IS 2700 - Perspectives on the Middle East-Online (4)

An interdisciplinary study of the peoples of the Middle East and their traditional and modern civilizations.

Contacting the Professor Please contact me by email or by phone. You are also welcome to drop by my office during office hours or by appointment. 

2. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the role that different cultural heritages, past and present, play in forming values in another part of the world, enabling the student to function within a more global context. Cross-cutting capacities: Social awareness and effective communication.

3. The student will be able to explain the emergence of Islam as world religion and Islam’s relations with other religions. (GESLO 1 & 2)

4. The student will be able to explain major characteristics of the politics and development of the states of the Middle East. (GESLO 1 & 2)

5. The student will be able to identify influences of the past on the contemporary culture in the Middle East, including gender relations. (GESLO 1 & 2)

6. The student will be able to analyze major sources of major contemporary conflicts in the Middle East. (GESLO 1 & 2)

7. The student will be able to identify examples of cultural and intellectual exchanges between the Middle East and the West and to explain their significance. (GESLO 1 & 2) 

Other Required Readings Other required readings are posted as pdf documents on the course Moodle page and are listed in the schedule below. 

You can order your textbook directly from the OU bookstore at http://oakland.bncollege.com/. You must have access to these by the beginning of the course. 

In addition, there are also PowerPoint presentations, pdf files, pod casts, and films for each unit of the course. The presentations emphasize and clarify points in the textbooks and films. 

Weekly Multiple-Choice Quizzes (1% each) 12% Forum Posts (7 @ 1% each) 7% Module 1 Essay Test, first draft 20% Module 1 Essay Test, final draft 6% Module 2 Essay Test 27% Module 3 Essay Test 27% 

Every assignment is graded on a 100-point scale. The total score for the course will be calculated according to the components above and the 100-point scale then converted to the University’s letter- grade scale. Here is the scale: 

93-100 pts. = A 90-92 = A- 87-89 = B+ 83-86 = B 80-82 = B- 77-79 = C+ 

73-76 = C 70-72 = C- 67-69 = D+ 60-66 = D <60 = F 

Quizzes The weekly quizzes are made up of 20 multiple-choice questions on concepts in the weekly PowerPoint presentation, reading assignments, pod casts, and films. You will take the quiz by logging onto the Moodle course page and clicking on the week’s quiz. You have 10 minutes to take the quiz and are allowed one attempt. 

Forum Posts You are required to post a paragraph of at least 100 words, using complete sentences in standard English on one of about five key concepts each week by Wednesday, 11:59 PM Eastern Time and to post a response of at least 40 words to two other students’ posts by Sunday, 11:59 PM Eastern Time. In total, you must post comments on three different concepts. 

Your original post must be on a concept that either no one has posted a paragraph on or on one of the concepts that has fewer posts. Responses to other students’ original posts must add substantive information, provide context, or offer constructive criticism or identify strong points in their paragraphs. It is not sufficient to repeat information in the original post or to simply praise the quality of the post. The goal of the assignment is for every member of the class to help everyone else master the course’s essential concepts. Your posts must in your own words. 

Carefully read the grading rubric for the forum posts below. 

Scoring Rubric for Forum Posts 

Category Maximum points Meaningful, original post of least 100 words, posted on time 40 Locating the concept in place and time 20 Correct spelling, grammar, and style 20 Responses of at least 40 words to posts of two other students, posted on time 20 Total maximum points 100 

The key concepts for each module appear below: 

Module 1 Key Concepts: Fundamental Concepts and Early Islam Byzantine Empire Sasanid Empire Muhammad The Qur’an Five Pillars of Islam Caliph Rashidun Caliphate Umayyad Caliphate  Sultan ‘Abbasid Caliphate Shi’ism/Shiites Shari’a Sufism Salah al-Din (Saladin) Crusades 

Module 2 Key Concepts: Impact of the West and Modernity Ottoman Empire Safavid Empire Janissaries Sulayman the Magnificent Mehmet ‘Ali Tanzimat Ibn Sa’ud Aramco Reza Shah Pahlavi Mustafa Kemal “Ataturk” Sa’d Zaghlul Mandates King Faysal Amin al-Husayni Zionist movement 

Module 3 Key Concepts: Contemporary Conflicts and Challenges Gamal Abd al-Nasir (Nasser) June War/Six-Day War October/Yom Kippur War Occupied Territories Yasir ‘Arafat The Camp David Accords Ayatollah Khomeini Iran Hostage Crisis Saddam Hussein Hamas Hizballah (Hezbullah) Osama Bin Laden ISIS Intifada Oslo Accords Arab Spring Muslim Brotherhood The Gulf War The Iraq War OPEC 

Module Essay Tests The Module Essay Tests are essays in response to a question about a major theme of each module of the course and are based on assigned readings, films, podcasts, and presentations. You are not permitted to use or cite sources from the Internet other than those posted on the course Moodle page. 

There are three questions for each module. You will be assigned one (1) of the three to answer in an essay. The essays will be graded on accuracy, comprehensiveness, and context, as well on as grammar and style. You will upload your essay to the course Moodle page in a Microsoft Word document by the indicated deadline. 

The essay must be at least 1,500 words, double spaced, with one-inch margins, and in a standard twelve-point font. Write as if you are explaining the issue to an educated person who has no expertise in the history, politics, and culture of the Middle East. Your essay must draw on the relevant key concepts of the module and demonstrate your understanding of those concepts. Your essay also must provide context by referring to the place and time of the events that you describe. 

For the Module 1 Essay test, you will submit a first draft (not a rough draft), which I will grade and return to you with my feedback. You will then submit a final version, which will incorporate my comments and corrections. The first draft is worth 20% of the course grade, and the final version is worth 7%, so be sure to give the first draft your full effort.