HIST2130

SURVEY OF MIDDLE EASTERN HISTORY

Flash points - the points at which someone or something bursts suddenly into action or being . . .

Al-Askariya Mosque (aka the Golden, Al-Askari shrine): flash point for the Iraq Civil War

Temple Mount (aka Mount Moriah, "the Noble Sanctuary," and the "Holy of Holies"): flash point for the Arab-Israeli wars

Gharbzadeghi ("Westruckness, Westamination, Westoxication"): flash point for culture wars

"The Syrian Bride" (2004) is one of the finest foreign films to appear in the past decade. In HIST2130 it will serve as a microscope for examining the Arab-Israeli dispute, adding human faces, and human costs, to the world's longest, ongoing, continuous war. Synopsis

- - -

SCOPE: HIST2130 is a survey of the major developments in the history of the Middle East since 1900, with an emphasis on the historical origins or antecedents of these developments. The course will follow a generally chronological approach while stopping to focus on certain political, social, economic, cultural, diplomatic, artistic, literary, religious, military, and intellectual themes.

OBJECTIVES: By the end of the course, each student will have a solid foundation in 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.

SYLLABUS for Summer 2007

PDF versionHTML version

---

Additional Flash points - the points at which someone or something bursts suddenly into action or being . . .

Shatt al-Arab Waterway ("Coast of the Arabs"): 125 mile waterway forming a border between Iran and Iraq and carrying the waters of the Tigris, Euphrates, and Karun rivers to the Persian (Arabian) Gulf. A continuous cause of friction between Iran and Iraq, it is Iraq's primary outlet to the world and borders on Iran's Abadan Island, location of what, at times, was the largest oil refinery in the world.

Golan Heights: mountainous plateau dominating the intersection of Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, and Syria. Assigned to Syria after World War I and seized by Israel in 1967, it towers above southwest Syria and northeast Israel. Site of numerous battles in the last 50 years, it is also a major source of water for Israel and the Jordan River.