AMH 3519.2340
Honors U.S.-Middle East Relations
Spring 2011

Professor: Matthew Jacobs	Class Time: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 4th Period (10:40-11:30)
Office: 206 Keene-Flint	Classroom: CBD 210
Contact Info: Email: mjacobs@ufl.edu Telephone: 352 273-3371	Office Hours (as well as by appointment): Monday: 3:00-4:00 Wednesday: 12:00-1:00

Course Description and Objectives

Few areas of the world have caused U.S. policy makers and U.S. citizens more concern over the last half century than has the Middle East. This point has been particularly true during the last two decades. We must look into the past if we are to understand, at least in part, the troublesome nature of U.S.-Middle East relations today. This course therefore allows students to explore the historical context of U.S.-Middle East relations, particularly since 1945 when U.S. involvement in the region increased significantly. An underlying premise of this class is that we need to understand U.S.-Middle East relations not only in political terms, but also in cultural, economic, and social terms. Therefore, while we will of course look closely at official U.S. policy toward the Middle East and of Middle Eastern countries toward the United States, we will also look at other official and unofficial forms of relations. Cultural relations, as represented by films, cartoons, and other media, will be of particular importance in this regard.

One of the objectives of any history course should be to expose students to what historians do. Many people have the misperception that history is simply remembering facts, names, dates, places, etc. To be sure, students will be learning history, but they will also be doing much more than that. History is a discipline that entails learning how to review and marshal evidence in a manner that offers insightful, fair, and well-grounded evaluations of events, issues, and people. To that end, we will read interpretive works by historians that may serve as models of how--or how not to--write good history. At the same time, students will analyze documents created by the historical actors we will be studying. Along the way, students will be thinking historically by learning to understand the past and the people who inhabited it on their own terms while also recognizing how our views of the past are shaped by our own experiences. Throughout this process, I hope students will realize that "doing" history also can be quite fun.

Finally, whatever career students consider entering after college, they will need strong oral and written communication skills. The development of those skills therefore warrants substantial attention on our part. The assignments listed below will help students improve their abilities to articulate ideas clearly and concisely.

Organization and Assignments

To accomplish the above objectives, the class is organized around lectures, discussions, and a variety of written assignments. The lectures, along with a companion text, will introduce students to the critical peoples, places, events, and issues we will be discussing. These will be supplemented by a variety of other readings--books, articles, and documents. Students will write four papers. The first will be a 3-5 page film review. The second will be a 5-7 page comprehensive paper on U.S.-Middle East relations through the 1967 war. The third will be an 8-10 page comprehensive paper on U.S.-Middle East relations up to the present. The fourth will be a 3-5 page assessment of U.S.-Middle East relations moving forward. Students will take a map quiz, and will also participate in one group presentation assignment in which the group will assign the readings and lead discussion regarding a particular current issue. Details on each of these assignments will be provided with ample time for students to prepare for them.

Students should come to every class prepared to participate. Indeed, the overall success of the class will depend to a significant degree on students' willingness to engage in discussion. It also is important to note that many students will have very deeply held opinions about the issues we will be discussing during the term. Disagreement and lively debate are not only accepted, but encouraged as long as all students remain respectful of one another and of the subject matter. I would also encourage all students to be willing to challenge your own preconceptions about U.S.-Middle East relations and to have other students challenge them as well.

Lastly, I reserve the right to hold pop quizzes if it appears students are not keeping up with the material. Should they be necessary, these quizzes will be included in the participation portion of the overall grade.

Grading

The assignments listed above will carry the following weight in the final, overall grade:

Participation	25%
Map Quiz	5%
Film Review	10%
Comprehensive Paper One	15%
Comprehenisve Paper Two	25%
Group Assignment	10%
Current Events Paper	10%

Letter grades on papers will be based on three major, closely related criteria:

Evidence—how good is your command and deployment of the relevant course material, and are you employing the best evidence available to make your points;
Interpretation—have you developed an argument or point of view that is pertinent to the issue at hand, and that has breadth, coherence, and insight; and
Expression (style)—is your prose (writing) clear, concise, and engaging, as well as grammatically correct?

