SURVEY OF MIDDLE EASTERN HISTORY

HIST2130                                                                 Summer 2007                                                          Dr. McFarland

    CLASSROOM: Lowder 0033, 11:30-1:00, MTWRF

    TEXTS:William L. Cleveland, A History of the Modern Middle East, 3^rd edition, 2004 (ISBN 978-0813340489)

              John L. Esposito, Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam, 2002 (ISBN 978-0195168860)

    OFFICE: Thach 319A, 10:30-11:30, MTWRF, or by appointment

    OFFICE TELEPHONE: 844-4360

    E-MAIL ADDRESS: mcfarsl@auburn.edu (please use HIST2130 in your subject heading)

    SCOPE: HIST2130 is a survey of the major developments in the history of the Middle East in the twentieth century. The course will follow a generally chronological approach, but will also follow certain political, social, economic, diplomatic, artistic, literary, religious, military, and intellectual themes.

    OBJECTIVES: By the end of the course, each student will have a solid foundation of the great processes of Middle Eastern history, an understanding of the role of Islam in the history of the region, a comprehension of the causes and effects of Middle Eastern history, an understanding of both sides of the more controversial issues of the modern Middle East, and improved learning and writing skills.

    READINGS: Reading assignments are listed in the tentative schedule for the course.

    ATTENDANCE POLICY: Attendance will be taken for record-keeping purposes and to assist in determining borderline grades. No penalties will be assigned for non-attendance. Make-up exams will be given only by special arrangement based on legitimate excuses.

    HONESTY POLICY: The Department of History does not tolerate violations of the university's academic honesty policy and all instructors will report and pursue all such cases according to the procedures outlined in the Tiger Cub. Students are required to know what these policies and procedures are and to know what constitutes academic dishonesty. This includes, but is not limited to plagiarism, falsified citations, cheating on exams, unauthorized collaboration with other students, multiple submissions, and fraudulent medical excuses.

              Plagiarism is using someone else's work without credit. It includes ideas, phrases, papers, reports, charts, diagrams, and computer and other data copied directly or paraphrased that are not your own. More specifically, plagiarism is:

    * submitting a paper or other work that was wholly or partially written by someone else, regardless of the relationship;

    * submitting a paper or other work that the student did not write but that was obtained from files or other sources on or off campus;

    * submitting a paper or other work that was wholly or partially obtained from the Internet or the World Wide Web or from other sources that supply papers of this sort;

    * submitting as their own work a paper or parts of a paper copied or paraphrased from other sources; and

    * simply rearranging passages and making slight changes or additions in wording.

              Note that intent is not an issue with plagiarism. Accidentally submitting written material as your own that comes from someone or somewhere else is not an excuse. Sources for written material, whether paraphrased or quoted, must be cited. Falsified citations are those where the cited material cannot be found in the book, article, or other source. Claims that this was done accidentally do not constitute an excuse.

              Cheating on an exam includes copying from others' exams, otherwise giving or receiving aid during an exam, obtaining copies of exams, using such copies in the exam, using electronic or other aids during an exam, taking an exam for another student, or any other means of deception.

              Unauthorized collaboration includes working with or receiving assistance from others on graded or other assignments without the specific permission of the instructor. Study groups and collaborative work are generally encouraged, but the end results must reflect the work of the individual student. When in doubt about collaboration, ask the instructor.

              Multiple submissions are when a student completes a paper or other assignment for a course and submits it to fulfill the requirements for another course.

              Fraudulent medical excuses include but are not limited to forged signatures, times, diagnoses, and prescriptions.

    CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR: The goal of Auburn University and its faculty and students is to foster a dynamic environment of higher learning where all students develop analytical skills, learn to think critically and communicate effectively, promote inquiry, pursue knowledge, and prepare for productive careers. Behavior in the classroom that impedes teaching and learning and creates obstacles to this goal is considered disruptive and therefore subject to sanctions. The purpose of these sanctions is to create and protect an optimum learning experience; they should not be considered punitive, neither by the student nor instructor. Disagreement expressed in a civil fashion, eccentricity, idiosyncrasy, and unconventional behavior are not, per se, disruptive to the classroom experience. These sanctions are intended only to preserve the classroom as a place to pursue knowledge, exchange ideas, and share opinions in an atmosphere of tolerance. Students have the responsibility of complying with behavioral standards. Faculty have a professional responsibility to set reasonable limits on the expression of opinions while treating students with dignity, respect, and understanding while guiding classroom activities.

              At the classroom level, clear guidelines for behavior and early intervention are the foundation for an intellectually stimulating experience for students and instructors alike. Instructors are encouraged to include in their syllabi guidelines for classroom behavior. Instructors who state these guidelines early and enforce them at the first appearance of disruptive behavior prevent minor episodes of classroom misconduct from escalating into serious confrontations and help transgressors to avoid the more serious consequences of such actions.

