Links to the Past: Course Sites for Dr. Christopher Lovett

updated as of 9 Feb 03

Modern Middle East Syllabus

INTRODUCTION

Following the American victory in the Gulf War, the American public felt confident that the problems in the Middle East and the Islamic World had been resolved. At least for the time being, with the notable exception of the ongoing crisis that has plagued Palestine. Now, in light of the dramatic events that have unfolded since the tragedy on the morning of 9/11, Americans cannot and, perhaps will not, allow their knowledge of Islamic World to return to the back burner of their collective consciousness. With each passing day, we are vividly reminded of the crisis that still occurs in the region, especially with each suicide bomber's attack. How did this happen? Where is the Islamic World going? Those, and many other questions, will be resolved during the course of the semester.

In order to obtain a complete history of the Middle East and the Muslim World, the professor will use a variety of tools to expose students to the rich and varied history of the Islamic World. Traditionally the course solely focused on the Middle East, but in light of the earth shattering events of 9/11, we will expand our horizons. We will explore the wide gamut of cultural, social, political, and historical forces that have made the Islamic World such an important region to study.

Because of the time constraints we will start with the Ottoman Empire at it height and continue through the collapse of the Ottomans and the imposition of an impractical peace settlement following 1918. The course will continue through the nationalist struggles that culminated in independence from World War II to the start of the Cold War. The course will look at the birth of Israel, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the road to peace, the failure of the Palestinian-Israeli dialogues, the Iranian Revolution, the collapse of Soviet influence in Central Asia, the rise of the Taliban, and the expansion of Islamic fundamentalism throughout the Islamic World.

ASSIGNMENTS

Modern Middle East will revolve around a series of weekly lectures, discussions, and materials provided by the professor. Extra material will be given to all students enrolled in the class on the 3.5 disk. The disk will contain articles downloaded from the New York Times and converted to MSWord concerning the Islamic World, Modern Middle East, and/or Terrorism. Students are not only encouraged to read the articles, but are also expected to participate in the discussions that follow. Undergraduates will take two take home examinations during the course of the semester as well as a pre and post test. The grade on the post test will be included for the final determination of a student's grade. In-class projects involving group activities will occur during the course of the semester. Likewise, undergraduates will also write a book review over one of the assigned readings for the class or from the reading list provided with the syllabus.

Graduate students working on a Master of Arts of Teaching will prepare a unit plan of study, which will include a general essay explaining their project. They will also take the first midterm examination as well as the pre/post test and write a book review over one of the assigned readings.

Graduate students working on a Master of Arts degree will take the pre/post examination like the MAT students and Undergraduates, but they will have the option of completing either a research project derived from materials at the Eisenhower Presidential Library or a comprehensive book review essay over eight books concerning the history of the region. MA students will also take the first midterm examination.

GRADES

Unlike other disciplines, students enrolled in Modern Middle East, will not be evaluated by using a curve. Instead, a standard distribution of 90 percent, 80 percent, 70 percent, and 60 percent out of the possible 400 points available during the course of the semester. The assignment and examination distribution is listed below:

� Pre and Post examination (only the post test will count toward the final grade) 100 pts

� Two take home examinations (100 pts each) 200 pts

� Book Review/Teaching Unit/Research Project 100 pts

FILMS

Films will be used to enhance the class and will watch at appropriate times both Hollywood and documentary films. Class discussions will follow each presentation. Students should become familiar with the content of the film before the presentation, if the video is a Hollywood production. To help students, all students are encouraged to check the Internet Movie Database for reviews for such films as Lawrence of Arabia and Exodus. A filmography will be attached to the syllabus for videos used in the class.

TEXTBOOKS

All textbooks can be found at either the Memorial Union Bookstore or the Textbook Corner across from the campus. Students will have to purchase five books, but four of which are common to all students. The fifth book, the students can select that title from the recommend books found on the syllabus. Note: The above are full price titles. Students can purchase cheaper versions at the American Book Exchange and Amazon.

REQUIRED BOOKS

David Fromkin. The Peace to End All Peace. Owl Books 2001.

Ahmed Rashid. Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia. Yale University Press, 2001.

Bernard Lewis. What Went Wrong? Oxford University Press, 2001.

Jason Goodwin. Lords of the Horizon: A History of the Ottoman Empire. Owl Books, 2000.

RECOMMEND: STUDENTS MUST SELECT ONE OF THE FOLLOWING

Geradldine Brooks. Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women. Anchor, 1996.

Thomas Friedman. From Beirut to Jerusalem. Anchor; 1990.

Gilles Kepel. Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam. Harvard University Press, 2002.

Bernard Lewis. The Assassins: A Radical Islamic Sect. W. W. Norton, 1963.

Michael B. Oren. Six Day War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East. Oxford University Press, 2002.

Avi Shlaim. The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World. W. W. Norton, 2001.

Michael Gordon and Bernard Trainor. The General�s War: The Inside Story of the Conflict in the Gulf. Little Brown & Co, 1996.