Modern Middle East (HIST*3830)

Code and section: HIST*3830*01

Term: Fall 2023

Details

Method of Delivery: 

The class format will be in-class lecture and discussion unless unforeseen circumstances cause the need for online delivery, in which case they would also be in synchronous format. All lectures and discussions will not be recorded for later viewing, so students are expected to attend all components.

Course Synopsis:

Many historical factors led up to the creation of the current geo-political map of nation-states we know today as the troubled region of the Middle East. What relationships did the various peoples here have with one another at the turn of the 20th century? How did European imperialism affect the region leading up to World War I? What indigenous religious and secular movements attempted to meet the challenges posed by Western encroachment in the Middle East? Students learn about the struggle for national independence among newly created states in the subsequent interwar period. Other topics to be explored: the impact of the developing oil industry upon regional politics; the Palestine question, creation of Israel, and resulting Arab-Israeli conflict that has destabilized the area for over half a century; the rise of post-WWII American influence in the region; the divisiveness of Cold War politics; the role of women in Islamic societies today. These factors play(ed) a tremendous role in the social, political, and economic underdevelopment of the Middle East. The course begins with the critical period of Ottoman transformation and reforms known as the “long 19th century” – roughly 1790-1914 – the backdrop for the remainder of the course, the history of the 20th/21st century Middle East.

Texts and/or Resources Required:

William L. Cleveland & Martin Bunton, A History of the Modern Middle East, 6th ed. (CO: Westview Press, 2012).  
Akram Fouad Khater, ed., Sources in the History of the Modern Middle East (New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004).  

Methods of Evaluation and Weights:

Written Assignment(s) - 35%    
Take-home Final Essay Exam - 35%    
Discussion participation - 30%

*Please note: This is a preliminary web course description only. The department reserves the right to change without notice any information in this description. The final, binding course outline will be distributed in the first class of the semester.