Proposal for New Courses s3

WINONA STATE UNIVERSITY PROPOSAL FOR NEW COURSES

Department ______Economics and Finance______Date ______Sept. 15, 2005_____

Refer to Regulation 3-4, Policy for Changing the Curriculum, for complete information on submitting proposals for curricular changes.

______Econ 390______Economics of the Middle East______3______Course No. Course Name Credits

This proposal is for a(n) ___x___ Undergraduate Course ______Graduate Course

Applies to: __x____ Major ___x___ Minor ______University Studies* _____ Required _____ Required ___x___ Not for USP ___x__ Elective ___x__ Elective

Prerequisites ______Econ 202 or permission of the instructor______

Grading method __x____ Grade only ______P/NC only ______Grade and P/NC Option

Frequency of offering ______Once each year______

*For University Studies Program course approval, the form Proposal for University Studies Courses must also be completed and submitted according to the instructions on that form.

Provide the following information:

A. Course Description

1. Catalog description. 2. Course outline of the major topics and subtopics (minimum of two-level outline). 3. Instructional methods utilized. Please indicate the contributions of lectures, laboratories, web-based materials, internships, and other instructional methods to this course. 4. Course requirements (papers, lab work, projects, etc.) and means of evaluation. 5. Course materials (textbook(s), articles, etc.). 6. List of references.

B. Rationale

1. Statement of the major focus and objectives of the course. 2. Specify how this new course contributes to the departmental curriculum. 3. Indicate any course(s) which may be dropped if this course is approved.

C. Impact of this Course on other Departments, Programs, Majors, or Minors

1. Does this course increase or decrease the total credits required by a major or minor of any other department? If so, which department(s)? 2. List the department(s), if any, which have been consulted about this proposal.

Attach a Financial and Staffing Data Sheet.

Attach an Approval Form with appropriate signatures.

Department Contact Person for this Proposal:

__Dan Kauffman (for Mary Ann Pevas)[email protected]______Name (please print) Phone e-mail address Form Revised 4-13-05 NEW COURSE PROPOSAL: Economics of the Middle East Econ 390

A. Course Description. 1. Catalog Description: The Middle East possesses two-thirds of the world’s oil reserves which the rest of the world uses as a basic input for its economies. In this course the economics of oil will be studied as well as the other natural resources of the region, such as the rapidly growing population and its impact on the labor markets, and impact of all on scarce basic necessities such as water and food. A brief history of ongoing conflicts within the region and their pull on increasing military spending will also be examined within the context of the current Middle East economies. Prerequisite: ECON 202 or instructor’s permission.

2. Course outline of the major topics and subtopics:

A. The Middle East as a Region

1. Introduction. a. Geographical advantages and disadvantages b. Economic position with regard to the rest of the world.

2. Early history of colonization and its economic impact. a. A brief overview of colonization. b. The economies of the region during colonization. c. Transitions to statehood.

B. Basic economic resources.

1. Natural Resources a. Oil producing countries. b. Natural gas, phosphorus and other natural minerals. c. Agricultural resources d. Countries without natural resources.

2. Population. a. Current population growth rates. b. Fertility rates. c. Mortality rates. d. Immigration trends. e. Impact of large younger population on the labor market. 3. Oil and oil reserves. a. Oil reserves: current and future estimates. b. Impact of world demand for oil on the economics of the region. c. Impact of world demand for oil on oil-producing countries. d. Impact of world demand for oil on non-oil-producing countries e. Political fallout of excess revenues from oil for some countries and not others in the region. f. Economic impact of fluctuating oil prices.

C. Human Capital

1. Impact on health. a. Scarce water. b. Scarce food resources. c. Impact of high fertility rates on women’s health. d. Disorganization of health care systems. e. Responsibility of government in providing basic needs.

2. Impact on Education. a. “Catch-up” efforts b. Politics and schools c. Winners and losers in education policies

3. Impact on Labor Markets. a. High unemployment b. Labor migration c. Misleading market signals for some migrations d. Impact of government policies or lack thereof

D. Economic Reform

1. A survey of country experiences a. Colonized vs. colonizers b. Emergence of public sectors c. Economic models which offered promise for reform d. Economic models which failed e. Impact of quick fixes for structural reform f. Outside influences and pressures g. State-led growth

2. Urbanization a. Failure of agriculture b. Migration due to skewed pricing 3. Political regimes. a. Socialist republics b. Liberal monarchies c. Would-Be democracies d. Islamic republics

4. The Military and the State a. The military and politics b. Economics of the military in the region c. The military and nation building

E. Options for the future in the region. 1. The haves and the have-nots in oil resources 2. Dealing with conflicts and the military budgets 3. Impact on the rest of the world

3. Base instructional plan and method utilized: This course was taught as a one-time offering in Spring 2005. In addition to traditional instructional methods including lecture, discussion, audiovisual materials and guest lecturers, extensive use of current news from the Middle East region obtained online will be utilized.

4. Course requirements and means of evaluation: The students will be expected to follow current events in the region as a preparation for class discussion in addition to keeping up with assigned readings. Each student will be evaluated through a midterm and final exam as well as a research paper they are to write on a topic approved by the instructor. The weights for these responsibilities are: Class discussion 20% Midterm exam 25% Research paper 30% Final exam 25%.

