IDS 203 Midterm || with errorless answers.
What does MENA stand for? correct answers The Middle East and North Africa
Identify major nations of the Middle East (i.e., those highlighted on Maps 1 and 2) correct
answers Jordan, Palestine (i.e., the West Bank and Gaza Strip), Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran,
Kuwait, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Yemen. Israel also appears on both
maps but is unnamed on Map 2.
Identity major nations of North Africa (i.e., those highlighted on Maps 2 and 3) correct answers
Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt
Are maps objective? Why or why not? correct answers No, they are subjective and depend on the
identity of the mapmaker.
Which countries make up the Francophone Maghreb? correct answers Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia
Of the countries identified in the previous questions, distinguish between "colonies" and
"protectorates." correct answers Colony = Algeria; Protectorates = Morocco and Tunisia
What is the difference between a colony and a protectorate? correct answers Colony = direct rule
(a state that loses its autonomy and becomes a territory of another state [i.e., the metropolitan
state]); protectorate = indirect rule (a state that retains most of its original autonomy while under
the protection of another state; considered by some to be a de facto colony). Yom's "Political
dynamics in the MENA region" discusses the difference further (see p. 28).
How does Hudson describe the "humanities perspective"? correct answers According to Hudson,
the humanities perspective is interpretive and subjective (p. 5).
What is the danger of studying people and cultures scientifically? correct answers It can lead to
rationalizations of inequality and moralistic judgments (p. 5).
,What fields are traditionally considered the humanities? correct answers Literature, history,
religion, philosophy, the arts (p. 5)
What does the humanities perspective force us to do? correct answers It forces us to look at
people not as objects of science, but as the producers and consumers of a wide variety of cultural
products and as the shapers of their physical, social, and intellectual environments (p. 5).
What are some of the benefits of studying the humanities? correct answers It develops mental
flexibility and critical thinking skills (p. 6).
Why study non-Western humanities in general and Middle Eastern humanities in particular?
correct answers By decentering your own thinking, you will begin to seek other ways of doing
things, you will begin to think "outside the box" (p. 7). A study of the Middle Eastern humanities
is important due to the complex and often problematic relationship between the U.S. and the
Middle East (p. 7).
What does a liberal arts education emphasize? correct answers Critical thinking, integrated
learning, and civic engagement (p. 9)
How has the 2008 recession affected higher education? correct answers Colleges and universities
have begun to calculate the value of higher education in terms of the "bottom line" (p. 9);
colleges and universities have become increasingly more professionalized (p. 9); the decline in
tenured positions has disproportionately affected faculty in the liberal arts and humanities (p.
10); fewer scholarships are available to students (p. 10); a liberal arts education is becoming a
luxury (p. 10); higher education risks deepening the divide between a well-educated elite and a
technically proficient, but less broadly educated, middle and working class (pp. 9-10).
List some of the stereotypes associated with MENA. correct answers Bearded sultans, veiled
women, the musical oud, the hookah pipe, prayer beads, palm trees, flying carpets, camels,
pyramids, the Qur'an, mosques, tea kettles, crossed swords, the Islamic crescent, belly dancers
(pp. 1-3)
,What was the Arab Spring? correct answers It was a wave of uprisings that took place in various
nations of MENA from 2011 until 2012 (p. 4).
MENA lies at the crossroads of which continents? correct answers Europe, Africa, Asia
Why is the "Middle East" a relational term? correct answers This term was first used by the
British and American military strategists in the early twentieth century to describe the eastern
area of the world (east with respect to Great Britain and the United States) distinctive from the
"Far East" (another relational term) (p. 4). Today, the "Middle East" is often used by the West to
refer to the Arab world, North Africa, Israel, Turkey, and Iran (p. 7)
How else does Yom suggest viewing MENA? correct answers He suggests subdividing MENA
into three subregions: North Africa, the Near East, and the Arabian or Persian Gulf (p. 7).
Which countries does Yom include in his definition of North Africa? correct answers Morocco,
Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Mauritania, Egypt, and the Sudan (p. 7)
What does "Maghrib" (also transliterated into the Latin alphabet as "Maghreb") mean in Arabic?
correct answers "Sunset" or "west" (p. 7)
Why are Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia often grouped together? correct answers They are
frequently studied together because of their shared French colonial past and current relations
with France, who is considered the region's most important outside influence (p. 7).
