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GLG-F108: Geology & Geopolitics: Silk Road Spring 2007 Geology Department, Miami University Instructor: Professor Yildirim Dilek Offices: 116 Shideler Hall (Office); 118 Shideler Hall (Lab) E-mail address: dileky@muohio.edu Phone & fax Phone: 513-529-2212; Fax: 513-529-1542 Office Hours: T 3:30-5:00 pm, W 4:00-5:30 pm, and by appointment.

Schedule: Two class periods weekly, TR 2:00 – 3:15 pm.

ABOUT GEOLOGY & GEOPOLITICS OF THE SILK ROAD: Welcome to this exciting First Year Seminar course, GLG-F108: Geology & Geopolitics: Silk Road! During the first millennium B.C. through the middle of the second millennium A.D., a vast network of trade routes known as the "Silk Road" linked the people and traditions of Asia with those of Europe. These historic routes served as a major conduit for the transport of knowledge, information and material goods between East and West and resulted in the first global exchange of scientific and cultural traditions. This exchange continues today, although in a different mode and nature, and the natural resources of Central Asia and the Middle East are a major attraction for both the local states and the western countries. Rapid development, industrialization, and exploitation of natural resources along the Silk Road today are leading to major environmental issues and problems and clashing interests of western countries. The cultural and the natural landscapes of the ancient Silk Road have changed dramatically during the last several hundred years, mostly because of human-nature interactions and climatic fluctuations in the region. The NATO Science Programme has initiated a “Virtual Silk Highway” project to connect the academic communities of the Caucasus and Central Asia via the Internet for a better and contemporary mode of exchange between the “Silk Road countries” with those in the west.

Mongolian ruler Genghis Khan marched through the Junggarian (Dzungarian) Gateway around 1200 AD on his crusade throughout Central Asia and then extended his empire to Eastern Europe. Genghis Khan’s march to the west along the Silk Way was made possible by some of the large faults in central Asia, such as Junggarian Gateway, that cut a path through the otherwise impenetrable West Junggar and Tienshan mountains. Arabs went beyond the Arabian Peninsula starting in the beginning of the 7th Century looking for surface water under changing climatic conditions. The Bronze Age was ushered in with the discovery of massive sulphide copper deposits in Cyprus. Clearly, the geology and the natural landscape played a major role in the history of Asia and the Middle East, and the human development of the Silk Road was strongly controlled by natural processes and resources.

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In this First Year Seminar course we will investigate the changes in the cultural, historical, and natural landscapes (include both human/civilization existence and activities, and natural environment, ecosystems, and resources) along the Silk Road through time through critical reading of the select literature (scholarly books, journal and magazine articles) and examining the geographic, geological, and historical maps and satellite images. We shall place a special emphasis on the significance of the ancient “Silk Road” nations and countries in today’s global economy, geopolitical development in the Middle East and Near East, and the world cultural heritage.

People tend to enjoy what they do well, and I want you to enjoy this interdisciplinary course. Here are some tips that will help you get the most out of this course: * Read the papers and assigned literature with a critical mind in a timely fashion prior to each

class period; * Complete the assigned questions on selected literature before the class period and develop

your reasoning and own logic on them to share with us in the class; * Be curious! Go beyond the assigned book chapters and papers to read up on any questions

about the course topics as you may develop. Take advantage of our great library and the Internet;

* Keep a world atlas nearby to look up for places and locations you may come across in your reading;

* Participate in class discussions, be proactive, and ask questions. COURSE OBJECTIVES: This course is designed to examine and explore human interactions with the nature (landscape, resources, and climate) and geopolitics along the Silk Road through time. We will learn about various geological processes by investigating how the land along the Silk Road was created and how different cultures and civilizations have been affected by these processes, distribution of natural resources, and human intervention and activities in the recorded history. Geopolitics, as a concept, deals with the relation between physical space and international politics and studies how the international interests are closely affected by these interests and by historical, economic and political reasons. We will take a look at the geopolitical issues and their evolution through time in Central Asia and along the ancient and modern Silk Road. Thus, the course is intended to bridge the gap between social sciences, humanities, and physical sciences by integrating facts, observations, and data from diverse fields of geology, geography, history, archaeology, anthropology, and political sciences, while examining the landscape evolution and the ancient, recent, and modern history of a vast region stretching from Central Asia through the eastern Mediterranean area. When you complete this course, you should have a good working knowledge of the physical and political geography, the natural landscape and geological evolution, and the basic history and geopolitics of Central Asia and the Near East (including the eastern Mediterranean region). You will also have a better understanding and appreciation of how the Earth (geological)

