AP/POLS 4422 3.00
Contemporary Iran: From Revolution to Dissent
This course explores contemporary Iran, and addresses questions regarding the relationship between the state and civil society, causes of regime change and the rise of Islamic theocracy. It has three interrelated goals: 1) develop familiarity with the basic aspects of modern Iranian history, 2) offer analytical tools for an in-depth understanding of the contemporary politics in Iran, and 3) generate theoretical insights into the question of how modern politics have been perceived and practiced in Iran from the late nineteenth century to the present. Themes include Iran’s encounter with modernity, Iranian intellectual trends, the causes and consequences of the 1979 revolution, and the nature of the post-revolutionary political system. The course covers the major turning points of the past thirty-five years in Iran, notably the role of women, intellectuals and students and the rise of reformism in the Islamic Republic of Iran.