Courses

A survey of the history of the Islamic World from the rise of Islam to the 1800's. Beginning with the revelation of Islam and the emergence of the first Islamic Empire in the seventh century A.D., the course will examine the formation and development of Islamic Societies through a study of religion, political theory and practice, social structure, art, literature and the sciences.

Crosslisting: HIST 121.

This course will cover the major political, cultural, and social features of the modern Middle East, from the eighteenth century to the end of the twentieth century. Among the transformations this course will examine are the rise of colonialism/imperialism and nationalism, as well as other major political and religious ideologies. Covering a geographic area that stretches from North Africa to Iran, this course will highlight case-studies with an emphasis on the diversity of political, social, and economic life across the region.

Introductory special topics with Middle East and North African focus.

A general category used only in the evaluation of transfer credit.

A general category used only in the evaluation of transfer credit.

This course will look at the role women have played in the Middle East since the nineteenth century. We will start the course by examining the interpretative methods and sources that historians use to explore this history. Then, after an introduction to the study of women and gender in the Middle East, we turn to several of the major factors that have impacted the role of women in Middle Eastern societies: the Islamic tradition, the colonial period, the rise of nation-states, and various strands of feminism. Our examples will draw from several of the principle countries and regions in and around the Middle East including Iran, Turkey, Egypt, the Levant, and North Africa. As we proceed, students will develop their own research question, bibliography, and ultimately, research paper.

Crosslisting: HIST 321.

The purpose of this course is to acquaint students with the political history, international significance, and the dimensions of political life in the Middle East. Owing to the ever-present potential for conflict, the seeming intractability of disputes, and the oil factor, what happens in the Middle East is of vital importance to international politics. We examine the role that politics in the Middle East has played in world affairs as well as the region's importance in the future.

Advanced special topics with Middle East and North African Studies focus.

A general category used only in the evaluation of transfer credit.

A study of the general features of the economic development experience of the Middle East and North Africa. We will study the structural transformation of these economies and the dynamics of their colonial and post-colonial structures. This course examines the different stages of economic development starting with the early post-colonial period, followed by the period of import substitution industrialization of the 1960s, export-led growth of the 1970s, the debt crisis of the 1980s, the structural adjustment programs of the 1990s, and the Arab uprisings of 2011. We will examine the political economy of the region as it relates to unemployment, poverty, inequality, migration, food insecurity, water stress, climate change, class conflict, gender dynamics, cultural norms, as well as regional and global geopolitical power struggles over the control of key markets such as oil and natural gas.

Prerequisite(s): ECON 301.

Crosslisting: ECON 415.

Advanced special topics with Middle East and North African Studies focus.