MECR 5/360 Introduction to the Modern Middle East

Lectures: Mondays at 8:30am - 11:00am Eastern Time

Credit Hours: 3

Cost: $540 Audit; $2,085 Credit

Recorded Lectures: Yes

Description

A study of key political, cultural, and social aspects of the Middle East from the nineteenth century to the present, addressing topics such as Arab nationalism, Islamic fundamentalism, and Zionism. Special consideration is given to the Arab-Israeli conflict. This course will be hybrid. Online students will join the instructor and in-residence students for live class sessions.

Objectives

By the end of the course, a student should be able to:

• identify and describe key events in the Middle East from Napoleon’s conquest to today, including events related to the end of the Ottoman Empire, the role of colonial powers in the region, and the rise and development of Zionism and Arab nationalism;
• state, compare, and contrast the dominant customs, cultures, religions, and ideas that have shaped the modern Middle East;
• state, compare, and contrast the successes and failures of each of the major nation states of the Middle East since the end of World War II; and
• state and evaluate the student's own personal attitudes, convictions, and conclusions regarding the state of the modern Middle East today.

Equivalencies

• Middle East History and Culture
• Political Science
• International Studies
• Conflict Studies

Instructor

Oded Yinon: B.A., M.A., The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Published author. Began teaching at JUC in 1987.