Islam, the Middle East, and the West
This MIT OpenCourseWare course surveys Middle Eastern history from the rise of Islam through the present, focusing on encounters between the Middle East (Southwest Asia and North Africa) and the West (Europe and the United States). The syllabus moves through the early Islamic conquests, the Ottoman Empire, European colonialism, and twentieth-century nationalism and conflict, tracing how trade, warfare, religion, and diplomacy shaped the relationship between these regions. Materials include a full reading list drawn from primary sources and scholarly histories, weekly discussion topics, and written assignments that ask students to analyze specific episodes of contact and exchange. There are no video lectures, but the course provides a complete syllabus and assignment structure suitable for self-study. It is free to audit through MIT OpenCourseWare, with no certificate offered.