Islam, the Middle East, and the West

Provides students with an overview of basic themes and issues in Middle Eastern history from the rise of Islam to the present, with an emphasis on exchanges and encounters between the Middle East and Europe/North America. Examines the history of the notion of “East” and “West;” the emergence of Islam and the Christianization of Europe; Ottoman expansion; the flourishing of European powers; European competition with and colonization of Middle Eastern societies, and Middle Eastern responses, including Arab and Iranian nationalisms as well as the rise of Political Islam, the “Clash of Civilizations”, and Islamophobia.

Related Subjects

Offered Fall 2025

Catalog Subject Faculty Level HASS Category
21H.365

Minorities and Majorities in the Middle East

TR 1-2:30, E51-390
Lerna Ekmekcioglu Seminar HASS-H

Not Offered This Term