The Middle East and the West

Catalog description

This course provides an overview of themes and issues in Middle Eastern history from the medieval era to the present, with an emphasis on encounters and exchanges between the "Middle East" (defined as Southwest Asia and North Africa) and the "West" (chiefly Europe and the United States). Key topics include perceptions of Islam since its inception, conflicts between predominantly Christian Europe and the Islamic world during the Crusades, East- West encounters during the age of exploration, European colonial domination of the Middle East from the 19th century, independence movements and the rise of nationalism in the 20th century, the Middle East and the Cold War, and the challenge of Islamist radicalism and anti-Western sentiment in recent times.