These criteria will be weighted equally, and will translate into letter grades as follows:

A—Excellent: Your work is outstanding in all three areas. It offers an integrated, insightful argument based on ample, sound evidence and is written in clear and engaging prose.
B—Good: Your work is strong in all three areas, or is outstanding in one area while having significant weaknesses in another.
C—Average: Your performance is adequate in one or more areas, but also has significant weaknesses in others, leaving the presentation fragmented, murky, or narrow.
D—Poor: Your work demonstrates notable weaknesses in all three areas. Remedial work may be needed to improve substantive understanding or basic communication skills.
E—Unacceptable: Your work has serious flaws in all areas, or demonstrates no evident engagement in the assignment.

Participation grades will rest on discussions of the readings. Adequate participation will indicate that a student did the relevant readings and was actively engaged in discussion. If students have questions about how discussions are going or how participation is being evaluated, or if students feel uncomfortable speaking in front of others, they should see me as early in the semester as possible. As I note above, any pop quizzes, should they be necessary, will be factored into the pariticipation grade.

The overall grade scale for the course follows the table below.

Letter Grade	Numerical Equivalents (Paper and Final Grades)	GPA Equivalents (Final Grades)
A	93 or above	4.0
A-	90-92	3.67
B+	87-89	3.33
B	83-86	3.0
B-	80-82	2.67
C+	77-79	2.33
C	73-76	2.0
C-	70-72	1.67
D+	67-69	1.33
D	63-66	1.0
D-	60-62	0.67
E	Below 60	0.0
E1	Stopped Attending or Participating Prior to the End of Class	0.0
I	Incomplete (Note: I rarely agree to these)	0.0

Policies and Expectations

History classes are most rewarding when students interact with the texts, each other, and the professor on a sustained and regular basis. While lectures and readings provide the raw material for the class, much learning will take place in both formal and informal discussions. Effective class participation (see above) is therefore essential. Students can expect an atmosphere in which opinions are expressed, and received, in a thoughtful and respectful manner.

At the same time, students are expected to attend all classes and to be respectful of themselves, other students, and the professor at all times. In addition to arriving in a timely manner, this includes, but is not limited too, refraining from text messaging, playing cell phone or computer games, checking email, surfing the web, reading newspapers or other non-course related material, and other distracting behavior. I will ask students who do not observe these general guidelines to leave class, and students who persist in such behavior will receive grade penalties.

Students are expected turn in hard copies of papers, but I am well aware that various problems can arise when printing papers, etc. If students encounter such problems, they should email a copy of the paper to me by the appropriate due date and time, then bring a hard copy to the next class. If I do not have at least an electronic version of the paper at the proper due date, the paper will be considered late. Papers will be accepted up to one week after the due date, but with a significant penalty for each day they are late. I will consider student requests for exceptions to these policies on a case-by-case basis.

Concerns about grades on specific assignments will be handled in the following manner. We will observe a "twenty-four hour rule" when papers are returned. In short, this means that I am happy to entertain questions about grades and comments on papers, but students must wait twenty-four hours from when they receive their paper back to contact me. This rule allows me to get some much needed distance, while also allowing potentially disappointed or upset students time to calm down. Students with concerns about how their papers have been graded should bring both the graded paper and a clean version of it to your meeting with me. After speaking with the student, I will read the clean copy first and then read my original comments and evaluation. Students should not worry that they will be penalized for engaging in this process, as I will not reduce a grade that has been appealed (though I may or may not raise it). Students with grade concerns should initiate the process by contacting me within one week of when the assignment is returned.

