The Arab World and the West: Past and Future (In English)

Course description
The aim of the course is to give students basic knowledge of the cultural and political interaction
between the Arab world and the West during their common history. In the first section of the
course we will analyze the history of the Arab world from the emergence of Islam to the Iraq war
passing through the crusades, the Ottoman Empire, the western colonization, etc. And in the
second section of the course we will focus on the main challenges for the relations between the
Arab world and the West. This course will cover topics such as the long-term impact of the
penetration of Europe into the Islamic World, Orientalism, and Occidentalism, Islamic immigration
into western societies, the impact of 9-11 and the Iraq war, and the role of oil and the Middle East
conflict.

Method of presentation
Lectures by the instructor, supported with bibliographical and other didactic materials, followed by
debates with the students. The class will follow a seminar format. This presupposes that the
readings assigned for each week have been made before we meet in class. At the beginning of
each class I will introduce the materials and allow some time for questions of clarification.
Thereafter, we will have a seminar discussion. Students will be invited to express their views on the
materials for the class and the criticisms made during the presentation. Both the presentations and
the discussions around them are expected to be respectful, professional and anchored in the class
materials.
Assesment

LANGUAGE OF PRESENTATION: English.

REQUIRED WORK AND FORM OF ASSESSMENT:
-Assistance
-Student participation 15%
- Mid-term exam 30%
- Final exam 30%
- Paper 25%

Required Readings
- Armour, Rollin. Islam, Christianity, and the West: A Troubled History. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis
Books, 2002.
- Ali, Tariq. The Clash of Fundamentalisms: Crusades, Jihads and Modernity. Verso, 2002
- Azzam, M., ?Islam: Political Implications for Europe and the Middle East?, in P. Ludlow (ed),
Europe and the Mediterranean, London: Brassey's/CEPS, 1994, chapter 3.
- Bin Sayeed, Khalid. Western Dominance and Political Islam: Challenge and Response.
Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1995.
- Fregosi, Paul. Jihad in the West: Muslim Conquests from the 7th to the 21st Centuries.
Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 1998.
- Ghassan Salamé. Democracy Without Democrats? The Renewal of Politics in the Muslim
Word. London: Tauris, 1994.
- Goody, Jack. Islam in Europe. Cambridge: Politypress, 2004.