Labor and the Middle East ((4 Credits))

Catalog description

This course will offer a unique perspective on the history of the Modern Middle East. Most overviews of the region focus on a narrative of religious or cultural conflict, while leaving out or marginalizing processes of political and economic development, including the complex role played by labor and the working classes of the region. Here students will critically assess the political, economic and cultural history of the modern Middle East. And by placing labor at the center of that history, students will gain an appreciation for what connects their own experience as trade unionists and workers with that of the unionists and workers of the Middle East. This course is offered as part of union partnership programs and is open to non-partnership students subject to availability. It is also only offered in-class at the college’s Harry J. Van Arsdale Jr. School for Labor Studies in New York City.