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processes played a major role in the recorded human history through time in this important area on the face of the Earth. COURSE WORK, REQUIREMENTS & ASSESSMENT: 1. Class attendance & participation

Class attendance is required and will be considered in assigning the final course grades. You are expected to participate in class discussions and to lead class discussions based on reading assignments. If you have a valid excuse for missing class, please let me know in advance so that I can discuss with you how to make up for it. You are allowed two absences in this class; please save them for moments of serious illness or personal problems that require your absence from the campus. You will be dropped from the course if/when you miss more than two class periods. Please do not ask for exceptions. 2. Homework assignments and practicals

We will have regularly scheduled reading and associated homework assignments during the semester. I will provide the reading material and assignments through the Blackboard system on a regular basis. You will be giving the questions and assignments related to each of the reading material prior to the scheduled dates. The questions are designed to help you better understand the concepts and occasionally deal with numerical and graphical problem solutions. You must turn in your assignments on due dates to get full credit for your work. Late assignments shall not be graded, unless you make prior arrangements with me. Otherwise, your grade for late and/or missing assignments will be zero. Please do not ask for any exception. 3. In-class assignments & presentations

Selected literature (book chapters, scientific papers, and research notes) on the topics relevant to the course material are assigned to the class, and one or two students or small groups will take turns (on a rotational basis) to lead the class discussions based on these papers. These discussions should create an interactive learning environment for us. The mode and effectiveness of your presentation of the reading material and leading of the class discussions will be evaluated towards your final course grade. Please do not miss any in-class exercises and/or presentations/discussions because there will be no make-up opportunities. 4. Quizzes on reading material We will have regularly scheduled quizzes that are designed to evaluate your basic understanding of the content of the reading material. We shall have a total of five (5) quizzes during the semester as listed in the syllabus. Please do not miss any of these quizzes because there will be no make-up opportunities.

5. Midterm reflection

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You are asked to develop a 5-page reflection on the course thus far. This reflection essay is meant to be personal (first person, “I”, should be used), specific, and directly relevant to the reading material, related discussions, and ideas that have evolved thus far in the class. Your essay should be creative, engaging, and clearly written, with personal voice and insight. You can discuss any issues and topics that you see fit; I would be happy to provide some suggestions and ideas if/when you need help to develop your reflection essay. 6. Final project and presentation At the end of the class (semester), you will develop a final project of your own choice based on any topic, readings, and ideas related to the course. You are free to be creative in choosing and developing your project, but you should have an interdisciplinary approach to your in-depth study as we have done in this class throughout the semester. You are asked to submit a 15-page research paper as a culmination of your project work on the last day of classes (April 26th). Your paper should clearly state your reasoning to work on that specific topic and why you have chosen what you have done. You are expected to take a major responsibility to develop the idea and the project, although I will work very closely with you to help you initiate your project and develop it in its early phases. I expect for your project to be a substantive and serious work. You will be sharing your project and its main conclusions with the class through a 5- to 10-minute oral presentation. I strongly urge you to prepare a Power Point presentation for this purpose. 7. Grade Distribution and Assessment of Course Work 40% Homework assignments associated with reading material 25% Seminar presentations based on reading assignments & participation in class discussions 10% Total quizzes 10% Midterm reflection 15% Final project and presentation 100% TOTAL COURSE GRADE

