Exam 1 Study Guide

Roskin/Coyle Chapter 1 (& Intro Lecture)
  1. Look at the map on page 7: be able to identify Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Jordon on a map.
  2. Discuss the importance of water in the Middle East.
  3. H.ow important is "nationality" to most people of the Middle East? Why are Egypt and Iran exceptions?
  4. Differentiate western individualism with the Middle Eastern focus on the family.
Chapter 2
  1. Which emporer presided over the first Church Council which established the Nicene Creed?  Why was this significant?
  2. How did the writings of Plato and Aristotle survive the purge of the Byzantine empire?
Religion in the Middle East ( lecture & Islam: Empire of Faith clip - go the the link for more info on Islam)
  1. What are the three "Abrahamic" faiths?  Why?
  2. How does the Arch of Titus reflect what happened to the Jews 2000 years ago?
  3. What is zionism?  What factors led Jews to push for this?
  4. How does the Bart Ehrman clip clip illustrate the difference between Christianity and Islam regarding their sacred texts? 
  5. Be familiar with the following:  Unity of God, the role of Ishmael, the Kaaba.
  6. How does the avoiding of reification reflect muslim anger at the Muhammad cartoons?
  7. According to the film, why did Islam spread so easily and quickly?   In general, how did Muslims treat religious minorities?
  8. List the five pillars of Islam (you can find them here) or on pages 12-13 of the Husain book.
  9. What was the significance of the Abbasid dynasty ending Ijtihad?   Discuss Manji's view of ijtihad.
  10. What was the significance of the Mongol invasion?
  11. Briefly discuss the history of the Crusades.
Chapter 3 & low resolution clip on  the Ottoman Empire 
  1. What do Roskin and Coyle mean when they argue that the "main impact of the Ottoman Empire was probably the protection of the Islamic, Middle Eastern culture."
  2. Explain the millet system of justice in the Ottoman empire.
  3. How far east and west did Sulayman's empire reach?
  4. Discuss the importance of the Janissary Corps in the Ottoman empire.
Chapter 17: Colonialism and the Decline of Islamic Empires
 
  1. Discuss the alliances during WWI and the double-dealing on the part of the Western powers.
  2. Discuss Manji’s explanation for the trouble with Islam.  
  3. Briefly discuss three theories on the collapse of Muslim power and the rise of European power.  With which do you agree the most?  Which of these theories do you think best explains what happened?
  4. Discuss the negative effects of colonialism on the region.
  5. What did the Germans and Arabs have in common in the early 20th century.
  6. Discuss Pan-Arab nationalism and Pan-Islamism.   Why would the Ottomans promote one but not the other? Which did Nasser and Saddam Hussein focus on?
  7. How did the Cold War affect the Middle East?
Ch.15 -- The Clash of Civilizations?
  1. Discuss Huntington's 'clash of civilizations.'  Do other explanations, such as the impact of colonialism, better explain fighting between Muslims & non-Muslims?
  2.  What did Roskin mean by “the world is a bit more complicated than Huntington’s neat cultural divisions”
  3. Give examples of religious fundamentalists (Christian, Jewish and Muslim) helping set government policy (give an example from each religion).  Do you agree with the 60 Minutes statement that "we have to get God out of this conflict."  Why?
  4. Discuss Huntington's thesis.  What is the problem with assuming a single "African" culture?
  5. Huntington argues that the West needs "to exploit differences and conflicts among Confucian and Islamic states; to support in other civilizations groups sympathetic to Western values and interests; to strengthen international institutions that reflect and legitimate Western interests and values and to promote the involvement of non-Western states in those institutions.  Do you agree with his prescription?
  6. What did Said mean when he said the the "Clash of Civilizations thesis is a "gimmick … better for reinforcing defensive self-pride than for critical understanding of the bewildering interdependence of our time.”