Mar 29, 2024  
2022-2023 General Catalog 
    
2022-2023 General Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

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CLS 141 - Middle Eastern History and Culture


Last Date of Approval: Spring 2021

3 Credits
Total Lecture Hours: 45
Total Lab Hours: 0
Total Clinical Hours: 0
Total Work-Based Experience Hours: 0

Course Description:
This course is an introduction to the history and culture of the Middle East with an emphasis on the modern era. It briefly surveys the early history of the region, beginning with the origins and evolution of ancient civilizations and the rise of monotheistic religions, but mainly focuses on the great pre-modern Islamic empires, their collapse under European pressures, the renaissance of Middle Eastern culture in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the move toward independent states in the 19th and 20th centuries, and the development of pan-Arabist and Islamist ideologies in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Other topics include the Middle East’s geography and natural resources; literature and other fine arts; economic development and commerce; governments and foreign relations; science and technology; media and popular culture; and gender, ethnicity, and cultural identity. Knowledge of diverse cultures and an understanding of global interconnectedness are important skills for achieving success in many occupations and professions, thereby directly contributing to a higher quality of life.

Prerequisites/Corequisites: None

Mode(s) of Instruction: traditional/face-to-face

Credit for Prior Learning: There are no Credit for Prior Learning opportunities for this course.

Course Fees: None

Common Course Assessment(s): None

Student Learning Outcomes and Objectives:
  1. Identify and analyze specific information as it relates to inferences about history, culture, and human behavior in the Middle East.
    • Define the terms, “Middle East,” “Arab World,” and “Muslim World,” and explain their historic and sociocultural origins and their limitations in describing the region.
    • Define the term, “culture,” and explain how the concept of culture applies to the Middle East.
    • Explain why it is important to understand the history and culture of the Middle East.
    • Identify and describe the main component regions of the Greater Middle East, including Southwest Asia, North Africa, Central Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Europe.
    • Provide specific examples of the Middle East’s historical development and its influence on human behavior in the contemporary era.
  2. Describe and provide examples of the diverse sociocultural and demographic attributes of the Middle East.
    • Describe the primary sociocultural and demographic attributes of the Middle East, including those relating to race and ethnicity, nationality, language, religion and sect, occupation, education, social class, and rural-urban residency.
    • Describe the sociocultural role of religion in general and Islam in particular in the Middle East. 
    • Identify important minority groups of the Middle East and discuss the impact of past and present discriminatory policies and perceptions upon them.
    • Identify significant examples of traditional Middle Eastern norms and values, including those relating to marriage and family, gender, social networks, recreation and leisure, political authority, and economic relations in the workplace and society.
    • Provide examples of how the media, arts and humanities, popular culture, and social movements have influenced the sociopolitical evolution of Middle Eastern societies.
  3. Explain how geography and the natural environment have impacted the sociocultural, economic, and political development of the Middle East.
    • Describe the physical geography and natural environment of the Middle East and how it varies by region and nation-state.
    • Identify important cities, rivers, mountain ranges, and other geographic points of interest in the Middle East, and describe the influence of such places in Middle Eastern history and contemporary society.
    • Provide examples of social problems and political issues in the contemporary Middle East that are related to the natural environment.
    • Analyze the impact of geography and the natural environment on the economy and prevalence of social inequality in the Middle East.
    • Evaluate the impact of geography and the natural environment on the sociopolitical development of the Middle East.
  4. Describe and evaluate the historical evolution, cultural commonalities, and contributions to the world of Middle Eastern civilizations.
    • Describe the early origins, cultural commonalities, and contributions to the world of ancient and medieval Middle Eastern civilizations.
    • Trace the cultural, economic, and political development of the colonial, post-colonial, and contemporary Middle East.
    • Evaluate the impact of Islam and other religions on the cultural, economic, and political development of the Middle East.
    • Evaluate the impact of multinational empires on the cultural, economic, and political development of the Middle East.
    • Evaluate the impact of European intrusion, colonialism, and national revolutions on the cultural, economic, and political development of the Middle East.
  5. Identify and describe major events leading to the rise and fall of empires, colonial regimes, post-colonial regimes, and authoritarian regimes, in the Middle East.
    • Identify and describe major events, ideas, and practices leading to the rise and consolidation of colonial regimes in the Middle East.
    • Identify and describe major events, ideas, and practices leading to the decline and fall of colonial regimes in the Middle East.
    • Identify and describe major events leading to the rise and fall of post-colonial and authoritarian regimes in the Middle East.
    • Describe the sociopolitical role of the military (including military coups, revolutions, and dictatorships) in colonial and post-colonial nation-states of the Middle East.
    • Explain why the Middle East has been prone to authoritarian regimes throughout much of its history.
  6. Explain how modern events and phenomena, such as imperialism, nationalism, Cold War, oil trade, neoliberalism, interstate wars, civil wars, religious fundamentalism and sectarianism, and terrorism, have impacted and influenced the Middle East.
    • Provide examples of how imperialism and nationalism have impacted and influenced the Middle East.
    • Provide examples of how the Cold War has impacted and influenced the Middle East.
    • Provide examples of how the oil trade and neoliberalism have impacted and influenced the Middle East.
    • Analyze the role of interstate wars (including the Arab-Israeli conflict) and civil wars on the sociocultural and political development of the Middle East.
    • Evaluate the sociocultural and political role of religious fundamentalism, religious sectarianism, and terrorism on the Middle East.
  7. Summarize and analyze the main political and economic systems in the Middle East.
    • Describe the main political and economic systems of colonial, post-colonial, and contemporary Middle Eastern nations.
    • Compare and contrast the main political and economic systems in the contemporary Middle East.
    • Describe the role of the West in influencing the political and economic systems of the colonial, post-colonial, and contemporary Middle East.
    • Analyze the role of Islam (and other religions) in influencing the political and economic systems in the contemporary Middle East.
    • Evaluate the role of political parties, social movements, and interest groups in influencing the social and political transformation of the Middle East.

 



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