SEMINAR CONTENT AND MIAMI PLAN GOALS: Critical Thinking

This seminar course is based on critical reading of the select literature (scholarly books, journal and magazine articles, web site material) and student-directed presentations and discussions. Seminar topics and discussion questions, which are mostly controversial and/or interpretive, will prompt you (students) to utilize, process, and synthesize facts, observations, and learned concepts in order to develop educated opinions and solutions. Since you will be presenting your view points on discussion topics and questions, you will be required to justify your decisions and reasoning based on the principles and concepts learned in class and will be expected to explain the assumptions and interpretations made by the authors and themselves. Some seminar topics will require examining of geographic, geological and historical maps and satellite images (i.e. seismic patterns in Asia, rivers and water resources, plate

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boundaries) and solving graphical and numerical problems (i.e. climate change modeling, hydro-electric power production). This approach will sharpen your analytical skills and thinking. Understanding Contexts

Conceptual understanding of geological processes is an essential component of student learning. If students acquire their scientific knowledge in the context in which it is used, they are more likely to retain what they learn and to apply that knowledge appropriately. To accomplish this, we will encounter the real-world applications and real-life situations in investigating the cause-effect phenomena in studying geopolitics of the Silk Road. You will examine, for example, how human impact and past water management have collectively affected the Aral Sea and its ecosystems during the last 40 years, and how the changing shape and evolution of the Caspian and Black Seas have influenced the distribution of civilizations, trade routes, and migration paths during the last 6000 years. This approach will help you to understand the past history (natural, cultural landscapes) of the Silk Road, relate to the present-day situation of the geopolitics of the Silk Road nations, and make educated predictions about what changes (natural, cultural, political and otherwise) may be in store for the Central Asian nations and countries. Engaging with Other Learners The seminar format of the course, student presentations, and discussions will create and support strong dialogue among the members of the class that will, in turn, foster cooperative and collaborative learning. You will also work in small task groups outside the classroom and will attend various Silk Road seminars, films, art performances, and other activities organized and sponsored by the Havighurst Center. Meeting with some of the speakers or performers after these events will provide you with different perspectives that the ordinary audience may not otherwise develop. I will invite other expert faculty to the class to provide the contexts of particular issues and controversial topics (Iraqi war, US energy policy in the Middle East, water conflicts in Near East and Central Asia, etc.). You will engage in lively exchanges with these visitors and with each other, assisting yourselves in thinking through contrary interpretations and conflicting factoidal observations. Collectively, these approaches promoting engagement with other learners will help you develop your collegiality and mutual respect for varying opinions and views. Reflecting and Acting The major aspect of this course is to have you understand how geological processes are relevant to societal issues and how the natural events and resources (floods, climate changes, water shortages, gold mining, lack of metallic ore deposits) may have affected the cultures and civilizations along the ancient Silk Road and in modern central Asia. This requires reflection, which is part of critical thinking. You will be prompted to apply scientific processes of investigation to daily life and societal issues pertaining to the welfare of the modern nations and cultures in today’s Central Asia.

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SUGGESTED LITERATURE FOR ADDITIONAL READING:

Life Along the Silk Road, by Susan Whitfield, University of California Press, 1999, 242 pp. The Silk Road, Xi’an to Kashgar, by Judy Bonavia, 2004, W.W. Norton & Company, 352 pp. The Silk Road, Trade, Travel, War and Faith, by Susan Whitfield, 2004, The British Library,

London, U.K., 366 pp. Central Asia at the End of the Transition, edited by Boris Rumer, 2005, M.E. Sharpe, New York

– London, 448 pp. A History of Inner Asia, by Svat Soucek, 2000, Cambridge University Press, 369 pp. Inner Asian Frontiers of China, by Owen Lattimore, 1962, Beacon Press, 585 pp. The Heritage of Central Asia, From Antiquity to the Turkish Expansion, by Richard N. Frye,

1996, Markus Wiener Publishers, Princeton, USA, 263 pp. The New Great Game, Blood and Oil in Central Asia, by Lutz Kleveman, 2003, Atlantic

Monthly Press, New York, USA, 272 pp. Floods, Famines and Emperors, El Nino and the Fate of Civilizations, by Brian Fagan, 1999,

Basic Books, New York, USA, 284 pp. A History of Knowledge, Past, Present and Future, The Pivotal Events, People, and

Achievements of World History, by Charles Van Doren, 1991, Ballantine Books, New York, USA, 422 pp.

