Key facts

Type	Weekly Classes
Location	Reading
Address	Room 110 Building 22 London Road Campus Reading.
Dates	Tue 9 Oct to Tue 11 Dec 2012 Day: Tuesday Time of meeting: 7.00-9.00pm Number of meetings: 10
Subject area(s)	History
CATS points	10
Fees	From £145.00
Application status	Course ended
Course code	R12P433HIW
Course contact	If you have any questions about this course, please email ppweekly@conted.ox.ac.uk.

Overview

**PLEASE NOTE - The start of the course has been delayed by a week. The first class will now be on October 9**

The events of the past year in the Middle East and North Africa have totally transformed the Middle East. The course will study the recent developments in the context of longer relations between the Middle East and the West.

Description

The events of the past year in the Middle East and North Africa have been almost unprecedented and have totally transformed the Middle East. Although the fate of Arab uprisings cannot yet be predicted, nevertheless, it is certain that the emerging Middle East will be very different from the past. There are many indications that the Middle East is moving towards a more democratic future, although the future orientations of the new regimes may vary from country to country. In addition to momentous changes in the Arab world, the Arab-Israeli conflict and the confrontation between Iran and the West are still unresolved. The course will provide a background history of the relations between the Middle East and the West and will try to explain what is happening in the Middle East at the moment.

Programme details

Week 1: Introducing the Middle East
Week 2: Encounters between the Middle East and the West
Week 3: The Middle East and the West since the Second World War
Week 4: The role of oil in East-West relations
Week 5: The Arab states: The First Gulf War, 9/11, the invasion and occupation of Iraq
Week 6: Iran and the West: From oil nationalism to the present
Week 7: Turkey’s growing role as a bridge between the Middle East and the West
Week 8: The Arab-Israeli conflict
Week 9: Arab Uprisings
Week 10: The main challenges in the Middle East and how to cope with them

Background reading:
Cleveland, William L.: A History of the Modern Middle East (Westview Press, 2000)
Hollis, Rosemary: Britain and Middle East: The Contemporary Policy Agenda (Blackwell, 2011)
Osman, Tarek: Egypt on the Brink: From Nasser to Mubarak (Yale University Press, 2011)
Axworthy, Michael: Empire of the Mind: A History of Iran (Basic Books, 2008)
Wills, Michael J: Politics and Power in the Maghreb: Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco from Independence to the Arab Spring (C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd, 2012)

Staff

Course aims

Course aim:
The aim of the course is to provide a historical background to the current developments in the Middle East and North Africa; to examine the role of Islam, especially Islamic radicalism, in the Middle East; to explain the motives behind the Arab Uprising; and to suggest the ways that future conflicts can be prevented.

Course objectives:
To provide a historical background to the current developments in the Middle East
To provide a fuller understanding of domestic and foreign interests in the Middle East
To examine the relations between the Middle East and the West

Assessment methods

Students will have a choice of assessment. Option A will involve writing 4 - 5 short reports totalling c.1000 words about the issues discussed in class as well as their participation in class discussions during the course. Option B, c.1000 words will consist of either an essay on one of the topics dealing with the Middle East, or alternatively a book review.

Teaching methods

The course will be taught in the form of tutorials, with a combination of lectures and discussion. The students are encouraged to take part in the discussion as much as possible and to engage in class debates.

Teaching outcomes

By the end of the course the students should have:
- gained a better understanding of the history of the Middle East
- become aware of the factors behind recent uprisings in the region
- be able to form a better judgement about East-West relations

Fee options

Programme Fee

Home/EU fee: £145.00

Non-EU fee: £145.00

Apply for this course