Course Description
The history of modern Iraq, from the late Ottoman Empire to the rise of ISIS. The political, social, and cultural history of Iraq.
Athena Title
The History of Modern Iraq
Pre or Corequisite
Any course in POLS or INTL or HIST
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
This course will teach students how to understand and interpret contemporary historical events by thinking critically about the relations between past and present, power and resistance, and politics and society. Students are expected to read a diverse collection of assigned texts, attend lectures and participate in class discussions, and demonstrate their ability to analyze and evaluate historical arguments on examinations and formal writing assignments.
Topical Outline
Week 1: Introduction to Iraqi History Week 2: Iraqi Society and Culture in the Late Ottoman Era, 1831- 1914 Week 3: World War I, British Occupation, and Iraqi Revolution, 1914-1920 Week 4: Politics and Society During the British Mandate in Iraq, 1920-1932 Week 5: Arab Nationalism, Socialism, and Military Coups, 1932- 1941 Week 6: Nationalism, Nazism, and World War II in Iraq, 1941-1945 Week 7: Liberalism, Anti-Semitism, and Popular Protest, 1945-1952 Week 8: Communism, Baʿthism, and National Front Politics, 1952- 1958 Week 9: July 14 Revolution and the Struggle for Cultural Hegemony, 1958-1963 Week 10: Political Repression and the Sixties Generation in Iraq, 1963-1968 Week 11: Economic Development and the Progressive National Front, 1968-1979 Week 12: The Rise of Saddam Hussein and the Iran-Iraq War, 1979- 1988 Week 13: The Gulf War and Iraqi Intifada, 1988-1991 Week 14: International Sanctions and Islamization of Baʿthism, 1991-2003 Week 15: American Occupation, Democracy, and Civil War, 2003-2010 Week 16: The Rise of ISIS and the New Protest Movement, 2010-2020
Syllabus