Overview

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

An introductory survey of the changing societies of the Middle East since 1800. Emphasis will be placed on familiarizing students with the basic aspects of Islamic society, the influence of European imperialism, the modernization of traditional societies, the origins of the Arab-Israeli conflict, and the social and political ferment in the period since the Second World War. Breadth-Humanities.

COURSE DETAILS:

Modern Middle East: At Global Crossroads

The region we know as the “Middle East” is often portrayed as a zone of wars and extremism. How does history help us question such a one-dimensional portrayal? How does the past clarify the complexities of the present?

A central aim of this course is to introduce students to the vibrant socio-cultural histories and the diverse ways of life that have characterized the societies that comprise the contemporary Middle East. An equally important learning goal is to examine the Middle East as a region situated at a global crossroads, shaped by trade, migrations, and flows of political ideologies.

We will start from the late eighteenth century and end in the present moment. Core concepts of the course include border/border-crossings, state formation, gender, minorities, imperialism and colonialism, transnational political ideologies, and religious networks. These concepts will be explored through specific cases, contexts, and places such as the historic spice trade across the Middle East and the Indian Ocean; South Asian laborers in the Gulf; and political Islamism and Arabism in different iterations in Egypt, the Levant, and beyond.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

1. Critically evaluate the “Middle East” as a category and recognize the global forces and flows within which the region has been embedded (of trade, migration, imperialism, colonialism, Cold War, globalization)
2. Identify and analyze religious and political ideologies that have been articulated from within the region (i.e. Islamism, nationalism, constitutionalism, pan-Asianism, pan-Arabism)
3. Recognize the diversity of linguistic, ethnic, religious, and cultural life that constitutes the social fabric of the contemporary Middle East
4. Analytically read and situate primary sources in their historical contexts
5. Apply course concepts and tools to interpret current issues from a historical perspective

Grading

Materials

REQUIRED READING NOTES: