Course Catalog

Home>Academic Catalog 2019-2020>

HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE EAST I (ME1015)

This course surveys major themes in the ancient (pre-Islamic) and medieval history of the Middle East. It is organized around two parts. The first surveys successive civilizations and empires that rose in the region or invaded and dominated it, from the Egyptians, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Hittites, the Phoenicians, the Persians, to the Greeks and the Romans/Byzantines. The birth of Judaism and Christianity is presented in this part. The Second covers the rise of Islam, its expansion and the Caliphate it established from the 7th to the late 13th century, when the Mongol seized Bagdad.

FIRSTBRIDGE IN MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES (ME1099)

Firstbridge courses are offered to degree seeking freshmen and registration is done via webform in pre-arrival checklist.

SITUATING THE MIDDLE EAST I (ME2010)

The Middle East is a region of great diversity with different histories, cultures, languages and populations. It constitutes nevertheless a systematic entity, with close interrelations, and many common political, cultural and socio-economical challenges. The course will explore the cultural, political, ethnic and geographical realities of the region (historically and in the present). It will present as well the ongoing debates and themes in major political and cultural circles.

EARLY ISLAMIC HISTORY (ME2011)

This course offers an introduction to the first century and a half of Islamic society, 600-700 AD. It builds on knowledge of ways of writing about the past which students have acquired in earlier courses. The focus of the course is the rise and development of the religion of Islam and the key events and figures in the process. They will read extracts by those who wrote history in the early Islamic centuries – and those who have approached early Islam and is history in the global North, notably since he nineteenth century.

SITUATING THE MIDDLE EAST II (ME2035)

This course covers the religious, cultural and linguistic diversities in the Middle East and North Africa. It exposes students to and familiarizes them with the origin of these diversities and traces its impact and influence on the modern Middle East. The Islamic identity of the region, its signifier, from the eyes of those outside the region is closely examined. The second part of the course turns to the rich linguistic and cultural diversities of the region, their origin, particularities, and their contributions to the identities of different groups. The role of linguistic diversity as both a unifying and a divisive force will be examined, and the region’s homogeneity and heterogeneity and the socio-political implications of cultural institutions are further explored through its literature, painting, calligraphy, food cultures and customs of dress.

ENCOUNTERS BETWEEN THE MIDDLE EAST AND THE WEST (ME2040)

The “Middle East” and the “West” (as two political/cultural entities) have been involved in a long history of conflicts, concurrence, hegemony, and fascination. The course will explore the different aspects of the contemporary Middle East/West relation, and will explain its origins and historical evolution.

POLITICS OF THE MIDDLE EAST (ME3072)

Introduces the contemporary politics of the Middle East, from Turkey and Iran to the Atlantic Ocean, including all the Arab countries of West Asia and North Africa as well as Israel. Focuses on political trends (nationalism and religious fundamentalism), key historical experiences and traumatic events (wars and revolutions), and the interference of world powers that contributed to shaping this sensitive area.