Cheating in any form undermines the integrity and mutual trust essential to a community of learning and places at a comparative disadvantage those students who respect and work by the rules of that community. It is understood that any work a student submits is indeed his/her own. Plagiarism—that is, lifting without giving credit from something someone else has written such as a published book, article, or even a student paper—is forbidden and is, in most cases, fairly easily detected. There are other, more obvious forms of academic dishonesty, such as turning in work completed by someone else, bringing inappropriate notes into an exam, and offering or receiving whispered, signaled, or other forms of assistance during an exam. Working with fellow students in study groups is not only acceptable but also encouraged, as long as one is refining ideas that are essentially his or her own. Included within this definition of academic integrity is the assumption that all documents and excuses provided as explanations for late or missed assignments have not been falsified. Please review the University’s policy regarding student conduct and conflict resolution, available through the Dean of Students Office website.

Please do not hesitate to contact me at any point during the semester with any individual concerns or issues you may need to discuss. Please be aware that problems are much easier for me to address if I know about them sooner rather than later, and can be particularly difficult to handle if left until exam week or after final grades have been submitted.

Students requesting classroom accommodation must first register with the Dean of Students Office. The Dean of Students Office will provide documentation to the student who must then provide this documentation to the professor when requesting accommodation. For more information regarding University policies on this issue, please visit the Disability Resource Center's website.

Readings

The following books are required for the course.

Peter L. Hahn, Crisis and Crossfire: The United States and the Middle East Since 1945 (Potomac Books, 2005).
Melani McAlister, Epic Encounters: Culture, Media, and U.S. Interests in the Middle East Since 1945, Updated Edition with a Post-9/11 Chapter (University of California Press, 2005).
Rashid Khalidi, Sowing Crisis: The Cold War and American Dominance in the Middle East (Beacon Press, 2009).

In addition, some readings will be assigned either through internet links or through the library's electronic reserve system (ARES). Any readings assigned in this manner will be posted in plenty of time for students to complete them by the assigned date. Finally, I am placing a copy of James Gelvin, The Modern Middle East: A History on reserve in Library West for anyone who feels they need more background on the Middle Eastern context.