5. Textbook(s) or alternatives: The required text for this course will be: A Political Economy of the Middle East by Alan Richards and John Waterbury, Westview Press, 1998.

In addition, online resources will be utilized in the class. Information regarding all aspects of this course will be made available on the class web-site which will be kept updated by the instructor. Included on the web-site will be the syllabus, outlines of lecture notes, and course announcements. 6. List of references and bibliography:

Al-Hamad, Abdlatif Youser. The Arab World: Performance, Challenges, and Prospects. International Monetary Fund, August 2003.

Amin, Galal A. Egypt’s Economic Predicament. E. J. Brill, New York. 1995.

Andersen, Roy R., Robert F. Seibert, and Jon G. Wagner. Politics and Change in the Middle East (7 th ed.). Prentice Hall, New Jersey. 2004.

Anderson, Ewan W. The Middle East: Geography and Geopolitics. Routledge, London, 2000.

Eken, Sena, Thomas Helbling, Adnan Mazarei. Fiscal Policy and Growth in the Middle East and North Africa Region. International Monetary Fund, August 1997.

El-Erian, Mohamed and Mahmoud Mohieldin, (editors). Financial Development in Emerging Markets: The Egyptian Experience. Egyptian Center for Economic Studies, Cairo Egypt. 1998.

Galal, Ahmed and Bernard Hoekman, (editors). Arab Economic Integration. Egyptian Center for Economic Studies, Cairo Egypt. 2005.

Handoussa, Heba (ed.). Economic Transition in the Middle East. American University in Cairo Press, Cairo, Egypt. 1997.

Handy, Howard. Egypt: Beyond Stabilization. Toward a Dynamic Market Economy. International Monetary Fund, May 1998.

Iqbal, Zubair (ed.). Macroeconomic Issues and Policies in the Middle East and North Africa. International Monetary Fund, September 2001.

Kamal, Yusuf. The Principles of the Islamic Economic System. Islamic Inc., Cairo, Egypt. 1999.

Klare, Michael. Resource Wars: The New Landscape of Global Conflict. Henry, Holt and Company, New York. 2001.

Onis, Ziya and Barry Rubin (editors). The Turkish Economy in Crisis. Frank Cass, London. 2003.

Owen, Roger and Sevket Pamuk. A History of Middle East Economies in the Twentieth Century. Harvard University Press, Cambridge MA, 1999.

Roberts, Paul. The End of Oil. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 2004. Sirageldin, Ismail. Human Capital: Population Economics in the Middle East. American University in Cairo Press, Cairo Egypt. 2002.

Warde, Ibrahim. Islamic Finance in the Global Economy. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh. 2000.

World Bank Group. Unlocking the Employment Potential in the Middle East and North Africa: Toward a New Social Contract. World Bank Publications, April 2004.

World Bank. Deep Palestinian Poverty in the Midst of Economic Crisis. World Bank and Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. October2004.

B. Rationale for the New Course. 1. Statement of major focus and objective of this course: The Middle East as a region of our current world politically and economically is significantly important now and will be in the future. Our students need to have some knowledge of the region not only politically which they will get daily if they follow the news, but also economically which is not reported very thoroughly in the media. This course will offer a basic framework for understanding the history of the region and current events in the light of economics and finance. Such information is essential in today’s business world since the policies and resources of the region impact other economies worldwide.

2. Statement specifying how this course will contribute to the departmental curriculum: This course will provide students with economic knowledge which is becoming more and more important in today’s world. This course was offered as a one-time course during the Spring 2005 semester and students responded favorable and appreciably.

3. Courses which may be dropped, if any, if this course is implemented: No course will be dropped. This course will be offered as an elective in the program.

C. Provide a statement of the impact of this course on other departments, programs, majors, and minors. 1. Clearly state the impact of this course on courses taught in other departments. Does the course duplicate the content of any other course? Is there an effect on prerequisites? This course will not impact other courses taught in other departments. The course does not duplicate other courses and there is no impact on prerequisites. 2. Would approval of this course change the total number of credits required by any major or minor of any department? This course will not impact the credits of any department or program.

3. Notification. Does not Apply.

D. University Studies Course. Does not Apply. WINONA STATE UNIVERSITY FINANCIAL AND STAFFING DATA SHEET

Course or Program ______Econ 390______

Include a Financial and Staffing Data Sheet with any proposal for a new course, new program, or revised program.

Please answer the following questions completely. Provide supporting data.

1. Would this course or program be taught with existing staff or with new or additional staff? If this course would be taught by adjunct faculty, include a rationale.

This course will be taught with existing staff.

2. What impact would approval of this course/program have on current course offerings? Please discuss number of sections of current offerings, dropping of courses, etc.

Its impact on current course offerings will be minimal. As one of several electives, it will offer another option to students and likely one section of a Principles course will be dropped since current faculty will be teaching the course. The Econ and Finance Department offers multiple sections of the Principles courses each semester so students will have ample opportunity to enroll.

3. What effect would approval of this course/program have on the department supplies? Include data to support expenditures for staffing, equipment, supplies, instructional resources, etc.

The course was offered as a one-time course this past year and the impact on department supplies was minimal. Most resources used in the course are available for student purchase and/or online.