The state of Middle East has become a mainstay in United States politics and policy. As we step into a new Presidential term, acknowledging the reality that the next President will face their own set of challenges and foreign policy decisions, it's important that students, young and old, are prepared to understand the upcoming conversation. To have an informed opinion, they'll need genuine background knowledge and an ability to process and parse through information. Here, they'll receive both. 

  Each week students will be asked to read a historical piece of journalism that dates to the period we're studying.  Our journey will begin with Fall of the Ottoman Empire and end with a dialogue on the Arab Spring and the current state of the Middle East. Student's should read the articles before class and be prepared to share their thoughts and questions with their peers. Every day, we will devote part of class time to a lesson on the broader history of the period we're discussing in addition to a finer conversation on the topic of our weekly article. As students' skills grow and  become more proficient with the historical material, they'll be able to increasingly link our lessons with modern events and news. This will be pivotal for our final assignment, in which students will be asked to bring their well earned knowledge and skill together and write an article on any foreign policy topic of their choosing. 

Week 1: World War I and the Birth of the Modern Middle East
• Article of the Week: "Pleas for Armenia by Germany Futile" and " Turkish Statesman Denounces Atrocities" Oct 10 1915
• The Arab Revolt and the Fall of the Ottoman Empire
-Lawrence of Arabia
-Young Turks and the Armenian Genocide
-The Balfour Declaration and a return home for the Jewish Diaspora. 

Week 2: World War II and the Mandates
• Article of the Week: "Zionists Proclaim New State Of Israel; Truman Recognizes It And "Hopes For Peace; Tel Aviv Is Bombed, Egypt Orders Invasion" Gene Currivan, The New York Times,  May 15, 1958
• The Erosion of Colonialism and the Calls for Independence. 
-Sykes-Picot and the new nations of the Middle East.
-The rise of Arab Nationalism and the state of Israel. 
- Ataturk in Turkey and the birth of the new secular state, 


Week 3: The Start of the Cold War and  the Rise of Pan-Arabism
• Article of the week: "1956 SUEZ CRISIS ENDED LONG RULE; Four Nations Involved, but Nasser Won Possession" The New York Times, 1964
• The Arab world versus Israel and the New Political Players
-Ba'ath Party versus Islamism
-The PLA in Lebanon and Turkey in Cyprus
- The Arab Renaissance: poetry, love and music amidst the tensions. 

Week 4: 1979, Sectarianism Grabs the Middle East. 
• Broadcast of the week: " ABC News Report 12/3/1979- Iran Hostage Crisis" 
• Revolution and Rebellion Grips the Region. 
- Ayatollahs in Iran and Russians in Afghanistan
- Saudi Arabia Besieges Mecca
- The Call for Kurdish Independence

Week 5: Dangerous New Allies, the Fall of the Soviet Union and the Chaos of Peace
• Article of the week: "MINES PUT AFGHANS IN PERIL ON RETURN" Robert Pear, New York Times. August 14,1988
• Peace with Israel and a New Terrifying Force in the Middle East
- The birth of the Mujahedeen in Afghanistan and Military Islamism
- PEACE WITH ISRAEL- Camp David
- Iraq and Iran war. 

Week 6: The Settlement of Regimes and the Hope of an Unsteady Quiet 
• Document of the week: "The 1993 Declaration of Principles(for Oslo)" Available at BBC. 
• Speech of the Week: "USA: Rabin Assassination: President Clinton's Reaction." AP Archive
• Some Lay Down Their Arms for Diplomacy, Others Go in Search of New Battlefields
- Oslo and a new normal in the holy land. 
-The rise of the oil monarchies. 
- Fundamentalism looks for a new fight after Afghanistan. 

Week 7: 9/11 and the Invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan
• Broadcasts of the Week(Somber and America's New Mark Twain): 
President Bush's "Address to Nation on Terrorist Attacks."
Jon Stewarts Monologue after September 11 on The Daily Show
• The Fight Comes Home and the USA Launches into Decade Long Wars
- September 11 and how it shook us in the United States.
- Invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. WMD's and the Taliban. 
- The Issue of Gaza
Assignment: Pick a current event or situation affecting the Middle East and write a short article on the subject.

Week 8: From Arab Spring to Arab Winter, Hopes for Tomorrow
•  Article of the week: "Peddler's martyrdom launched Tunisia's revolution" by Lin Noueihed, Reuters, Journey 20,2011
• Calls for Democracy in the Middle East and the Tragedies that Followed
- From Tunisia to Benghazi, the protests and civil wars of the Middle East
- Sectarianism's height and the ISIS.
- New blocs of power and current tensions.