the Impact of the West on the Middle East (1963).
Rizk, Karam, Le Mont Liban au Dixneuvième Siècle. De l'Imara à la Mutasarrifiyya (1994).
Spagnolo, John P., France and Ottoman Lebanon, 1861-1914 (1977).
Tarazi Fawaz, Leila, Merchants and Migrants in Nineteenth Century Beirut (1983).
Thompson, Elizabeth, Colonial Citizens. Republican rights, Paternal Privilege, And Gender in French Syria and Lebanon (2000).
Van Leeuwen, Richard. Notables and Clergy in Mount Lebanon. The Khazin Sheikhs and the Maronite Church (1736-1840) (1994).
On the period 1920-1975
Ajami, Fouad, The Vanished Imam: Musa al-Sadr and the Shia of Lebanon (1986).
Beydoun, Ahmad, Identité Confessionnelle et Temps Social chez les Historiens Libanais Contemporains (1984).
Binder, Leonard, ed, Politics in Lebanon (1966).
Chiha, Michel, Politique Intérieure (1964).
Dagher, Albert, L'Etat et l'Economie au Liban: Action Gouvernementale et Finances Publiques de l'Indépendance à 1975 (1995).
Dubar, Claude and Nasr, Salim, Les Classes Sociales au Liban (1976).
El Khazen, Farid, The Communal Pact of National Identities: The Making and Politics of the 1943 National Pact (1991).
El Khazen, Farid, The Breakdown of the State in Lebanon, 1967-1976, (1999).
Entelis, John P., Pluralism and Party Transformation in Lebanon. Al-Kata'ib, 1936-1970 (1974).
Firro, Kais, Inventing Lebanon, Nationalism and the State under the Mandate (2002).
Gates, Carolyn L. The Merchant Republic of Lebanon. Rise of an Open Economy (1998).
Gaunson, A.B., The Anglo-French Clash in Lebanon and Syria, 1940-1945 (1987).
Gendzier, Irene L., Notes From the Minefield. United States Intervention in Lebanon and the Middle East, 1945-1958 (1997).
Gilsenan, Michael Lords of the Lebanese Marches. Violence and Narrative in an Arab Society (1996).
Goria, Wade R., Sovereignty and Leadership in Lebanon, 1943-1976 (1985).
Harik, Iliya F., Mann Yahkum Lubnan (1972).
Hokayem, Antoine, La Genèse de la Constitution Libanaise de 1926 (1996).
Hourani, Albert and Shehadi, Nadim (eds) The Lebanese in the World. A Century of Emigration (1992).
Hudson, Michael C., The Precarious Republic: Political Modernization in Lebanon (1968/1985).
Johnson, Michael, Class and Client in Beirut: The Sunni Muslim Community and the Lebanese State, 1840-1985 (1986).
Kalawoun, Nasser. The Struggle for Lebanon. A Modern History of Lebanese-Egyptian Relations (2000).
Khalaf, Samir, Lebanon's Predicament (1987).
Khuri, Fuad I., From Village to Suburb: Order and Change in Greater Beirut (1975).
Messarra, Antoine Nasri, Le Modèle Politique Libanais et sa Survie: Essai sur la Classification et l'Aménagement d'un Système Consociatif (1983).
Messarra, Antoine. 1994. Théorie Générale du Système Politique Libanais. Paris: Cariscript.
Nassar, Nassif, Nahwa Mujtama' Jadid. Muqadimat Asasiyya fi Naqd al-Mujtama' al-Ta'ifi. (1970).
Picard, Elizabeth, Lebanon. A Shattered Country (1996).
Qubain, Fahim I., Crisis in Lebanon (1961).
Rabbath, Edmond, La Formation Historique du Liban Politique et Constitutionnel: Essai de Synthèse (1986).
Salibi, Kamal S., The Modern History of Lebanon (1965).
Schemeil, Yves, Sociologie du Système Politique Libanais (1976).
Sharara, Waddah, Al-Silm al-Ahli al-Barid: Lubnan al-Mujtama' wa al-Dawla, 1964-1967 (2 vol.) (1980).
Shtai, Shawqat, Al-Shuyu’iyyun wa al-Kata’ib: Tajribat al-Tarbiya al-Hizbiyya fi Lubnan (1997).
Smock, David and Smock, Audrey, The Politics of Pluralism: A Comparative Study of Lebanon and Ghana (1975).
Suleiman, Michael W., Political Parties in Lebanon: The Challenge of a Fragmented Political Culture (1967).