Compare the demographics of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. correct answers Algeria has the
largest population; Tunisia has the smallest. Of the three nations, Algeria is the least densely
populated (primarily because the Sahara is largely unpopulated); Morocco is the most. All three
nations have comparable urban populations (72.1% of the Algerian population is urban, 61.9% of
Morocco, and 68.6% of Tunisia) and annual population growth rate (1.7 for Algeria, 1.3 for
Morocco, and 1.1 for Tunisia). Algeria has the largest population of refugees; Tunisia has the
smallest (p. 9)
, Given two synonyms for "authoritarian regime." correct answers Autocracy and dictatorship (p.
10)
How do democracies, autocracies, and hybrid regions vary from one another? correct answers
They vary across one institutional dimension: the structure of executive power (p. 11).
How does Yom classify the political regimes and power structures of Morocco, Algeria, and
Tunisia? correct answers Morocco is an authoritarian monarchy and holds parliamentary
elections every five years. Algeria is an authoritarian, semi-presidential republic with presidential
and parliamentary elections every five years. Tunisia is a democratic, semi-presidential republic
with presidential and parliamentary elections every five years (pp. 12-13).
Of the three nations that make up the Francophone Maghreb, which one is considered to be the
most stable as of 2019? correct answers Tunisia
Why are arguments that Islam encourages despotism misleading and ethnocentric? correct
answers Because they do not reflect the political reality of Indonesia (the largest Muslim-
majority country and third largest democracy) or the demands of the Arab Spring (protestors
demanded freedom, voice, and free elections) (p. 18). Furthermore, such arguments are
ethnocentric because they are put forth by non-Muslims.
Algeria endured a single-party system until 1989 (although one could argue that Algeria
continues to exist as a de facto single-party state even today). What party dominates the Algerian
political landscape? correct answers The National Liberation Front
Did the Prophet Muhammad have a son? correct answers Yes, he had three sons, all of whom
died before reaching adulthood. For this reason, the identity of his legitimate successors has been
contested, resulting into the split between Shi'a (minority) and Sunni (majority) Muslims (see p.
25).
What and where is the oldest-degree granting university in the world? correct answers the
University of al-Karaouine in Fez, Morocco (founded in 859 AD)
What does MENA stand for? correct answers The Middle East and North Africa
Identify major nations of the Middle East (i.e., those highlighted on Maps 1 and 2) correct
answers Jordan, Palestine (i.e., the West Bank and Gaza Strip), Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran,
Kuwait, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Yemen. Israel also appears on both
maps but is unnamed on Map 2.
Identity major nations of North Africa (i.e., those highlighted on Maps 2 and 3) correct answers
Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt
Are maps objective? Why or why not? correct answers No, they are subjective and depend on the
identity of the mapmaker.
Which countries make up the Francophone Maghreb? correct answers Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia
Of the countries identified in the previous questions, distinguish between "colonies" and
"protectorates." correct answers Colony = Algeria; Protectorates = Morocco and Tunisia
What is the difference between a colony and a protectorate? correct answers Colony = direct rule
(a state that loses its autonomy and becomes a territory of another state [i.e., the metropolitan
state]); protectorate = indirect rule (a state that retains most of its original autonomy while under
the protection of another state; considered by some to be a de facto colony). Yom's "Political
dynamics in the MENA region" discusses the difference further (see p. 28).
How does Hudson describe the "humanities perspective"? correct answers According to Hudson,
the humanities perspective is interpretive and subjective (p. 5).
What is the danger of studying people and cultures scientifically? correct answers It can lead to
rationalizations of inequality and moralistic judgments (p. 5).
,What fields are traditionally considered the humanities? correct answers Literature, history,
religion, philosophy, the arts (p. 5)
What does the humanities perspective force us to do? correct answers It forces us to look at
people not as objects of science, but as the producers and consumers of a wide variety of cultural
products and as the shapers of their physical, social, and intellectual environments (p. 5).
What are some of the benefits of studying the humanities? correct answers It develops mental
flexibility and critical thinking skills (p. 6).
Why study non-Western humanities in general and Middle Eastern humanities in particular?
correct answers By decentering your own thinking, you will begin to seek other ways of doing
things, you will begin to think "outside the box" (p. 7). A study of the Middle Eastern humanities
is important due to the complex and often problematic relationship between the U.S. and the
Middle East (p. 7).
