The Middle East in the 20th Century

Calendar

WEEK #	TOPICS	DUE DATES
1	Introduction to the Class
2	Introduction and Overview: The Middle East in the 19th Century: Reform and “Decline”
3	The Ottoman and Iranian Constitutional Revolutions
4	Orientalism and its Critiques
5	Western Imperialism in the Middle East: World War I and its Aftermath
6	Nation-State Nationalism in the Middle East I: The Interwar Period Guest Speaker Professor Lerna Ekmekcioĝlu, Department of History, MIT.	First reaction / reflection paper due
7	Nation-State Nationalism in the Middle East II: Post WWII	Topic proposal for final research paper due
8	The Iranian Revolution and its Impact on the Middle East
9	Palestine, Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict I
10	Palestine, Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict II
11	The Rise of Islamic Radicalism: Hamas as a Case Study	Second reaction / reflection paper due
12	Screening of Encounter Point. Directed by Julia Bacha. Color, 85 min. 2006.
13	Islam and Democracy; Islam post September 11
14	The Arab Spring?
15	Challenges in Today’s Middle East
16	Conclusion and student’s reflections	Final research paper due a week after the last class