Course Description
The history of American involvement in the Middle East and North
Africa from the Revolutionary War until the present moment. Major
wars and covert operations, the evolution of diplomacy and foreign
aid, and cultural encounters between the United States and Middle
East.
Athena Title
The U.S. and the Middle East
Pre or Corequisite
Any course in POLS or INTL or HIST
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student learning Outcomes
- By the end of this course, students will be able to arrive at conclusions about the historical relationship between the United States and the Middle East by gathering and weighing evidence, logical argument, and listening to counter argument.
- By the end of this course, students will be able to write stylistically appropriate papers and essays. Students will be able to analyze ideas and evidence, organize their thoughts, and revise and edit their finished essays.
- By the end of this course, students will be able to identify how the history of the United States and the Middle East shaped diverse social and cultural attitudes toward religion, identity, and global politics, encouraging them to understand diverse worldviews and experiences.
- By the end of this course, students will be able to apply appropriate methodological approaches to their analysis of primary sources and to organize their evidence to show historical continuities and discontinuities.
Topical Outline
- Week 1: Early American Encounters with the Middle East
- Week 2: Protestant Missionaries and American Orientalism in Ottoman Syria
- Week 3: The United States, World War I, and the Armenian Genocide
- Week 4: Arab Immigration and the Emergence of the Arab-American Diaspora
- Week 5: Petroleum Politics and the American-Saudi Special Relationship
- Week 6: American Zionism and the Establishment of the State of Israel
- Week 7: Arab and Iranian Nationalist Movements and Cold War Interventions
- Week 8: Modernization Theory and Economic Development in the Middle East
- Week 9: The Arab-Israeli Wars and the American Role in the Peace Process
- Week 10: International Terrorism and the Lebanese Civil War
- Week 11: The Iranian Revolution, Hostage Crisis, and Iran-Contra Scandal
- Week 12: The Anti-Soviet Jihad in Afghanistan and the Rise of al-Qaeda
- Week 13: The Gulf War, Dual Containment, and the New World Order in the Middle East
- Week 14: Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Domestic Politics of the War on Terror
- Week 15: Globalization and American Culture in the Twenty-First Century Middle East
- Week 16: ISIS, Iran, and American Foreign Policy in the Trump Era
Institutional Competencies Learning Outcomes
Analytical Thinking
The ability to reason, interpret, analyze, and solve problems from a wide array of authentic contexts.
Communication
The ability to effectively develop, express, and exchange ideas in written, oral, interpersonal, or visual form.
Critical Thinking
The ability to pursue and comprehensively evaluate information before accepting or establishing a conclusion, decision, or action.
