Univ Interdepartmental Course 197POLI1 - Cosmopol. cities of mid east

The Middle East is often understood in the context of political Islam, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, oil wealth, and a notable lack of democratic governance. But it is also home to some dozen vibrant and cosmopolitan cities including Cairo, Dubai, Amman, Tunis, Jerusalem, Lebanon, and Istanbul. This course will examine elemnts of cosmopolitanism in these cities, examining such topics as income inequality, the emergence of a jet-set elite, high-end restaurants, nightclubs, and boutiques, and the working class people who work in the growing service industry. We'lll look at how governments market these cities internationally to promote tourism and foreign investment, and how cities have changes spatially over the past 25 years. We'll also examine the obvious dimensions of exclusion - who is left out of these cosmopolitan zones, and the potential political consequences.

These seats have been reserved for new freshmen and incoming UMCCC