Spring 2008
MES 322K • THE US AND THE MIDDLE EAST
| Unique | Days | Time | Location | Instructor |
| 42422 |
MWF |
2:00 PM-3:00 PM |
PAR 1 |
Course Description
The Middle East has been one of the foremost concerns of American foreign policy for more than six decades now. This course will cover the history of United States involvement in this important region from its beginnings at the end of the 18th century to the first Gulf war in 1991. Among others, it will address the topics of the first American presence in the region, the rise and fall of American prestige, the Cold War, oil, the Arab-Israeli conflict, Arab, Turkish, and Iranian nationalism, and the more recent ascendancy of Islamism, and it will examine how American policymakers perceived and confronted them over time.
Grading Policy
There will be a mid-term and a final exam and each will count for 25% of the overall course grade. A 10-15 page research paper will count for 40% of the overall grade. Class participation will count for 10% of the overall grade.
Texts
Robert D. Kaplan, The Arabists : The Romance of an American Elite Brands, H. W. Into the Labyrinth: The United States and the Middle East, 1945-1993 (1994)
