Time Schedule:
Denis Basic
SISME 490
Seattle Campus
Content varies.
Class description
The title of this course is MIDDLE EAST IN THE MODERN WORLD and is an equivalent of the course SISME 400 with the same name.
During this course we will be exploring economic, political, and cultural ties between the Middle East and the modern world between the eighteenth century and the present.
Student learning goals
Transformation of Middle Eastern societies in the Modern Era
Formation of modern states in the Middle East
Relationship between Islam and democracy
Relationship between gender and society in the Middle East
Origins of the Arab-Israeli conflict
General method of instruction
The course is based on lectures and discussions. The methodology used in the course will be interdisciplinary. Using the historical apparatus we will be studying the political history of the Middle East during the past two centuries, while anthropology and sociology will help us learn about the lives of ordinary Middle Eastern women and men during the same timeframe.
Recommended preparation
Reading the assigned materials in advance, as well as a regular class attendance and participation in discussions will ensure a complete success in the course.
Class assignments and grading
There will be two exams: midterm exam covering the materials of the first five weeks of the course and the final exam covering mostly the materials of the last five weeks. Students will also be asked to write a 15-page double-spaced term paper using the primary and/or secondary literature.
Class attendance and participation in discussions 20%, mid term exam 30%, final exam 30%, and paper 20%.
