Universität Wien
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210101 SE M4: Political developments in Syria in a regional context (2025W)

9.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 21 - Politikwissenschaft
Continuous assessment of course work
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 50 participants
Language: German

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Tuesday 07.10. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal 3 (H3), NIG 2. Stock
  • Tuesday 14.10. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal 3 (H3), NIG 2. Stock
  • Tuesday 21.10. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal 3 (H3), NIG 2. Stock
  • Tuesday 28.10. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal 3 (H3), NIG 2. Stock
  • Tuesday 04.11. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal 3 (H3), NIG 2. Stock
  • Tuesday 11.11. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal 3 (H3), NIG 2. Stock
  • Tuesday 18.11. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal 3 (H3), NIG 2. Stock
  • Tuesday 25.11. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal 3 (H3), NIG 2. Stock
  • Tuesday 02.12. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal 3 (H3), NIG 2. Stock
  • Tuesday 09.12. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal 3 (H3), NIG 2. Stock
  • Tuesday 16.12. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal 3 (H3), NIG 2. Stock
  • Tuesday 13.01. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal 3 (H3), NIG 2. Stock
  • Tuesday 20.01. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal 3 (H3), NIG 2. Stock
  • Tuesday 27.01. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal 3 (H3), NIG 2. Stock

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

The aim of this course is to analyze current political developments in Syria following the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, to discuss the backgrounds of the various political and military actors, and to follow developments in Syria in real time based on historical and political science background information. Regional developments outside the capital Damascus will also be discussed, including in the Democratic Administration of North and East Syria, in the Druze-dominated Suwaida, in the Alawite-dominated coastal regions, in the previously Turkish-occupied but traditionally Kurdish Afrin, and in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. After the introductory units, the content of the course will be adapted to current developments in Syria due to the topicality of the subject.
Syria will also be discussed in the context of its neighboring countries, Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan, as well as the development of the entire region and global powers (USA, Russia, China).
The introductory units at the beginning of the semester are more lecture-like in nature, while in the following units, students work in groups to develop presentations, which are supervised by the course instructor.

Assessment and permitted materials

1. Group presentation
2. Seminar paper (15 pages including cover page and table of contents) by the last class session
3. Debriefing of the seminar paper in class

Seminar paper without AI and, of course, without plagiarism!

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

1. Group presentation 20%
2. Seminar paper (15 pages including cover page and table of contents) by the last class session 40%
3. Debriefing of the seminar paper in the course 20%
4. Participation in the course, participation in discussions 20%

< 50%: 5
50-65%: 4
65-80%: 3
80-90%: 2
90-100%: 1

Examination topics

Seminar paper instead of exam

Reading list

Charles Lister: The Syrian Jihad. The Evolution of an Insurgency. London: Hurst, 2015

Thomas Schmidinger: Krieg und Revolution in Syrisch-Kurdistan. Wien: Mandelbaum, 2017 [Vierte Auflage]

Patrick Haenni/Jerome Drevon: Transformed by the People. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s Road to Power in Syria. London: Hurst, 2025

Association in the course directory

Last modified: Mo 27.07.2026 09:27