HIST 3516A: The Wilsonian Moment
Winter 2025
Instructor: Hussam Ahmed
Course Description:
In this course we will examine the impact of Woodrow Wilson’s advocacy of self-determination and the creation of the League of Nations on the Post-Ottoman Middle East. Structured around particular case studies after the First World War, such as the British Mandates for Iraq and Palestine, students will be familiarised with the primary sources which are available for analyzing the characteristics, local responses and consequences of the Mandate system, which created the map of the modern Middle East as we know it today. Students will learn how to locate these sources, how to classify them, and how to critically assess their strengths and weaknesses to present coherent historical arguments and cogent interpretations of the past.
Organization:
This class will meet in person. The class will be organized into two-hour lectures and weekly discussion groups.