HISTORY 391 THE MODERN MIDDLE EAST Semester: Spring 2009 Time:    MWF 1:00 - 1:50 Place:   Main 104 Web Page: http://webs.wofford.edu/whisnantcj/

Professor: Dr. Clayton Whisnant Office: Main 105 email: whisnantcj@wofford.edu phone: x4550 office hours: MTW 10:00-11:00 and by appt.

 CONTENTS         

COURSE DESCRIPTION     

In this course, students will examine the history of the Middle East, with special attention given to the 19th and 20th centuries.

Course Goals

In this course, students should:

• establish a basic knowledge of Islam—its beliefs, laws, and cultural and social institutions;

• familiarize themselves with the basic social and political institutions as they existed in the "Gunpowder Empires" (namely, the Ottoman and Savafid Empires) at the beginning of the early modern period;

• study the factors that facilitated the decline of the "Gunpowder Empires" in the eighteenth and nineteenth century;

• analyze the impact of Western European imperialism in the early twentieth century;

• appreciate the legacy of imperialism for the late twentieth century, especially as it has ramifications for specific "hot spots" in the Middle East such as Palestine, Egypt, Iraq, and Iran..

Course Objectives

To meet the goals of the course, students will have to successfully write two papers that will force them to integrate knowledge acquired from lectures and textbooks and also pass three in-class exams that will test their knowledge of a) basic terms, b) historical figures and organizations, c) key events that have shaped the Middle East of today, and d) the cause & effect relationships that have given shape to the course of Middle Eastern history since the eighteenth century.

Course's Relationship to Department Goals

This course helps the history department reach its goals by covering the following dimensions of history widely perceived as crucial for a well-rounded view of the world:

• political developments;
• significant intellectual movements and debates;
• and socio-cultural issues of race & ethnicity,
• class,
• and gender.

 In addition, students will discuss issues that provide an important perspective on the contemporary world.

Technology Skills

All papers in the class will need to be written on a computer word-processor.  Students will also need some basic knowledge of web browsers in order to be able to find and utilize material on the on-line version of this syllabus.

Instructional Format

This course will be largely a lecture-based course, with some time set aside for discussion of current events or text material.

 TEXTS

• Arthur Goldschmidt Jr. & Lawrence Davidson, A Concise History of the Middle East, Eighth Edition (Boulder, Colorado: Westerview Press, 2006), ISBN: 0813342759.

• Thomas Lippman, Understanding Islam, Third Revised Edition (Meridian, 1995) ISBN: 0452011604.

• Roy Mottahedeh, The Mantle of the Prophet: Religion and Politics in Iran (One World, 2000) ISBN: 1851682341

• Several other shorter readings, which will be made available through Wofford Library's on-line reserve.

The assigned reading should be done before the class for which it is assigned. 

If you are interested in further reading, you can find a bibliography of the books I started with in preparing for this class.

 GRADING

Students are expected to attend the class regularly, to complete the reading on time, and to participate in class discussions.  Failure to do each of these things will result in a lower participation grade.

ATTENDANCE POLICY

Students should be aware that regular attendance is part of the participation grade.  Students are allowed one unexcused absences, but after that absences will seriously hurt the attendance portion of their grade.  If a student misses too many classes, I may exercise my right to withdraw him or her from the class after a warning.

Excused absences are those due to approved college-related activities (e.g. sporting events), documented illness, and family emergencies.  Students have the responsibility to make up missed work.

 OTHER REMARKS

All cell phones must be turned off at the beginning of class.  Do not, of course, take phone calls during class.  Please be on time.  If you must arrive late or leave early, do so as quietly and unobtrusively as possible.

Of course, all work must be yours.  Cases of suspected plagiarism and cheating will be handled by the Honor Council, as per Wofford College's Honor Code.  Plagiarism, we should note, is defined in the following way:

(1) the verbatim repetition, without acknowledgement, of the writings of another author;

(2) borrowing without acknowledging the source;

(3) paraphrasing the thoughts of another writer without acknowledgement; or

(4) allowing any other person or organization to prepare work which one then submits as his or her own.

You should pay close attention to the third definition, especially when referring to ideas borrowing from a website.  For more information, please reference my handout "Living by Wofford's Honor Code".

WEB RESOURCES

There are some very good resources on the web about Islam, and then there are some very, very bad resources.  Don’t believe everything you read!  All information you come across here needs to be verified, if possible.  I will include some web references about specific topics in the syllabus.

COURSE SCHEDULE

SECTION I: ISLAM - RELIGION, SOCIETY, AND CULTURE

SECTION II: 1914-1950

SECTION III: 1950-THE PRESENT

Note: This syllabus is tentative and subject to change upon notice.