HIST 319
THE MIDDLE EAST

1. Catalog Entry

HIST 319. The Middle East. (C)
Three hours lecture (3).

Prerequisites: Three hours of history at the 100 level.

A survey of the Middle East from the birth of Islam to the present time, focusing on the 19th and 20th centuries. Emphasizes the great diversity in peoples, cultures and historical development, despite the overriding influence of Islam. Issues include nationalism and colonialism, the emergence of Israel, modernization and development, oil diplomacy, and intra-regional rivalries.

2. Detailed Description of Content of the Course

The course is treated as an upper-level survey since most students take the course with little detailed or intimate knowledge of the region. All of the following topics are dealt with although with differing degrees of emphasis.

• Geographical Setting & Background to Islam
• Muhammad the Prophet & Islam's Geographical & Theological Development
• Islam as a Way of Life
• The Arab Conquests and Islam as a World Region
• The Ummayad and Abbasid Caliphates
• Shi'ites, Turks, Crusaders, Mongols
• The Middle East in the 17-18th Centuries
• European Imperialism & Westernization in the 19th Century
• The Rise of Nationalism in the Middle East
• World War I & Its Aftermath
• Egypt: The Revolution & Beyond
• The Question of Palestine & Israel's Creation
• Arab Reaction to Israel
• The Social/Economic/Political Problems of the Middle East Since 1960
• The U.S. Role in Middle Eastern Affairs

3. Detailed Description of Conduct of the Course

The basic methodology of the course is lecture, but students are given ample opportunity to ask/answer questions in class. Student-teacher interaction is encouraged. In addition slides and videotapes are employed to provide the student with a visual impression of the region and its historical problems. Constant reference to maps is made.Students are provided with excerpts from primary documents to evaluate and analyze and are asked to write short assessments of their findings. Each student will work during the semester individually and in groups on an in-depth study of one Middle Eastern country. Each group will give an oral report and each student individually will write a final report discussing how his/her case-study country might respond to a hypothetical crisis in the region (provided by the instructor). Reading in the course includes a common text and individualized selections.

4. Goals & Objectives of the Course

1). Students will be able to demonstrate a basic historical understanding of the region.
2). Students will be able to develop an appreciation of its ethnic, cultural, & linguistic diversity.
3). Students will gain a basis for understanding the region, in order to form their own conclusions about the region's problems and potential and to better assess and analyze news-reporting about the region
4). Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding from the perspective of another culture of the determination of national interest and public policy based on an in-depth study of one such culture from the region.

5. Assessment Measures

Assessment of student performance is based upon three examinations, including the final exam. In addition students will be graded on a map quiz and periodic short writing assignments involving assessment of visual or documentary materials. Students are also graded on both their oral and written presentations as related to the simulation.

6. Other Course Information

The course draws students from a wide variety of disciplines.

7. Review and Approval

Date Action Reviewed by
January 2005 Reviewed and Approved by Charles McClellan