GEO 364 Middle East: People and Place

This course seeks to situate the region of Southwest Asia and North Africa (the "Middle East") in global geographical and historical contexts. Through an examination of the complex interactions between the physical environment, built environment, population, culture, society and geo-politics of this region, this course addresses topics such as climate and natural resources, urbanization, migration, religion, ethnicity, language, gender, colonialism, revolution, and conflict. Through this course, students will gain competency in understanding historical, political, social and environmental factors that have shaped the contemporary Middle East, enabling them to participate in scholarly debates about contemporary geopolitical issues that are shaping the region.

Credits

4

Offered

• Spring

1. Correctly identify and locate countries, cities, bodies of water, land-forms, and linguistic/ethnic/religious groupings in the Middle East.
   2. Differentiate between environmental, cultural, religious, political, and economic factors
   influencing human settlement and migration patterns in the Middle East, from early
   urbanization to contemporary forced migration.
   3. Analyze environmental, cultural, religious, (geo)political, and economic factors driving conflict,
   authoritarianism, and instability in the region.
   4. Critically assess the historic legacies of Western interventions in the Middle East as well as
   Western portrayals of the region through a critical geopolitical lens.
   5. Cogently argue a position on contemporary geographic issues and debates in the Middle East
   through oral presentation/debate and written research/analysis.
2. Differentiate between environmental, cultural, religious, political, and economic factors
   influencing human settlement and migration patterns in the Middle East, from early urbanization to contemporary forced migration.
3. Analyze environmental, cultural, religious, (geo)political, and economic factors driving conflict, authoritarianism, and instability in the region.
4. Critically assess the historic legacies of Western interventions in the Middle East as well as Western portrayals of the region through a critical geopolitical lens.
5. Cogently argue a position on contemporary geopolitical issues in the Middle East through oral presentation/debate and written research/analysis.