THE
Spring 2008: AMH 4930/ASH 4930
Tuesdays & Thursdays 9:30-10:50, PS
227
Instructors:
Dr. Eric Hanne Dr.
Ken Osgood
E-Mail: ehanne@fau.edu
E-Mail:
kosgood@fau.edu
Office:
Office Hrs: T/R 11-1 Office Hrs: R,
11:00-1:00
(and by appointment) (and by appointment)
Course Description:
This course has a simple
goal: to enhance your understanding of
the history of the Modern Middle East and how
Since the course
addresses subject matter about which many people have strong feelings, we ask
that students approach this course with an open mind, with a willingness to
learn, and with an interest in asking questions.
Registration:
You may register for this
class one of two ways: either as AMH 4930 (to fulfill
American history requirement) or
as ASH 4930 (to fulfill non-Western history requirement). You cannot register for both sections. If you do, you will be dropped from both
sections, and it is likely you will not be able to re-add the course. If you are registered for
one (such as AMH) and would prefer to be in the other (such as ASH), please try
to drop/add on your own. If you have been unable to switch by Thursday
(1/10), meet with us after class and we will work on manually switching
you. Please be advised that after
Friday, 1/11, it will be too late.
Course Requirements and Grading:
This course will be
taught in a lecture format and PowerPoint presentations may be posted on the
course Blackboard site. Active attendance at all class meetings is
mandatory—absences and complete passivity in the classroom will be duly
noted. Each student will be graded on a
straight scale based on the following breakdown:
Midterm Exam 1: 30%
Final Exam 2: 35%
Research Paper Proposal:
5%
Research Paper: 30%
Required Books:
William L. Cleveland, A History of the Modern
Douglas Little, American Orientalism: The
[Note: Little’s book is organized by topic, rather
than chronology. We have tried to
identify the key pages that are relevant for each day’s lecture. Please note that you may find it easier to
read a given chapter all the way through, rather than in the separate chunks
listed on the syllabus. For the exams,
you will be held accountable for the pages listed on the syllabus schedule.]
Required Lectures:
All students are required
to attend two special lectures. To
compensate for the demands on your time, we have not scheduled class on two days.
The required lectures are listed on January 18 and February 19, as noted the
course schedule. Please
note that these are required for the course. Also, note that tickets
are required for the lecture by Helen Thomas on February 19. They are free to students, but you need to
get them NOW! Go to Student Union box
office with your ID.
Special Events:
On January 24 and 27, FAU
will host presidential primary debates for the 2008 election. The week prior to that – January 14-18 – FAU
will sponsor “Join It!: Civic Engagement at FAU.” The
week will include free shows by Comedy Central’s Indecision 2008 and Rock the
Vote. It will also include contests that you can enter to win tickets to the
primary debates – but the deadline is January 9th! The week also features a whole series of
educational workshops on issues that affect our lives and that matter in this
campaign. Students who enter contests or
participate in workshops will be eligible to receive tickets to the debates,
front row seats to the Comedy Central show, and other prizes. For information, see: www.fau.edu/debates!
Exams:
The midterm and final
exams will test your factual knowledge and comprehension of core themes of the
course. You will be expected to master
both specific detail and generalized concepts.
Tests will include pointed questions that directly address individual
readings as well as lecture material. To
do well on the exams, you will have to attend lectures daily; you will have to
read the material carefully; and you will have to study extensively. And by extensively, we do not mean a
single-night cramming session: you will
need to develop a consistent pattern of review and preparation. We will announce the exam format in class as
the first exam approaches. You are
responsible for making sure you receive all announcements in the event you do
not attend class and miss information about the exams.
Research Papers:
All students will need to
write a 10-15 page research paper based on primary documents. Details are posted on the “Research
Paper” page of this website.