Making the Modern Middle East

Unit code: AAH3003 | Study level: Undergraduate
12
(Generally, 1 credit = 10 hours of classes and independent study.)
Footscray Park
N/A
Overview
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Overview

Many of the critical issues facing our world focus on, or otherwise involve the 'Middle East'. This unit covers the core knowledge of the Middle East from the 19th to the 21st century. We start with the emergence of the modern Middle East from the fall of the Ottoman Empire, at the end of the Great War to the present. We discuss the Ottoman legacy in the region and the Western impact on the creation of new nations. We review the emergence of Arab nationalism, the modernisation efforts of Middle Eastern governments, the struggle of various peoples for political independence, social and culture changes, issues of religion and state, and the evolution of Islamist politics. In this unit, we also discuss the evolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict and its impact on the region, the First Gulf War and we conclude with a comprehensive analysis of the “Arab Spring” by placing the current revolutions and events in their historical context.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate an understanding of the historical, ethnic, religious, and cultural diversity of the Middle East upon which contemporary political complexity is based;
  2. Interpret Orientalism and/or post-colonialism, and how it shaped the ways in which Western audiences view the Middle East;
  3. Apply an understanding of the relationship between democracy, nationalism and self-determination; causes of migration movements; and
  4. Explore civil society with particular reference to political opposition, feminism, and other political movements.

Study as a single unit

This unit can be studied on its own, without enrolling in a full degree.

Learn more about single units of study at VU

Assessment

For Melbourne campuses

Assessment type: Test
|
Grade: 12%
In-class source analyses x 3
Assessment type: Essay
|
Grade: 30%
Research essay
Assessment type: Test
|
Grade: 28%
In-class source analyses x 7
Assessment type: Test
|
Grade: 30%
In-class Test

Required reading

A History of the Modern Middle East,
Cleveland, W.L. (2016).| Westview Press

As part of a course

This unit is not compulsory for any specific course. Depending on the course you study, this unit may be taken as an elective.

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