Zamir, Meir, The Formation of Modern Lebanon (1985).
Zamir, Meir. Lebanon's Quest. The Road to Statehood 1926-1939. (1997).
Zisser, Eyal, Lebanon. The Challenge of Independence (2000).
On Wartime Lebanon
Abul-Husn, Latif, The Lebanese Conflict, Looking Inward (1998).
Avi-Ran, Reuven, The Syrian Involvement in Lebanon Since 1975 (1991).
Barakat, Halim (ed.). Toward A Viable Lebanon (1988).
Cobban, Helena, The Making of Modern Lebanon (1985).
Chamussy, René, Chronique d'une Guerre: Le Liban, 1975-1977 (1978).
Dawisha, Adeed I., Syria and the Lebanese Crisis (1980).
Deeb, Marius, The Lebanese Civil War (1980).
El Khazen, Farid. The Breakdown of the State in Lebanon, 1967-1976 (2000).
Evron, Yair, War and Intervention in Lebanon: The Israeli-Syrian Deterrence Dialogue (1987).
Haley Edward P. and Lewis W. Snider (eds) Lebanon in Crisis: Participants and Issues (1979).
Hanf, Theodor, Coexistence in Wartime Lebanon: Decline of a State and Rise of a Nation (1993).
Jaber, Hala, Hezbollah. Born with a Vengeance (1997).
Johnson, Michael, All Honourable Men, The Social Origins of War in Lebanon (2001)
Kassir, Samir, La Guerre du Liban: De la Dissension Nationale au Conflit Régional (1994).
Khalaf, Samir, Civil and Uncivil Violence in Lebanon: a History of the Internationalization of Communal Conflict (2002)
Khalidi, Walid, Conflict and Violence in Lebanon: Confrontation in the Middle East (1979).
Labaki, Boutros and Abou Rjeily, Khalil. Bilan des Guerres du Liban 1975-1990 (1993).
Laurent, Annie et Basbous, Antoine, Guerres Secrètes au Liban (1987).
McDermott and K. Skjelsback, The Multinational Force in Beirut, 1982-1984 (1991).
Nisan, Mordechai, The Conscience of Lebanon: A Political Biography Etienne Sakr (Abu-Arz) (2003).
Norton, Augustus Richard, Amal and the Shi'a: Struggle for the Soul of Lebanon (1987).
Owen Roger (ed) Essays on the Crisis in Lebanon. (1976).
Pakradouni, Karim, La Paix Manquée: Le Mandat d'Elias Sarkis, 1978-1982 (1984).
Petran, Tabitha, The Struggle Over Lebanon (1987).
Rabinovich, Itamar, The War for Lebanon, 1970-1985 (1985).
Ranstorp, Magnus. Hizb'Allah in Lebanon. The Politics of the Western Hostage Crisis (1997).
Salem, Elie, Violence and Diplomacy in Lebanon, 1982-1988 (1995).
Salibi, Kamal S., A House of Many Mansions: The History of Lebanon Reconsidered (1988).
Salibi, Kamal S., Crossroads to Civil War: Lebanon 1958-1976 ( 1976).
Sharara, Waddah, Dawlat Hizbollah. Lubnan Mujtama'n Islamiyyan (1996).
Shehadi, Nadim and Dana Haffar Mills (eds.), Lebanon: a History of Conflict and Consensus (1988).
Weinberger, Naomi Joy. Syrian Intervention in Lebanon. The 1975-76 Civil War (1986).
Winslow, Charles. Lebanon: War and Politics in a Fragmented Society (1996).
Yaniv, Avner, Dilemmas of Security, Strategy, and the Israeli Experience in Lebanon (1987).
On Postwar Lebanon
Collings, Deirdre (ed.), Peace For Lebanon: From War to Reconstruction (1994).
Deeb, Marius, Syria’s Terrorist War in Lebanon and the Peace process (2003).
Ellis, Kail (ed.), Lebanon’s Second Republic, Prospects for the Twenty-First Century (2002).
Harris, William, Faces of Lebanon. Sects, Wars, and Global Extensions (1997).
Hanf, Theodor and Nawaf Salam, (eds), Lebanon in Limbo. Postwar Society and State in an Uncertain Regional Environment. (2003).
Hollis, Rosemary and Nadim Shehadi (eds), Lebanon on Hold. Implications for Middle East Peace (1996).
El Khazen, Farid, Lebanon's First Postwar Parliamentary Election: An Imposed Choice. (1998).