Course Schedule

Date	Topics and Readings	Assignment
W 5 January	Course Introduction
F 7 January	Approaches to Studying U.S.-Middle East Relations
M 10 January	U.S.-Middle East Relations Through the End of the Nineteenth Century
W 12 January	World War I and the Middle East State System
F 14 January	The Rise of Big Oil Readings: Saudi Aramco World 1984 Retrospective on the Early Oil Years McAlister, Epic Encounters, Introduction
M 17 January	MLK, Jr., Day--No Class
W 19 January	World War II, Its Aftermath and U.S. Interests in the Middle East Readings: Hahn, Crisis and Crossfire, xvii-18 and 137-139	Map Quiz
F 21 January	The Creation of Israel Readings: Hahn, Crisis and Crossfire, 19-34 and 140-142
M 24 January	Culture, Perceptions, and U.S.-Middle East Relations Readings: McAlister, Epic Encounters, Chapter 1 Matthew Jacobs, "The Perils and Promise of Islam" [ARES] Michelle Mart, "Tough Guys and American Cold War Policy" [ARES]
W 26 January	Iran, Nationalism and Oil Readings: Hahn, Crisis and Crossfire, 35-46 and 143-146 Summary of Secret CIA History of the 1953 Iran Coup--Note--Read the overview on the main page and then scroll to the table of contents and read the "Historian's Note," "Summary," and "Appendix A," about 20 pages total. Feel free to peruse the remainder of the document at your leisure.
F 28 January	Nasser, Suez and Arab Nationalism Readings: Malik Mufti, "The United States and Nasserist Pan-Arabism" [ARES]
M 31 January	Nasser, Suez and Arab Nationalism	Film Review Due
W 2 February	Modernization Theory and U.S.-Middle East Relations in the 1960s Readings: "The Roots of Arab Resistance to Modernization" [ARES]
F 4 February	Modernization Theory and U.S.-Middle East Relations in the 1960s
M 7 February	The Arab-Israeli-Palestinian Conflict in the 1960s Readings: Hahn, Crisis and Crossfire, 47-68 and 147-162
W 9 February	The 1967 War and Its Aftermath
F 11 February	Catch Up/Review Day
M 14 February	War and Peace in the 1970s	Paper One Due
W 16 February	The United States and the Arab-Israeli-Palestinian Conflict after 1967 Readings: Documents on the Camp David Accords McAlister, Epic Encounters, Chapter 4
F 18 February	The Shah, Khomeini and U.S.-Iranian Relations in the 1970s Readings: Hahn, Crisis and Crossfire, 69-86
M 21 February	The Hostage Crisis Readings: Diary of a Hostage--Scroll to the bottom of the page and read at least 20 entries, with at least 5 from each part.
W 23 February	Oil Shocks and Energy Crises in the 1970s Readings: McAlister, Epic Encounters, Chapter 3 U.S. reactions to the formation of OPEC--read pp. 274-280 "Unsheathing the Political Weapon," Time, 29 October 1973 Richard Nixon, The Energy Emergency Jimmy Carter, The Energy Problem Ronald Reagan's National Energy Policy Walter Kirn, "Why I Luv My SUV," Time
F 25 February	Afghanistan
M 28 February	Reagan and the Middle East Documents on the Iran-Contra Scandal--Note--Read the general overview, then scroll down and read the documents, especially 12 to 20. McAlister, Epic Encounters, Chapter 5
W 2 March	Reagan and the Middle East, II
F 4 March	The 1991 Gulf War Readings: Hahn, Crisis and Crossfire, 105-115 and 170-173 McAlister, Epic Encounters, Chapter 6 President George H.W. Bush and Brent Scowcroft, "Why We Didn't Go to Baghdad"
5-12 March	SPRING BREAK-NO CLASSES
M 14 March	Dual Containment and Its Problems Readings: A Plan of Action (1992) Project for a New American Century, Letter to President Clinton, 1998 President Clinton Explains Strikes on Iraq, 1998
W 16 March	The Oslo Peace Process and the Arab-Israeli-Palestinian Conflict in the 1990s Readings: Hahn, Crisis and Crossfire, 87-104 and 162-169
F 18 March	After Oslo Readings: David Shyovitz, "Camp David 2000" Robert Malley and Hussein Agha, Camp David: The Tragedy of Errors Robert Wright, Was Arafat the Problem? BBC, "History of Failed Peace Talks"
M 21 March	9/11 and U.S. Responses to Political Islam Hahn, Crisis and Crossfire, 115-131 McAlister, Epic Encounters, Chapter 7/Conclusion Sayyid Qutb in the United States Sayyid Qutb, excerpts from Milestones, available through ARES Edward Said, "Islam Through Western Eyes" Bernard Lewis, "The Roots of Muslim Rage" Ussama bin Laden, Interview with John Miller (1998) Ussama bin Laden, Fatwa (1998)
W 23 March	After 9/11--Afghanistan and the "Global War on Terror" Readings Edward Said, "The Clash of Ignorance" Ehsan Ahrari, "Facing the 'Real' Enemy in the Arab Middle East," Asia Times, 13 July 2002 President George W. Bush, Speech to Congress, 20 September 2001 Michael H. Hunt, "In the Wake of September 11th" Arundhati Roy, "The Algebra of Infinite Justice"
F 25 March	After 9/11--Iraq Readings (and TBA): Hahn, Crisis and Crossfire, 133-135 and 173 Project for a New American Century Letter to President Bush, September 2001 September 2002 National Security Strategy--You Must Read Sections V, VII, IX (about 10 pages of the 31 pages--read the rest if you wish) "Key Judgments" Section from October 2002 National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq
