Maricopa Community Colleges  HIS277   20092-99999 

Official Course Description: MCCCD Approval: 6-24-2008

HIS277  2009 Spring – 2009 Fall

LEC  3.0 Credit(s)  3.0 Period(s)  3.0 Load  Acad

The Modern Middle East

Survey of the political, religious and economic development of the Middle East since 1500. Emphasis on the decline of the Moslem empire(s), the resurgence of contemporary Pan- Arabism, the Palestinian-Israeli question, jihadism, fundamentalist terrorism, the Taliban and Al Qaeda, and the impact of oil production on the region and the rest of the world.

Prerequisites: None.

 

Course Attribute(s):

General Education Designation: Global Awareness - [G]

General Education Designation: General Education Designation: Historical Awareness - [H]

General Education Designation: Social and Behavioral Sciences - [SB]

Go to Competencies    Go to Outline
 

MCCCD Official Course Competencies:

 

HIS277  2009 Spring – 2009 Fall

The Modern Middle East

 

1.

Identify and locate on a map the principle geographic features and nations of the Middle East. (I)

2.

Describe the impact of Islam on the Middle East. (II)

3.

Trace the history of the Middle East during the last half of the nineteenth century. (III, IV, V)

4.

List and explain the forces which led to the formation of the Zionist Movement. (VI, VII)

5.

Describe modern Israel today, including its peoples, society, and problems. (VII)

6.

List and explain the forces which led to the rise of Arab nationalism in the 20th Century. (VIII)

7.

Describe the rise of the Palestinian nationalism. (IX)

8.

List and explain Arab attempts at unity. (XIII)

9.

Describe the rise of Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and oil in terms of Arab and Middle Eastern politics and economics (XIV, XV, XVI)

10.

Compare and contrast the roles of the United States and the Soviet Union in the Middle East during the Cold War. (IX, X, XI, XII)

11.

List the reasons that 1955 is considered pivotal year in the Middle East. (IX, X)

12.

Describe the major forces in the Six Day War of 1967. (XVIII)

13.

Describe the major forces that contributed to the 1000 Day Egypt-Israel War of Attrition of 1967-1970. (XX, XVII, XIX)

14.

Identify and explain the forces that led to the movement toward Arab-Israeli peace in the Middle East. (XXII)

15.

Describe the factors that led to the Yom Kippur/Ramadan Arab- Israeli War of October 1973. (XXII)

16.

Identify and explain the reasons Lebanon was plunged into civil war, 1975-1990. (XXI)

17.

Describe the major factors that contributed to the Israeli- PLO War in Lebanon of June 1982. (XXIII)

18.

Explain the causes and events of the Palestinian Intifada. (XXIV)

19.

Describe the major events and forces in the Persian Gulf War of 1991. (XXV)

20.

List the impact on the Middle East of 9/11, the Afghanistan War and the Iraq War. (XXVII)

21.

List and describe steps taken to promote Arab-Israeli Peace since 1979. (XXVI)

22.

Explain predictions for the future throughout the Middle East. (XXVII)

Go to Description    Go to top of Competencies
 

MCCCD Official Course Outline:

 

HIS277  2009 Spring – 2009 Fall

The Modern Middle East

 

I. Geography of the Middle East

II. The Role of Islam in the Middle East and Beyond

III. The Ottoman Empire and the Middle East

A. Historic background

B. European imperialism in the modern Middle East

C. Nationalism awakened

IV. World War I and its Effect on the Middle East

A. Secret Allied deals and their ramifications and Allied promises to the subject people of the region: Armenians, Jews, Arabs and Kurds