Kiwan, Fadia (ed.), Le Liban Aujourd'hui (1994).
Maila, Joseph., The Document of National Understanding: A Commentary (1992).
Malik, Habib C., Between Damascus and Jerusalem. Lebanon and the Middle East Peace (1993).
Mansour, Albert, Al Inqilab ala al-Taif (1993).
Norton, Augustus Richard, Hizballah of Lebanon: Extremist Ideals vs Mundane Politics (1999).
Picard, Elizabeth, The Demobilization of the Lebanese Militias (1999).
Saad-Gorayeb, Amal, Hizba’llah:Politics and Religion (2002).
Useful Websites on Lebanon: www.lebanonwire.com
www.meib.org (Middle East Intelligence Bulletin)
Required Readings (placed on reserve in Jafet library)
Books recommended for purchase:
- Kamal Salibi, Modern History of Lebanon is a general historical overview of Lebanon's historical development until the early 1960s; Michael Hudson, The Precarious Republic and Leonard Binder (ed.), Politics in Lebanon cover Lebanese politics until the mid-1960s; Farid el Khazen, The Breakdown of the State in Lebanon, 1967-1976 deals with the period that immediately preceded the war and the first two years of the war; Theodor Hanf, Coexistence in Wartime Lebanon is a comprehensive account of the war (excluding chap. 7); Joseph Maila, The Document of National Understanding is a thorough analysis of the Taif Agreement.
Part I: Approaches to the Study of Lebanon
I. Introduction and Historical Background
See works listed above under pre-20th century Lebanon. Highly recommended:
Kamal Salibi, The Modern History…, Iliya Harik, Politics and Change..., Engin Akarli, The Long Peace...;/ Ussama Makdisi, The Culture of Sectarianism...
II. Views on Lebanon: The Academic Debate
- Edward Shils, “The Prospect for Lebanese Civility”, in L. Binder (ed.), Politics in Lebanon, pp. 1-11.
- Michael Hudson, “A Case of Political Development”, Journal of Politics, no. 4 (1967): 821-837.
- Iliya Harik, “The Ethnic Revolution and Political Integration in the Middle East”, IJMES (July 1972): 303-323.
- Samir Khalaf, “On the Dialectics of Tradition and Modernity”, in Lebanon’s Parliament (1987): 1-21.
- David and Audrey Smock, The Politics of Pluralism... (1976): 304-334.
- Farid el Khazen, The Breakdown of the State (2000): 13-27.
Recommended readings:
- Akarli, Engin, The Long Peace: Ottoman Lebanon, 1861-1920 (1993).
- Harik, Illiya F., Politics and Change in a traditional Society: Lebanon 1711-1845 (1968).
- Salibi, Kamal S., The Modern History of Lebanon (1965).
- Makdisi, Ussama, The Culture of Sectarianism. Community, History, and Violence in Nineteenth-Century Ottoman Lebanon (2000).
- Zamir, Meir, The Formation of Modern Lebanon (1985).
- Zisser, Eyal, Lebanon. The Challenge of Independence (2000).
Part II: Institutions, Process, Communities, and Actors
III. The Political System and Its Institutions
- Theodor Hanf, Coexistence in Wartime Lebanon, "The Lebanese Model, Coexistence in Pre-war Lebanon", pp. 45-140 and "The Clouding Horizon, Non Lebanese Factors of Conflict", pp. 141-178 (chapters 2, 3)
- Michael Hudson, The Precarious Republic, "Lebanon's Political Dilemma", pp. 87-121 (chap. 3), "The Establishment and Its Politics", pp. 125-167 (chap. 4), "The Radical Outsiders", pp. 168-207 (chap. 5).
- Michael Hudson, "The Problem of Authoritative Power...", pp. 224-239, in Nadim Shehadi and Dana Mills (ed.), Lebanon: a History of Conflict and Consensus (1988): 224-239.
- Malcolm Kerr, "Political Decision Making in a Confessional Democracy", in L. Binder, Politics in Lebanon pp. 167-212
- Elie Salem, "Cabinet Politics in Lebanon", Middle East Journal (Autumn 1967): 488-502.
- Ralph Crow, "Parliament in the Lebanese Political System", in A. Korinberg and L. Muslof (eds), Legislatures in Developmental Perspectives (1970): 273-302.
IV. Confessionalism, Identities, and Pact Making
- Farid el Khazen, The Communal Pact of National Identities... (1991).
