Bummer!  What was going to be a 6 week course has been condensed to 4 weeks….so now I have to adjust the lesson plan….talk about a headache……

I thought I would share with my readers the course that I am teaching……with the hopes that a little better understanding can be found.  I will not delude myself that everyone will want to learn…..but I do think that if you would like to offer an opinion then maybe a little knowledge would assist one in their opinion forming process.

History Of Modern Middle East

Introduction:

This study is the Middle East from the end of World War One (1917) to the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Many events have happened in the region that have influenced everything that you think you know about the region.

Course Outline:

Section One:

Part One:  The Beginning

The WW1 ends…..players line up to get a piece of the crumbling Ottoman Empire…….contributions of the Arabs in the war……

Part Two:  Countries Emerge

The Balfour Declaration…..promises made by the British government to the Zionists (Jews) pertaining to the area known as Palestine.  Dissertation and discussion…….

Sykes-Picot Agreement…..the French and British governments met to divide the Middle East of the dead Ottoman Empire among themselves……..breaking all promises made by Britain to the Arab tribes that fought the Turks.  Dissertation and discussion.

Crane Commission…..American attempt to look relevant after the war by pushing the concept of “self-determination” for the people of the Middle East.  Dissertation and discussion.

People of interest:

T E Lawrence……Gertrude Bell…..Allenby…..Prince Faisal

Round-up of the events that began the problems of the modern Middle East……

Test….review events and situations at the close of hostilities of World War One.

Handouts Include….maps, timeline and suggested reading……

Just thought I would let my readers see what fresh Hell any student will face….now I wait to see if students want to learn or just think they know everything there is about the Middle East…..

Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho….it is off to school I go…….

Off I go to torture eager young minds with stuff that will make it explode…..wish them luck…..for I have NO time for mindless prattle….

I will report back on how the course goes…….I’m thinking not smoothly…..