ANTH 319 - History and Democracy in the Modern Middle East 3 hours

As an introduction to the social, political, religious and intellectual history of the Middle East stretching from the 1700’s to the present day, this course pays particular attention to the following topics: political movements and everyday life; the nature of the Middle Eastern social and political institutions; tensions between reform and purifying impulses in Islamic religious currents; the Ottoman period, western imperialism; paths of modernization; the Arab-Israeli conflict; the historical context for the emergence of political Islam; and the Arab spring of 2011. Cross-listed as HIST 319. Prerequisite: HIST 102 or HIST 112. Course meets Multicultural graduation requirement.