M 28 March	Discussion--Afghanistan and Iraq Readings: Khalidi, Sowing Crisis, all
W 30 March	Catch Up/Review Day
F 1 April	Topic TBA	Paper Two Due Switch Due Date to Monday, 4 April
M 4 April	Current Events Forum I: Oil and Energy Readings: Obama- Saudi Arabia increasing export to make up for Libya Politics conflicting with oil exploration in Iran Libyans only doing business with friendly nations US concerned with Venezuela working with Iran Libyan Boycott Group: Amy Rubin, Billy Vranish, Jason Weltman	Current Events Forum Guidelines These will begin on Wednesday, 6 April
W 6 April	Current Events Forum II: Religion Readings: http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/israel-must-separate-religion-from-politics-1.331937 http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/news/all-we-are-saying-is-give-religion-a-chance-1.276026 http://articles.cnn.com/2010-07-29/us/florida.burn.quran.day_1_quran-burning-florida-church-terry-jones-american-muslims-religion?_s=PM:US http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/mosque_madness_at_ground_zero_OQ34EB0MWS0lXuAnQau5uL http://www.economist.com/node/18114547?story_id=18114547 http://www.alarabiya.net/views/2011/03/11/141145.html http://www.tehrantimes.com/Index_view.asp?code=237631 Added by Prof. Jacobs: http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/03/24/142885.html http://mediamatters.org/research/201104040007 Group: Samir Wadhwa, Vivian Christmas, Cynthia Kolbasiuk, Ryan Pereira, Kelly Barber	Move to Friday, 8 April
F 8 April	Current Events Forum III: Iraq Readings: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/03/2011329105554831905.html http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/02/20112251357722580.html http://www.carnegieendowment.org/publications/index.cfm?fa=view&id=43306 http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2010/1018/op31.htm http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gbjCiWaIT-C6B60hXr5CU4lhiyoA?docId=CNG.508d4f8e1d7a5d61d2eb3a01316ab8ed.eb1 Group: Jack Hahne, Pat Bobek, Eric Weber, Marc Hernandez	Move to Monday, 11 April
M 11 April	Current Events Forum IV: Iran Readings: http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/04/03/144037.html http://www.tehrantimes.com/Index_view.asp?code=238079 http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/iran-says-digging-graves-for-u-s-troops-if-they-attack-1.307142 http://www.tehrantimes.com/Index_view.asp?code=238050 http://www.aipac.org/NearEastReport/20110401/IAEA.html http://www.americanforeignpolicy.org/the-nuclear-file/iran-nuclear-evidence-overview http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/16/world/middleeast/16stuxnet.html?_r=2 Assigned by Prof. Jacobs http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/13/AR2007021301363.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/17/AR2006061700727.html?waporef=evri.widget.1 http://www.dni.gov/press_releases/20071203_release.pdf Group: Keir Lamont, James Gossmann, Gabby Holub, Yevgen Sautin, Carly Wilson	Move to Wednesday, 13 April
W 13 April	Current Events Forum V: Afghanistan and Pakistan Readings: http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/2010/05/201051271757128641.html http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/30/world/asia/30india.html?_r=1&scp=6&sq=pakistan&st=cse http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=214974 http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=211707 http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_ID=10&article_ID=126570&categ_id=5#axzz1Ig7q7jjA http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/pakistan-is-becoming-a-terror-hub-india-warns-1.23972 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/30/world/asia/30afghanistan.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=afghanistan&st=cse http://arabnews.com/world/article345322.ece http://arabnews.com/world/article339310.ece http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/rizkhan/2011/03/2011323850902416.html Group: Ann Hentschel, Maggie Casteel, Ryan Garcia	Move to Friday, 15 April
F 15 April	Current Events Forum VI: Arab-Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Readings: http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9820&Itemid=58 http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9824&Itemid=63 http://english.aljazeera.net/archive/2006/09/200841015017180781.html http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2010/10/20101019122641423763.html http://arabnews.com/opinion/columns/article322715.ece http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/it-s-time-for-disengagement-no-2-1.355253 http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/calm-without-resolving-the-conflict-1.355256 http://www.palestine-studies.com/journals.aspx?id=4338&jid=1&href=fulltext Group: Erica Ngoenha, Alex Dehelean, Chelsea Gober	Move to Monday, 18 April
M 18 April	Forum and Paper Discussion
W 20 April	Course Conclusions	Current Events Paper Due