Program Overview

Course Overview

The course HIST 256, Arabs, Persians, Turks: The Modern Middle East, introduces the twentieth-century history of the Middle East with a focus on Arab, Persian, and Turkish national experiences. Lectures explore ideas of political legitimacy, examining the collapse of the Ottoman caliphate, European colonial empires, secular republicanism, socialism, and the rise of Islamism.

Course Details

• Dates: 7 July 2025 to 9 November 2025
• Starts: Trimester 2
• Fees:
  • NZ$1,090.60 for domestic students
  • NZ$5,560.00 for international students
• Lecture Start Times:
  • Tuesday 1.10pm
  • Thursday 1.10pm
• Campus: Kelburn
• Estimated Workload: Approximately 200 hours or 11.1 hours per week for 18 weeks
• Points: 20

Entry Restrictions

• Prerequisites: 20 100-level points from Part A of the BA schedule
• Corequisites: None
• Restrictions: Students who have passed HIST 234 in 2018, 2021, or HIST 318 in 2018, 2021, 2022, 2025 cannot take this course

Course Structure

• Taught By: School of History, Philosophy, Political Science and International Relations Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
• Course Coordinator: Associate Professor Alexander Maxwell

Learning Objectives

Students who pass this course should be able to:

1. Analyse and evaluate various debates about just statehood in the heart of the Islamic world.
2. Describe the recent political history of the important states in the Middle East.
3. Identify the political and cultural geography of the Middle East, both historical and contemporary.
4. Synthesise in written form ideas about political legitimacy in the context of Islamic national states.

Teaching Method

• The course consists of two one-hour lectures and one one-hour tutorial per week.
• Lectures are in person and recorded.
• Tutorials are in person, with no online alternative.
• A final in-person test requires attendance.

Assessment

• Final Test: 30%
• Essay 1 (Ottoman Petition Analysis): 20%
• Essay 2 (Daughter of Persia Review): 20%
• Essay 3 (Arab Political Thought): 30%
• Mandatory Requirements:
  • Submit the research essay by the specified dates.
  • Score at least 40% on the final test.

Required Texts

• Title: Daughter of Persia
• Year: 1993
• Publisher: Random House
• ISBN: Not specified
• Pages: 554

Key Dates

Important dates, including mid-trimester teaching breaks, can be found on the University's key dates calendar. Assessment dates will be announced once the course has begun.