This course will be a part of a larger Monterey Model curriculum arrangement, which will consist of three groups of students specializing in Arabic, Chinese and Russian languages and Area studies. The Monterey Model curriculum will be devised in a way that would allow students from different language groups and areas of expertise to come together several times during the semester in order to exchange their views and acquired knowledge pertinent to selected themes. Students, professors and invited distinguished experts will be discussing differences in public, media and governmental views related to important international events and role of languages in regional politics. An effort will be made to integrate various approaches to better understand domestic politics and foreign relations through cultural, historical and political discourse. Students will watch jointly news broadcasts in Arabic, Chinese and Russian in order to better grasp the role of mass media in China, Russia and Middle East. Students will acquire practical skills of working with interpreters and will prepare their own presentations for some plenary sessions where they will have to rely on assistance of interpreters to generate the discussion of their topics. The joint coordinated curriculum will consist of the following topics:

1. Overview. Ethnic groups and minorities. Concepts of territory, geography, security.

2. Islam in country specific case studies. Political movements rooted in Islam. Religion and State in country specific case studies.

3. Security. Terrorism. Border Issues.

4. Language specific themes, for example: Arab Spring: media coverage, History and Present of Russian-Chinese diplomatic collaboration, Mutual perceptions : case studies of Chinese business and China’s economic presence in Northern Africa, Role of Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Chinese, Russian, Arabic media strategies covering several key political events, Differences and similarities in patterns of civil unrest and political/economic consequences in China, Russia and Arabic speaking countries.