Hist 436
Wednesdays 12:40-15:30
FASS G022
This class will survey the history of the Middle East from the early 19th century until the present. It will be divided into three parts: The first section will concentrate on the nineteenth century with emphasis on the Ottoman Tanzimat (reforms) and the years following, Mehmet Ali of Egypt, the Young Turks, and World War One; the second section will deal with the interwar years and the emergence local nationalisms, the establishment of the Arab states, and the first years of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict; the last section will concentrate on the history of the Middle East from the post World War II era and will bring us to the present. In addition to covering the historical events of the last two centuries, there will be time allotted in the classroom to speak about the current events unfolding in the Middle East, such as the recent Arab uprisings, the continued violence in Syria, and the stalemate between the Israelis and the Palestinians.