HIST-3452 Modern History of Syria

After a brief survey of Syrian history going back to the Assyrians, Romans, Umayyads, Fatimids, Crusades, and Mamluks, this course will focus on a political, cultural and social examination of the modern history of Syria from the Ottoman period through the present, including Syria's vital role in the disposition of the Middle East during and after World War One, the French Mandate, the post-World War Two rise of Arab nationalism intertwined with the Arab and superpower cold wars, the Arab-Israeli conflict, and post-cold war peace efforts and political transitions in Syria itself under the Asad family.