Rivers of Eden, The Struggle for Water and the Quest for Peace in the Middle East, by Daniel Hillel, 1994, Oxford University Press, New York, USA, 355 pp.

Guns, Germs, and Steel, The Fates of Human Societies, by Jared Diamond, 1997, W.W. Norton & Company, New York, USA, 480 pp.

Diversity Amid Globalization, World Regions, Environment, Development, by L. Rowntree, M. Lewis, M. Price & W. Wyckoff, 2000, Prentice Hall, New Jersey, USA, 663 pp. ß

Middle East Patterns, Places, Peoples and Politics, by Colbert C. Held, 1994, Westview Press, Boulder, Colorado, 484 pp.

A Companion to the Ancient Near East, edited by Daniel C. Snell, 2005, Blackwell Publishing, Malden – MA, USA, 504 pp.

The Myth of Continents, A Critique of Metageography, by Martin W. Lewis & Kären E. Wigen, 1997, University of California Press, Berkeley – CA, USA, 344 pp.

Mediterranean, Portrait of a Sea, by Ernle Bradford, 2000, Penguin Books, 574 pp. Student Atlas of World Geography, 4th Edition, by John L. Allen, 2005, McGraw – Hill

Companies, USA, 255 pp. Earth, Portrait of a Planet, by Stephen Marshak, 2001, W.W. Norton & Company, New York,

USA, 735 pp + Index.

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COURSE OUTLINE

Week Date Topic 1 1/09 Introduction to the course: goals, objectives, and expectations

1/11 Silk Road as a geographic & geopolitical entity 2 1/16 Physical & political geography, and geology of Central Asia 1/18 Continental collisions and development of Eurasia as a geological mosaic QUIZ 1 3 1/23 Raising the Himalayas 1/25 Tibetan Plateau as the roof of the Earth: its natural and cultural heritage 4 1/30 Development of mountains and changing climates: Asia as a model 2/01 Rivers and basins in Eurasia

QUIZ 2 5 2/06 Metallogenic resources in Eurasia: their genesis, exploitation & effects on ancient and modern civilizations

2/08 Jade trade: on the trail of oceanic rocks on land 6 2/13 The heritage of Central Asia 2/15 The merchant world along the Silk Road QUIZ 3 7 2/20 Monday/Tuesday exchange day; no classes 2/22 Caspian and Black Seas as landlocked relics of ancient oceans and dividers

of trade routes and migration paths 8 2/27 Plate tectonics, seismicity, and rise & demise of cultures and civilizations in Eurasia: Part-1 3/01 Plate tectonics, seismicity, and rise & demise of cultures and civilizations in Eurasia: Part-2 QUIZ 4 9 3/06 Land Between Two Rivers: Mesopotamia’s natural history and resources

3/08 Water conflicts in the Middle East: Causes and consequences, geopolitics of water

<<< SPRING BREAK >>>

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10 3/20 Geology and archaeology of the Mogao Caves (Dunhuang – China), and their role in art and religion along the Silk Road 3/22 Propagation of religions along the Silk Road: “East – West Relations” 11 3/27 Transnational waters of the Aral Sea Basin: human impact and future water management in Central Asia. 3/29 Environmental problems and human health issues in Central Asia 12 4/03 Petroleum and natural gas resources in Central Asia: Formation & distribution QUIZ 5 4/05 Geopolitics of oil, US interests, and “New Great Game” in Central Asia 13 4/10 Mediterranean climate, rivers and water resources: Their effects on cultural,

economic and historical patterns: Part-1 4/12 Mediterranean climate, rivers and water resources: Their effects on cultural, economic and historical patterns: Part-2

14 4/17 Geopolitics of the Middle East: From Marco Polo to the Present 4/19 Future of the “Silk Way”; geopolitics, economy, and global perspectives 15 4/24 Student presentations - 4/26 Student presentations; Wrap-up -

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