What does a liberal arts education emphasize? correct answers Critical thinking, integrated
learning, and civic engagement (p. 9)
How has the 2008 recession affected higher education? correct answers Colleges and universities
have begun to calculate the value of higher education in terms of the "bottom line" (p. 9);
colleges and universities have become increasingly more professionalized (p. 9); the decline in
tenured positions has disproportionately affected faculty in the liberal arts and humanities (p.
10); fewer scholarships are available to students (p. 10); a liberal arts education is becoming a
luxury (p. 10); higher education risks deepening the divide between a well-educated elite and a
technically proficient, but less broadly educated, middle and working class (pp. 9-10).
List some of the stereotypes associated with MENA. correct answers Bearded sultans, veiled
women, the musical oud, the hookah pipe, prayer beads, palm trees, flying carpets, camels,
pyramids, the Qur'an, mosques, tea kettles, crossed swords, the Islamic crescent, belly dancers
(pp. 1-3)
,What was the Arab Spring? correct answers It was a wave of uprisings that took place in various
nations of MENA from 2011 until 2012 (p. 4).
MENA lies at the crossroads of which continents? correct answers Europe, Africa, Asia
Why is the "Middle East" a relational term? correct answers This term was first used by the
British and American military strategists in the early twentieth century to describe the eastern
area of the world (east with respect to Great Britain and the United States) distinctive from the
"Far East" (another relational term) (p. 4). Today, the "Middle East" is often used by the West to
refer to the Arab world, North Africa, Israel, Turkey, and Iran (p. 7)
How else does Yom suggest viewing MENA? correct answers He suggests subdividing MENA
into three subregions: North Africa, the Near East, and the Arabian or Persian Gulf (p. 7).
Which countries does Yom include in his definition of North Africa? correct answers Morocco,
Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Mauritania, Egypt, and the Sudan (p. 7)
What does "Maghrib" (also transliterated into the Latin alphabet as "Maghreb") mean in Arabic?
correct answers "Sunset" or "west" (p. 7)
Why are Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia often grouped together? correct answers They are
frequently studied together because of their shared French colonial past and current relations
with France, who is considered the region's most important outside influence (p. 7).
Compare the demographics of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. correct answers Algeria has the
largest population; Tunisia has the smallest. Of the three nations, Algeria is the least densely
populated (primarily because the Sahara is largely unpopulated); Morocco is the most. All three
nations have comparable urban populations (72.1% of the Algerian population is urban, 61.9% of
Morocco, and 68.6% of Tunisia) and annual population growth rate (1.7 for Algeria, 1.3 for
Morocco, and 1.1 for Tunisia). Algeria has the largest population of refugees; Tunisia has the
smallest (p. 9)
, Given two synonyms for "authoritarian regime." correct answers Autocracy and dictatorship (p.
10)
How do democracies, autocracies, and hybrid regions vary from one another? correct answers
They vary across one institutional dimension: the structure of executive power (p. 11).
How does Yom classify the political regimes and power structures of Morocco, Algeria, and
Tunisia? correct answers Morocco is an authoritarian monarchy and holds parliamentary
elections every five years. Algeria is an authoritarian, semi-presidential republic with presidential
and parliamentary elections every five years. Tunisia is a democratic, semi-presidential republic
with presidential and parliamentary elections every five years (pp. 12-13).
Of the three nations that make up the Francophone Maghreb, which one is considered to be the
most stable as of 2019? correct answers Tunisia
Why are arguments that Islam encourages despotism misleading and ethnocentric? correct
answers Because they do not reflect the political reality of Indonesia (the largest Muslim-
majority country and third largest democracy) or the demands of the Arab Spring (protestors
demanded freedom, voice, and free elections) (p. 18). Furthermore, such arguments are
ethnocentric because they are put forth by non-Muslims.
Algeria endured a single-party system until 1989 (although one could argue that Algeria
continues to exist as a de facto single-party state even today). What party dominates the Algerian
political landscape? correct answers The National Liberation Front
Did the Prophet Muhammad have a son? correct answers Yes, he had three sons, all of whom
died before reaching adulthood. For this reason, the identity of his legitimate successors has been
contested, resulting into the split between Shi'a (minority) and Sunni (majority) Muslims (see p.
25).
What and where is the oldest-degree granting university in the world? correct answers the
University of al-Karaouine in Fez, Morocco (founded in 859 AD)
