Corso di laurea magistrale in Scienze storiche

The course will consist in an in-depth historical analysis focused on the following contexts: Iran, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq (including Iraqi Kurdistan), Israel, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Libya. A particular attention will be given to the emergence of bottom-up grassroots ideas and local anti-colonial movements; the formation of modern nation states and the interactions among them; the role of Islamic and non-Islamic groups in the “political reform processes”; the influence and legacy of long-standing regional conflicts; the (active) role of local women in pressure groups and political movements; the impact of colonialism and imperialism on the Middle East and North Africa; the lives of ordinary men and women in the late modern and contemporary era; the “Arab cold war”; the “revival of Islam” and the role of non-Muslim communities; and the rising regional orders in the 2000s and 2010s.

12 hours of the course will be taught by Professor Sara Roy - Harvard University.            

By the end of the course students should be able to:

-acquire an in-depth understanding of the modern and contemporary history of some key countries in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as of a number of local ethnic and religious groups, political movements and non-state actors.

-acquire a more informed knowledge of where to look for, and how to get, scholarships, grants, and research funds, for national and international projects or programs.

-enhance their verbal presentation and written skills.

The programme, with the readings of each lesson, can be accessed at the following link: https://www.academia.edu/44559559/History_of_the_Middle_East_and_North_Africa_2023_2024_

The course consists of 12 lessons - 3 hours each - and 4 final “laboratories”.

All teaching materials will be made available to students in a dedicated page on dropbox.

Students are asked to prepare the required readings carefully in order to be able to participate to class discussions. They will be asked to send to the teacher 2 or 3 questions/inputs regarding the content of the required reading of each lesson.

Additionally, each student will be asked to prepare an oral presentation (about 12 minutes long) on one source included in the reading list (see in the programme: "Presentation delivered by one student:"). The list of presentations will be agreed during the first lesson.

Frontal lectures, students' presentations, use of media, class discussion.        

Grades in this course will be based on the following assignments:

Class participation 40%

Oral presentations 20%

Final examination 40% (as an alternative to the final written exam, students can opt for a final written paper on one of the key topics addressed during the course, to be agreed with the teacher)

Grading criteria for participation:

• Demonstration of reading assigned materials prior to class
• Contribution to discussion
• Ability to critically analyze the readings

Grading criteria for oral presentation:

• Well-organized and clear structure (the presentation has a clear Intro, body, and conclusion)
• Demonstration of understanding the main ideas/thesis that the article intends to propose
• Raise critical comments to readings
• Raise questions to be discussed in the class

Grading criteria for final exam:

• 6 multiple choice & 8 open questions: all taken only from the required readings

As an alternative to the "final examination", students can opt for a final written paper to be agreed with the teacher. Grading criteria for the final written paper:

• The final written paper should present a clear research question, and will be evaluated assessing the latter, as well as the quality of research (to what extent have you adequately uncovered and documented the information necessary to sustain your thesis?), the quality of analysis (to what extent have you have provided a well-structured argument in support of your thesis?), and the quality of presentation (to what extent does your paper’s organizational structure effectively communicate its thesis?).

Students with disabilities or learning difficulties can find information on the university facilities, study support, and exam procedures at the following links.

Services:

https://www.unito.it/accoglienza-studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa

Support:

https://www.unito.it/servizi/lo-studio/studenti-con-disabilita

Exams:

https://www.unito.it/servizi/lo-studio/studenti-e-studentesse-con-disabilita/supporto-studenti-e-studentesse-con

For the book chapter, or the academic article, assigned as a "required reading" for each lesson, please see the section "programma".

Non-attending students should agree with the teacher 2 among the following books to prepare for their oral exam.

T. Matthiesen, The Caliph and the Imam: The Making of Sunnism and Shiism, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2023.

S. Roy, Hamas and Civil Society in Gaza: Engaging the Islamist Social Sector, Princeton University Press, Princeton 2011.

S. Faroqhi, Women in the Ottoman Empire, I.B. Tauris, London 2023

C. Aydın, The Idea of the Muslim World, Harvard UP, Cambridge (Ma) 2017

L. Kamel, Napoleone e Muhammad ‘Alī. Medio Oriente e Nord Africa in epoca tardo moderna e contemporanea, Mondadori Università, Milano 2022.

R. Di Peri, D. Meier (eds.), Mediterranean in Dis/order: Space, Power, and Identity, The University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor 2023.

L. Kamel, The Middle East from Empire to Sealed Identities, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh 2019.

A. Marzano, Terra Laica, Viella, Roma 2023.

U. Makdisi, Age of Coexistence: The Ecumenical Frame and the Making of the Modern Arab World, University of California Press, Oakland 2019.

A. Hannoum, The Invention of the Maghreb, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2021.

L. Kamel, Terra Contesa. Israele, Palestina e il peso della Storia, Carocci, Roma 2022.