              Examples of improper behavior in the classroom (including the virtual classroom of e-mail, chat rooms, telephony, and web activities associated with courses) may include, but are not limited to, the following:

    ● repeatedly arriving after a class has begun

    ● use of tobacco products

    ● monopolizing discussion

    ● persistent speaking out of turn

    ● distractive talking, including cell phone usage

    ● audio or video recording of classroom activities or the use of electronic devices

        without the permission of the instructor

    ● refusal to comply with reasonable instructor directions

    ● employing insulting language or gestures

    ● verbal, psychological, or physical threats, harassment, and physical violence

              1. When confronted with disruptive, but non-threatening behavior, the instructor should issue a general word of caution to the class as a whole rather than to a particular student so as not to exacerbate the problem.

              2. If a general caution directed to the entire class does not stop the disruptive activity, the instructor should endeavor to meet in private with the disruptive student. The resulting discussion should include a description of the problem, the reason it is disruptive, and the consequences of continued violations of classroom behavior guidelines.

              3. If the disruptive behavior is preventing further instruction, the instructor is authorized to ask the disruptive student to leave the class immediately for the remainder of the class session. Removal from the classroom for more than one class period, for an extended period, or on a permanent basis normally requires the instructor to file charges of a violation of the Auburn University Discipline Code with the Vice President for Student Affairs. The department head/chair or dean may negotiate a withdrawal from the course or a transfer of the disruptive student to a different course section or course, if, in his or her opinion, a different instructor and different classmates would defuse the situation and provide the disruptive student with a new learning opportunity.

              4. If threats have been made or physical violence is imminent, the instructor should notify the Auburn University Department of Public Safety immediately. The instructor should also notify the course department head/chair or dean promptly, followed by a memo to the department head/chair or dean documenting the incident and actions taken.

              Instructors and administrators must maintain records related to all material disruptive incidents and any actions taken concerning them. Nothing in this policy is intended to infringe or restrict the educational process or the academic freedom of Auburn students or instructors.

    GRADING CRITERIA:

    *Short Answer E-Mails: At the beginning of each of the 5 weeks of the course, I will present you with a question in class. You have until Friday, 5:00 PM Central Time, of each week to e-mail me an answer. You need only submit answers to 4 of the 5 questions. The answers need only be 4 to 6 sentences in length. I will also endeavor to e-mail you these questions each week to your AU e-mail address. In your e-mail to me at mcfarsl@auburn.edu, please use the subject heading of SALAAM, which will generate an immediate reply e-mail back to you serving as a receipt for your submission.

    **Essay on Islamic Terrorism: Each student must submit an essay of 750 to 1,250 words (three to five double-spaced typed pages), by the date given below. The purpose of the essay is for each student to evaluate and analyze Islamic terrorism. You may discuss its origins, causes, results, and such, but the primary objective of the essay is to make the connection between “Islam” and “terrorism” and evaluate or assess just how “Islamic” Islamic terrorism is. This is certainly an opinion piece, but it must be one based on reason, fact, and research. Express a thesis (a position or proposition) that you then maintain by argument and proof.

Course grades will be assigned according to the following scale:

A=900-1000 pts

B=800-899 pts

C=700-799 pts

D=600-699 pts

F=599 and below

Unless prior arrangements are made with the instructor, any course requirements not completed by June 21, 5:00 PM, Central Time, except for the final exam, will be awarded a grade of zero. TEN PERCENT OF THE POSSIBLE POINTS WILL BE DEDUCTED FOR EACH CLASS DAY AN ASSIGNMENT IS LATE. Each student is responsible for insuring all course requirements are completed. Adjustments to the final examination schedule must be made before the final day of class.

TENTATIVE CLASS SCHEDULE

May 17 Introduction/Geography

May 18 Islam

May 21 Islam

May 22 Islam

May 23 Islam

May 24 Western Imperialism/World War I

May 25 Mandates

May 28 Memorial Day Holiday

May 29 Oil

May 30 State Building

May 31 State Building

June 1 World War II/Cold War

June 4 Midterm Examination

June 5 Arab-Israeli Dispute

June 6 Arab-Israeli Dispute

June 7 Arab-Israeli Dispute

June 8 Arab-Israeli Dispute

June 11 Lebanon

June 12 United States in the Middle East

June 13 Iran

June 14 Iraq/Iran-Iraq War

June 15 Iraq

June 18 Iraq

June 19 Islamic Terrorism

June 20 Culture

June 21 Outlook

June 22/23 Final Exam