V. The Inter-War Period: 1919-1939

A. Modernization and Westernization of Turkey

B. The rising tide of nationalism in the region

VI. The Middle East Core

A. The Zionist Movement

B. The role of Great Britain in Mandatory Palestine

C. Arab-Jewish cooperation vs. Arab-Jewish hostility

D. Patterns of violence and counter-violence: 1920-1939

E. The White Paper of 1939

F. World War II in the Middle East

G. The Holocaust

H. U.S. involvement in the Palestine question

I. The role of the United Nations in the Palestine question

J. Partition

K. The establishment of Israel and the First Arab-Israeli War: 1947-1949

VII. Arab-Israeli Relations: 1949-1955

VIII. The Rise of Modern Arab Nationalism

IX. United States Concern for the Middle East: 1954-1955

A. The policy of containment as applied to the region

B. U.S. use of the aid weapon

X. The Pivotal Year in the Middle East: 1955

A. Formation of the Baghdad Pact

B. Adoption of a new Soviet policy

C. Soviet Arms Deal with Egypt

D. Nasser's confrontation with Israel

E. The Aswan High Dam Project

XI. The Sinai-Suez War of 1956

A. Escalating fedayeen raids

B. Gulf of Aqaba blockade

C. Nationalization of the Suez Canal

D. The Israeli invasion of Sinai

E. The Anglo-French attack on Egypt

F. The roles of the United States and the Soviet Union

G. The role of the United Nations

XII. The Growing U.S. Role in the Middle East

A. The Eisenhower Doctrine

B. The Syrian Crisis of 1957

C. The Lebanese Crisis of 1958

XIII. Arab Attempts at Unity

XIV. The Importance of Saudi Arabia

A. Background of the Saudi family-state

B. Role of and relationship with the United States

C. Modernization under Faisal

D. The Arab Oil Embargo of 1973-1974

XV. The Oil Rich States of the Persian Gulf

A. The Iraqi regime from monarchy to Saddam Hussein

B. The Kurdish question

C. The Iraqi invasion and occupation of Kuwait

D. Operation Desert Storm and its aftermath

XVI. Iran From the Shahs to the Ayatollahs and Beyond

A. Historic background

B. Role of petroleum and its significance to Britain and the United States

C. The Oil Nationalization Crisis of 1951-1953

D. The U.S. sponsored coup of 1953

E. The White Revolution and Iran as U.S. surrogate in the Persian Gulf F The Iranian Revolution of 1979 and the Islamic Republic

G. The Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988

XVII. Modern Israel

A. Israeli multi-ethnic society

B. Economic and social problems

C. Governmental structure

XVIII. The Six Day War of June 1967

A. Background and causes

B. Role of the Great Powers and the United Nations

C. The conflict

D. Resolution 242

XIX. The Palestinians

A. Rise of Palestinian nationalism

B. Role of the PLO

C. Arab terrorism and its international connection

D. The Palestine National Convenant

E. The Jordanian Civil War of 1970

XX. The Yom Kippur/Ramadan War of October 1973

A. The roles of the U.S. and the U.S.S.R.

B. The Arab Oil Embargo and its global impact

XXI. The Lebanese Civil War

A. Parties to the conflict

B. Role of the outside powers

XXII. The First Arab-Israeli Peace

A. Sadat's Jerusalem journey

B. The Israeli incursion into Lebanon of 1978

C. The Camp David Accords

D. The Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty

XXIII. The Israeli-PLO War in Lebanon of June 1982

A. Causes

B. Role of the outside powers

C. The PLO evacuation and subsequent PLO civil war

XXIV. The Palestinian Intifada

XXV. Iraq's Invasion of Kuwait and the Persian Gulf War

A. Causes

B. Role of the outside powers

C. Role of the United Nations

XXVI. The Movement Towards Peace

A. The Madrid Arab-Israeli Peace Conference

B. Role of the United States: The End of the Cold War

C. The Israel-P.L.O. Agreement of 1993

D. The Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty of 1994

XXVII. Future Outlook in the Middle East

A. Interests of the Middle East nations

B. Interests of the "great powers" and fuel consumers

C. Future effects of 9/11 on geopolitical relations between Middle East and rest of world

D. Competition from Nigeria, Venezuela, Russia and China for oil production

 

Go to Description    Go to top of Competencies    Go to top of Outline