Special Topics Courses in Political Science for Fall 2010

from Prof. Darren Hawkins
Political Science Department Chair

IR Students,

We have a couple of political science classes that have been recently placed on the course listings. Some of them are not typically listed for credit for the IR major, but I’ve made arrangements with Prof. Phillips, IR program coordinator, to have them count. Please consider enrolling in them:

PlSc 359R, Section 003: Political Economy of Communism and Post-Communism: Will count for the International Politics track or the European Politics and History Track.

PlSc349R, Section 001: Game Theory. Will count for the Political Economy track. Game theory is fundamental to much economic and political analysis and will explore strategy and logic in politics and the marketplace. A valuable course in developing more rigorous and strategic thinking!

Thanks.

Political Economy of the Middle East this Fall

from Donna Lee Bowen, director of the MESA degree and member of the IR committee:

MESA is offering a mini-course on Foundations of Middle East Economics. Jamal Qureshi, SAIS graduate and oil analyst will explore the principles that underlie Middle East politics.

International Relations and Political Science students are welcome to enroll.

The course will be .5 credit hours and will run September 28-30 from 5:30-8 p.m.

"Follow The Money: Understanding The Economic Underpinnings of the Middle East" Jamal Qureshi presents a survey of the basic economic structures of the Middle East which includes the role of oil, population and demographic change, labor issues, water shortages, challenges in agriculture and so forth. He connects these phenomena to the political and social structures prevalent in the area and unpacks the challenges resulting from these economic factors. Qureshi’s goal is to give students a basic toolkit for understanding how the financial and economic lifeblood of the region works and how they can then use that as a tool to better understand things which they might otherwise tend to see from more one-dimensional political or cultural angles. This mini-course will help de-mystify the region and help deconstruct the fatal tendency to see the Middle East as the "other". Instead he will present an area that at its core operates on the same basic human dynamics as anywhere else.

Jamal Qureshi is a 1998 graduate of BYU with a BA in Near Eastern Studies and an Arabic minor. He is married with three children and served in the England London Mission from 1995-1997. After spending a year studying Arabic on a Fulbright grant at the American University in Cairo (AUC), he went on to obtain his M.A. in International Relations and Economics from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington DC. Born in Colorado and having lived in numerous places in the US, he has also spent many years abroad living in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Palestine, the UK, and Norway. His decade of professional experience includes having worked at the US State and Treasury departments, ExxonMobil's public affairs division, as the lead oil market analyst at consultancy PFC Energy in Washington DC, as the on-desk fundamentals analyst for Barclays Capital's crude and oil products traders in New York City, as a fundamentals analyst and hedge fund liaison at Hess Energy Trading Company (Hetco) in New York City, and now as the lead crude oil and refining trading analyst for Statoil (the Norwegian state oil company) in Stavanger, Norway. While oil markets are his specific professional niche, he considers participation in these markets an ideal perch for gaining a broader understanding of the interaction of markets, economics, politics, and the struggles of the developing world.

Beijing Study Abroad Summer 2010

All IR majors should have received this email a couple of weeks ago, but in case some didn't...

The Kennedy Center has initiated a new study abroad program in Beijing (summer 2010 term) to serve the interests of IR and Asian Studies majors. Below are the details of the program. If you are interested and have any questions please contact the International Relations or Asian Studies faculty advisors.

Beijing China Summer Term Study Abroad
Summer Term 2010

Program Details

The People’s Republic of China is emerging as one of the world’s leading economic and military powers. It has a rich history and Beijing is the historical and contemporary cultural and political capitol of China. The focus of the program is contemporary Chinese foreign relations and culture. The program emphasizes international relations, Asian Studies, political science and history. Although designed for students that haven’t studied Chinese or are at the intermediate level. Advanced Chinese language students can be accommodated through independent study. Course offered can be counted toward the IR, Political Science, and Asian Studies majors. Language credit can be arranged through the Department of Asian and Near Eastern Languages.

Course Offerings
• Asian 330R Sino-American Relations (3hrs.)
• Asian 330R Politics and Culture (3 hrs.)
• Chinese language (beginning, intermediate, independent study) (3-4 hrs)

Where do Students Live?
Students live in the newly constructed international students dorms at the Chinese Foreign Affairs University located near the center of Beijing.

Semester/Dates
June 21-August 9, 2010
Application deadline is 29 January 2010

How Much Does This Cost?
• Estimated $3800-4200
• Includes LDS, undergraduate tuition (increased cost for graduate and non-LDS students).
• Does not include airfare, personal expenses, or most meals

Interested Students Should Contact:
Director: Eric Hyer is a member of the Political Science Department and specializes in Chinese politics. He has lived for many years in Taiwan and China and from 1995-1996 was a Fulbright Scholar at China Foreign Affairs University.
Director Contact Information: 209 HRCB, Tel: 422-4699, Email: eric_hyer@byu.edu

Econ 431 - Economic Development

Please note there is a typographical error in the course catalog this year regarding Economics 431. The prerequisites for the class are Econ 380 and either Econ 388 or PlSc 328. Until this year Econ 382 was a prerequisite for the course. The economics department has dropped that requirement, but since Econ 380 was and is a prerequisite for Econ 382, it was not listed previously as a requirement for Econ 431.

You will still need to complete Econ 380 before you can enroll in any 400-level economics course. Econ 432 and Econ 459 also require Econ 381 as a prerequisite. Be sure you make your academic plans accordingly.