SubjectsSubjects(version: 945)
Course, academic year 2017/2018
   Login via CAS
Contemporary Mediterranean - JMM027
Title: Contemporary Mediterranean
Czech title: Současné Středomoří
Guaranteed by: Department of European Studies (23-KZS)
Faculty: Faculty of Social Sciences
Actual: from 2017 to 2017
Semester: winter
E-Credits: 6
Examination process: winter s.:
Hours per week, examination: winter s.:1/1, Ex [HT]
Capacity: 18 / 18 (16)
Min. number of students: unlimited
4EU+: no
Virtual mobility / capacity: no
State of the course: taught
Language: English
Teaching methods: full-time
Teaching methods: full-time
Note: course can be enrolled in outside the study plan
enabled for web enrollment
priority enrollment if the course is part of the study plan
Guarantor: PhDr. Martin Mejstřík
Teacher(s): prof. PhDr. Kateřina Králová, Ph.D., M.A.
PhDr. Martin Mejstřík
Incompatibility : JMM152
Is incompatible with: JMM152
Examination dates   Schedule   Noticeboard   
Annotation
Last update: PhDr. Martin Mejstřík (26.09.2017)
The aim of this course is to closelly follow the recent development of the Mediterranean region. The essence is to analyze the most important and problematic issues in the whole region, including Maghreb countries and Izrael. The course will follow a structure divided according to the specific themes such as imigration, security, Arab Spring, economic crisis, Greek-Turkish relations or populism. The aim of the course is to provide a regional perspective of these issues and to show strong connection between South European countries and their Mediterranean counterparts.
Aim of the course
Last update: PhDr. Martin Mejstřík (01.09.2014)

The main objective of the course is to enable the students to approach the whole Mediterranean region in its complexity and connectivity and to offer them combination of factual approach with theoretical one.

Course completion requirements
Last update: PhDr. Martin Mejstřík (10.02.2021)

Students will have an opportunity to actively participate in classes as well to develop their writing, analytical, and presentation skills. For this reason, the assessments have been set as follows: 

  1. Presentation of the chosen topic (25%)

          PPT presentation of 7 slides, max. 15 minutes, two presenters for one topic

  1. Essay on the presentation topic (40%)

          Students will write an essay up to 10 pages on the presented topic due to 15. 6. 2021

  1. Policy brief (25%)
    Students prepare in groups of 3 or 4 a short policy brief ( 600 words) on the current regional issues in a chosen Mediterranean country. This brief will be presented and discussed during the last lesson of the semester.

  2. Active participation (10%)

     

A minimum of 70% is need to pass (all above-mentioned points have to be accomplished)

Syllabus
Last update: PhDr. Martin Mejstřík (15.02.2021)

 1)     Introduction (16. 2.) – Martin Mejstřík

Course description and assessment, introduction to readings and course activities, introduction to Mediterranean region

 

2)     Italy as the heart of the Mediterranean – what is a current role of former power? (23. 2.) – Martin Mejstřík

Development of Italian foreign policy and its impact on current regional issues

Reading:

·     Paoletti, Emmanuela. 2011. „Power Relations and International Migration: The Case of Italy and Libya“. Political Studies 59, 269-289.

·     Varsori, Antonio. 2015. “The foreign policy of First Republic Italy: new approaches”. Journal of Modern Italian Studies 20 (3): 292-297.

 

3)     Is the Mediterranean „Achilles heel“ of Europe? (2. 3.) – Martin Mejstřík

Analysing a problem of illegal immigration on a case of Italy and Spain

Reading:

·       Reynieri, Emilio. 2013. „Irregular Immigration and the Underground Economy in Southern Europe: Breaking the Vicious Circle“. In: Europe’s immigration challenge: reconciling work, welfare and mobility. Ed: Jurado, Elena and Brochmann, Grete. London: Tauris, 143-158.

 

4)     Are democratic regimes in danger? Threat of populism to liberal democracies (9. 3.) – Martin Mejstřík

Growing populism in the Mediterranean a case of instability in Italy and Greece

Reading:

·     Tarchi, Marco. „Italy: A Country of Many Populisms“. In: Twenty-First Century Populism: The Spectre of Western European Democracy. Ed: Albertazzi, Daniele and McDonnell, Malcolm. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 84-99.

 

5)     Catalonia, Spanish or not? (16. 3.) – Martin Mejstřík

Interpretation of recent political development in Catalonia towards the independence

Reading:

·         Guibernau, Montserrat. 2013. “Secessionism in Catalonia: After Democracy”. Ethnopolitics 12 (4), 368-393.

·         Marti, David and Cetra, Daniel. 2016. “The 2015 Catalan election: a de facto referendum on independence?” Regional and Federal Studies 26 (1), 107-119.

 

6)     The Prespa Agreement and the Macedonian Question: Reflections on Nationalisms (23.3.) – Maria Kokkinou

Reading:

·        Karakasidou, Anastasia. 1993. "Politicizing Culture: Negating Ethnic Identity in Greek Macedonia". Journal of Modern Greek Studies 11 (1), 1-28.

 

7)     Israeli Domestic Politics: Why It Is So Unstable? (30. 3.) – Irena Kalhousová

In this class, students will discuss the outcomes of parliamentary elections in Israel

 

8)     The Middle East in 2021: the Key Security Challenges and Actors (6. 4.) - Irena Kalhousová

 

In this class, students will learn about the main conflicts and actors which define the current Middle East. We will discuss them against the backdrop of political and social processes in the region.

 

9)    Securitization of the region (13.4.) – Ondřej Kaleta

 

10) Current situation in Portugal (20. 4.) – PhDr. Barbora Menclová

 

11) Special Lecture by Yannis Karagiannis (29.4.)

 

12) Closing seminar – (4. 5.) – Martin Mejstřík

Presentation of group policy papers.

 

 
Charles University | Information system of Charles University | http://www.cuni.cz/UKEN-329.html