Modern Middle East (HIST*3830)
Code and section: HIST*3830*01
Term: Winter 2017
Instructor: Renee Worringer
Details
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 in the subsequent interwar period newly created states. Other topics to be explored include the impact of the developing oil industry upon regional politics, the Palestine question, the creation of the state of Israel and the resulting Arab-Israeli conflict that has destabilized the area for over half a century, the rise of American influence in the region after World War II, the divisiveness of Cold War politics, and the role of women in Islamic societies today, all of which play(ed) a tremendous role in subsequent social, political, and economic underdevelopment of the Middle East. This course will begin with the critical period of transformation and reforms known as the “long 19th century” – roughly 1790-1914 – which serve as the backdrop for the remainder of the course, the history of the 20th century Middle East.
Methods of Evaluation and Weights:
Take-home Midterm Examination - 30%
Essay Assignment - 35%
Take-home Final Examination - 35%
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).
*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.