FGV?s International Relations Center, based at the School of Social Sciences (CPDOC), will hold a short course in May on 'History and Politics of the Middle East'. The classes will be taught in English by Jean Marcou, Professor at the Institute of Political Studies in Grenoble (Sciences Po Grenoble, France).

The course - open to students, researchers and young professionals - will consist of four lectures on the History of Modern Turkish Government (including reforms of the end of the Ottoman Empire, the Kemalist Republic, attempts at democratization and coup d'etat), the Turkish foreign policy, from Atatürk to Davuto?lu (including a general historical analysis on contemporary relations between Turkey and its neighbors); Modern Egyptian government history, from Nasser to Morsi; and finally, a fifth lecture, open to the general public, about Islam, Islamists and the Arab Spring.

Jean Marcou is Director of International Relations at the Institute of Political Studies in Grenoble and of the master's program in Integration and Change in the Mediterranean and the Middle East, offered by the institution. His main areas of teaching and research include Turkish politics (constitutions, elections, political parties, etc.), political transitions in southern Europe, the European Union and the evolution of the balance of powers in the Middle East, as well as Turkey's foreign policy.

Jean Marcou was also senior researcher at the French Institute of Anatolian Studies (IFEA) in Istanbul (Turkey) - where he was responsible for the Observatory of Turkish Political Life (OVIPOT), and director of the French section of the Economics and Political Science College of Cairo University (Egypt) from 2000 to 2006.

When will it take place?

The short course on the history and politics of the Middle East takes place from May 13-20 and will be taught in English.

Click here for more information.