- Farid el Khazen, The Breakdown..., pp. 379-393 (chapters 28, 29).
- Michael Hudson, The Precarious Republic..., pp. 17-52 (chap. 1).
- Smock and Smock, The Politics of Pluralism, pp. 109-151 (chapter 4).
Halim Barakat, “Social and Political Integration in Lebanon: a case of Social Mosaic”, Middle East Journal (summer 1973).
V. Communities and the Political Process
- Farid el Khazen, The Breakdown of the State in Lebanon..., pp. 31-72 (chapters 3, 4, 5).
- Iliya Harik, The Maronite Church and Political Change in Lebanon", in L. Binder (ed.), pp. 31-55.
- Fouad Ajami, The Vanished Imam... , pp. 52-122 (chapters 2, 3).
- Albert Hourani, "The Ideologies of the Mountain and the City", in Roger Owen, (ed.) Essays on the Crisis in Lebanon (1976), pp. 33-41.
- David and Audrey Smock, The Politics of Pluralism (1975), pp. 75-108.
- Michael Johnson, Class and Client in Beirut. The Sunni Muslim Community... (1988).
- Fouad Khuri, "Secularization and Ulama Networks Among Sunni and Shia Religious Officials", in H. Barakat (ed.), pp. 68-98.
VI. Political Elites and the Electoral Process
- Engin Akarli, The Long Peace..., pp. 82-101, 184-192 (chapters 4, 7, 9).
- Iliya Harik, "Political Elite of Lebanon", in George Lenczowski (ed.) Elites in the Middle East (1975): 201-220.
- Arnold Hottinger, "Zu'ama in Historical Perspective", in L. Binder (ed.), Politics in Lebanon, pp. 85-105.
- Samir Khalaf, "The Parliamentary Elite", in Lebanon's Predicament, pp. 121-145.
- Farid el Khazen, Lebanon's Communal Elite-Mass Politics: The Institutionalization of Disintegration" The Beirut Review (Spring 1992): 53-82.
- Farid el Khazen, Kamal Jumblatt, "The Uncrowned Druze Prince of the Left", Middle Eastern Studies (spring 1988): 178-205.
- Wade Goria, Sovereignty and Leadership in Lebanon (1985), pp. 58-87 (chap. 3).
- Antoine Messarra, La Structure Sociale du Parlement Libanais 1920-1976 (1977).
VII. Political Parties
- Michael Suleiman, Political Parties in Lebanon... (1967).
- Labib Zuwiyya Yamak, The Syrian Social Nationalist Party. An Ideological Analysis (1966).
- John Entelis, Pluralism and Party Transformation in Lebanon, Al-Kata'ib, 1936-1970 (1974).
- Frank Stoakes, "The Supervigilantes: The Lebanese Kataeb Party As Builder, Surrogate and Defender of the State", Middle Eastern Studies (October 1975): 232-??
- Nazih Richani, Dilemmas of Democracy and Political Parties in Sectarian Societies. The Case of the Progressive Socialist Party of Lebanon 1949-1946 (1998).
- Richard Augustus Norton, Amal and the Shia..., pp. 37-83 (chapters 3, 4, 5).
- Lewis Snider, "The Lebanese Forces: Their Origins and Role in Lebanon's Politics", Middle East Journal (Winter 1984): 1-33.
- Waddah Sharara, Dawlat Hizbollah, Lubnan Mujtama'n Islamiyyan (1996).
- Augustus Richard Norton, Hizballah of Lebanon: Extremist Ideals vs Mundane Politics (2000).
Recommended readings:
- El Khazen Farid, The Breakdown of the State in Lebanon, 1967-1976, (2000).
- Binder, Leonord,ed, Politics in Lebanon (1966).
- Hudson, Michael C., The Precarious Republic: Political Modernization in Lebanon (1968/1985)
Part III: Conflicts and External Relations
VIII. Causes and Nature of Lebanon’s conflicts
- Fahim Qubain, Crisis in Lebanon (1961).
- Farid el Khazen, The Breakdown..., Part III to Part VIII, pp. 87-394.
- Theodor Hanf, Coexistence..., pp. 179-360.
- Marius Deeb, The Lebanese Civil War (1980), pp. 21-31, 60-70.
- Charles Issawi, "Economic Development and Political Liberalism in Lebanon", in Binder (ed.), pp. 69-81.
- Iliya Harik, "The Economic and Social Factors in the Lebanese Crisis", Journal of Arab Affairs (April 1982): 209-244.
