HIS 2608G: The History of the Modern Middle East

Course Description

This survey course is designed to provide a scholarly based introduction to the modern history of the Middle East from 1800 to the present.

The course surveys the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire, the transformation of political institutions in the region and the formation of independent Arab states in the 20th century. Ideological trends, socialism, pan-Islamism, nationalism and fundamentalism are covered as well social and economic conditions and development. Militarism and individual political regimes are surveyed including the reasons for the recent upheavals. The challenges faced by the modern Middle Eastern state in the areas of family, gender and status of women are a main theme.

Required Texts

William L. Cleveland and Martin Bunton, A History of the Modern Middle East. (Westview Press, 2009.) 4th edition.

Mary Lynn Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing in History, (Bedford/St. Martin, 2010) 6th edition

William Kelleher Storey and Towser Jones, Writing History. A Guide for Canadian Students, (Oxford, 2011) 3rd edition.

Evaluation

Participation 5%