W26 - The Modern Middle East (HIST*3830)

Code and section: HIST*3830*01

Term: Winter 2026

Details

HIST*3830: THE MODERN MIDDLE EAST  

Method of Delivery:

The class format will be in-class lecture and discussion unless unforeseen circumstances cause the need for online delivery, in which case they would also be in synchronous format. All lectures and discussions will not be recorded for later viewing, so students are expected to attend all components.

Course Synopsis:

Many historical factors led up to the creation of the current geo-political map of nation-states we know today as the troubled region of the Middle East. What relationships did the various peoples here have with one another at the turn of the 20^th century? How did European imperialism affect the region leading up to World War I? What indigenous religious and secular movements attempted to meet the challenges posed by Western encroachment in the Middle East? Students learn about the struggle for national independence among newly created states in the subsequent interwar period. Other topics to be explored: the impact of the developing oil industry upon regional politics; the Palestine question, creation of Israel, and resulting Arab-Israeli conflict that has destabilized the area for over a century; the rise of post-WWII American influence in the region; the divisiveness of Cold War politics; the role of women in Islamic societies today. These factors play(ed) a tremendous role in the social, political, and economic underdevelopment of the Middle East. The course begins with the critical period of Ottoman transformation and reforms known as the “long 19^th century” – roughly 1790-1914 – the backdrop for the remainder of the course, the history of the 20^th/21^st century Middle East.

Learning Outcomes By the end of the course, you should be able to:

1. Grasp the diversity of peoples, their ethnicities, languages, and faiths, who live in the Middle East today.
2. Understand historical events and socio-political, intellectual, and economic factors of the late 19^th/early 20^th century that underpinned the establishment of new nation-states in the region.
3. Recognize the dramatic, far-reaching effects of foreign interventions upon the societies and countries in the region in the 20^th and 21^st centuries.
4. Deconstruct the causes of and suggest possible means of reconciliation for the many tragic conflicts that have wrought so much destruction in the Middle East.
5. Present one’s deep understanding of the history and politics of Middle Eastern societies in both written and oral formats to both general and specialist audiences.

Texts and/or Resources Required:

William L. Cleveland & Martin Bunton, A History of the Modern Middle East, 6th ed. (CO: Westview Press, 2012). 

Akram Fouad Khater, ed., Sources in the History of the Modern Middle East (New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004). 

Methods of Evaluation and Weights:

Written Assignment(s)                                                        35%   

Final Research project                                                        35%   

Discussion participation                                                     30%

*Please note:  This is a preliminary web course description only.  The department reserves the right to change without notice any information in this description.  The final, binding course outline will be distributed in the first class of the semester.