77690 - HISTORY AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS OF THE MIDDLE EAST

Learning outcomes

The course examines the historical development of the International Relations of the Middle East from the early XIX century to current events. At the end of the course, students will be able to articulate informed and coherent arguments about the main aspects of modern and contemporary Middle Eastern political, social and cultural history by referring also to the relevant scholarly literature. Eventually, students will acquire the necessary tools to analyse critically the interaction between the agency of local and regional forces and international and global dynamics affecting the region.

Course contents

The course will consist of 21 frontal lectures for a total of 42 hours of class instruction. Lectures will introduce students to the core contents of the discipline while elaborating on how the additional study materials relate to weekly key questions.

Lectures will cover the following topic:

Week 1- The Colonial Middle East- State and Nation-building in the Interwar Period

Week 2- The Origins of the Palestinian Question

Week 3- The Middle East in the Bipolar World: the Golden Age of Panarabism and the Radicalisation of Arab Politics.

Week 4- The Middle East in the Seventies: Regional Patterns of War and Peace

Week 5- The Middle East in the Seventies (2): the Resurgence of Political Islam

Week 6- The Middle East and the end of the Cold War

Week 7- Wrap up class

SPECIFIC INFORMATION FOR BAES STUDENTS:

BAES students are reminded that:

-the course of History and International Relations of the Middle East (the denomination of this course within the BAES study plan) is offered ONLY at the Forlì campus;

-the BAES study plan awards 6 ECTS for the course of History and International Relations of the Middle East. This is part of a longer course called "History and Institutions of the Modern Middle East " (10 ECTS, 60 credits). This means that BAES students are not REQUIRED (although surely welcome if they wish) TO ATTEND THE WHOLE COURSE. FOR BAES STUDENTS ATTENDANCE WILL BE COMPULSORY FROM WEEK 4 to WEEK 10 ONLY (42 hours of in class instruction). BAES students will also have to pass a final written test on week 6 (covering the topics of the first part of the attended classes) and the final oral exam (covering the second part of the attended classes).

The course is designed in such a way to allow BAES students to take it as a stand alone teaching activity, yet preparatory on-line group tutorials will be available on demand for those who wish to catch up with some of the contents of the classes from week 1 to week 3 of the general course of "History and Institutions of the Modern Middle East". Please contact Dr Marco Spagnoletti marco.spagnoletti3@unibo.it at the beginning of the term to arrange dates and times.

Further information will be provided in class at the beginning of the course, so ALL STUDENTS , BAES and non-BAES, are very welcome to attend the course presentation, 1st class of week 1.

 

 

Readings/Bibliography

Students are required to study the following textbooks:

for a comprehensive chronological and thematic overview, William Cleveland and Martin Bunton, A History of the Modern Middle East, Boulder: Westview Press, [copies available from Ruffilli’s library course collection].

for background information on Islamic history and civilization: Karen Armstrong, Islam: a Short History, New York: Modern Library Chronicles, 2001. (available on line for free: [http://www.archive.org/])

The use of the historical maps is highly recommended. A very good selection of maps can be found here:

https://gulf2000.columbia.edu/maps.shtml

Additional readings useful for working on relevant weekly key questions and in preparation for the in.sessional written exams will be available on Virtuale.

Teaching methods

Frontal lectures

Assessment methods

One in-sessional written exam consisting of a number of 3 open questions in week 6 and 1 final oral exam.

All exams are aimed at assessing the knowledge of the disciplinary contents of the couse, in addition to the abiity to use critical and analitical skills to elaborate on them and articulate coherent and clear arguments in both written and oral form.

Mock exam papers will be made available on Virtuale.

Students with learning disorders and\or temporary or permanent disabilities: please, contact the office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students ) as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

Teaching tools

Pc, videos, slides, and maps. 

Office hours

See the website of Francesca Biancani