- Carolyn Gates, The Merchant Republic of Lebanon... (1998), pp. 136-151 (chap. 7).
- Farid el Khazen, The Breakdown...., pp. 250-266, 267-281 (chapters 19, 20).
Farid El Khazen, “Eroding Conflict in Wartime Lebanon; Reform, Sovereignty, and Power, 1976-88” Middle Eastern Studies (January, 2004) 65-84
IX. Lebanon in Regional and International Politics
- Irene Gendzier, "The Declassified Lebanon...", in Halim Barakat (ed.), Toward a Viable Lebanon (1988), pp. 187-209. (Book by same author, Notes from the Minefield) (1998).
- Michael Hudson, "The United States' Involvement in Lebanon", in Barakat (ed.), pp. 210-231.
- Robert Freedman, "The Soviet Union and the Crisis in Lebanon...", in Barakat (ed.), pp. 232-276.
- Robert Stookey, "The United States", in Haley and Snider (eds.), Lebanon in Crisis (1979), pp. 225-248.
- William Quandt, "Reagan's Foreign Policy: Trial and Error", Middle East Journal (Spring 1984): 237-254.
- Henry Kissinger, Years of Renewal (1999), pp. 1019-1058.
- Barbara Gregory, "US Relations with Lebanon: A Troubled Course", American-Arab Affairs (Winter 1991): 62-93.
- Yair Evron, War and Intervention in Lebanon... (1987).
- Avner Yaniv, Dilemmas of Security... (1987).
- Naomi Weinberger, Syrian Intervention in Lebanon... (1986).
Recommended readings:
- El Khazen Farid, The Breakdown of the State in Lebanon, 1967-1976, (2000).
- Hanf, Theodor, Coexistence in Wartime Lebanon: Decline of a State and Rise of a Nation (1993).
Part IV: The Postwar Period
- Joseph, Maila The Document of National Understanding: A Commentary. Oxford: Center for Lebanese Studies (1992).
- William, Harris, Faces of Lebanon (1997), "Ta'if Lebanon, 1990-96", pp. 279-322.
- Elizabeth, Picard, The Demobilization of the Lebanese Militias (1999).
- Farid, El Khazen, Lebanon's First Postwar Parliamentary Election, 1992, An Imposed Choice (Oxford: Centre for Lebanese Studies, 1998).
XI. The Political Process and Reconstruction: 1992 – Present
- Farid el Khazen, The Postwar Political Process: Authoritarianism by Diffusion”, in Hanf and Salam (eds), Lebanon in Limbo (2003): 53-74.
- Farid el Khazen, “Political Parties in Postwar Lebanon: Parties in Search of Partisans”, Middle East Journal (Automn, 2003): 605-624.
- Guilain Denoeux and Robert Springborg, "Hariri's Lebanon: Singapore of the Middle East or Sanaa of the Levant", Middle East Policy (October 1999), pp. 158-173.
- Salim Nasr, “The New Social Map”, in Hanf and Salam (eds), Lebanon in Limbo (2003): 143-158.
- Theodor Hanf, “The Sceptical Nation: Opinions and Attitudes Twelve Years After the End of the War”, in Hanf and Salam (eds), Lebanon in Limbo (2003): 197-228.
- Amer Bisat and Mohamad Hammour, "Economic Prospects for a Postwar Lebanon", in S. Fischer, D. Rodrik, E. Tuma, The Economies of Middle East Peace (1993): 155-179.
- Habib C. Malik, Between Damascus and Jerusalem, Lebanon and Middle East Peace (1997): 25-45 and 65-78.
- Sami E. Baroudi, “Conflict and Cooperation Within Lebanon’s Business Community: Relations Between merchants’ and Industrialists’ Associations”, Middle Eastern Studies (October 2001): 71-100.
Recommended readings:
- Harris, William, Faces of Lebanon. Sects, Wars, and global Extensions (1997)
- Habib, C. Malik, Between Damascus and Jerusalem, Lebanon and Middle East Peace (1997)
T. Hanf and N. Salam (eds), Lebanon in Limbo (2003).
Students are required to write three short papers (4 to 5 pages typed, double-spaced) and one paper (12 to 15 pages) due at the end of the semester on topics discussed in the course in addition to one presentation.
Grade distribution is as follows: 15% on each of the three papers
15% on class participation
40% on the final paper.
Class attendance is mandatory. Any student who misses more than one fifth of the class sessions will be required to withdraw from the course.