History of the Middle East - 600 A.D. to Today
What you'll learn
- By the end of this course you will know as much about Middle East history and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as you would after a year-long college course but in a fraction of the time and money.
- You will get 25 lectures and over six hours of content!
Requirements
- Ability to stream videos and download documents
- Internet connection
Description
Become highly informed on the past and present of the Middle East in minutes a day with this introductory history course.
-
Know as much about Middle East history as a history major
-
Learn in a fraction of the time and money
-
Understand the intricacies of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
-
Sound highly knowledgeable about world affairs to your friends and associates.
-
Learn history through highly entertaining videos and audio lectures
To most Westerners the Middle East and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict appear utterly bewildering. Palestinians want to bomb Israelis that force them at gunpoint to live in restricted parts of the country. Arab leaders are furious about this situation and want Israelis “wiped off the map” and their land given back to Palestinians, even though the real estate of the Holy Land looks something like rural Utah. And nearly all the world’s leaders see fit to chime in on this dispute over the two tiny lands.
To untangle the modern Middle East conflict and the 2,000 years behind it, this course is divided into 25 concise lectures. Each one is devoted to a major theme in Middle East history, such as the beginning of Islam, the Crusades, Genghis Khan, and the beginning of Israel in 1948. Each lecture is 10-20 minutes, giving you a fast overview of the issues to understand how they connect Middle East current events.
STUDENT TESTIMONIALS:
"The instructor clearly demonstrates the relevance of the topic to ongoing conflicts and issues in our world today. If you want to better understand the world or just like learning something new, do yourself a favor and buy this course!" -- Raj Lulla
Who this course is for:
- Those knowledgeable about world affairs who wanted deeper historical knowledge that goes beyond modern politics
- Those who have completed high school
- General non-historian audience
Instructor
- 4.4 Instructor Rating
- 873 Reviews
- 27,673 Students
- 4 Courses
Michael Rank is a PhD in Middle East history. He studied at Central European University in Budapest, Hungary and holds an MA in Ottoman History from Bilgi University in Istanbul, Turkey. His research project is on Christian-Muslim intellectual and religious history in late Ottoman Istanbul. Michael has taught courses in Hungary, Turkey, and the United States on Middle East History, International Affairs, Intercultural Studies, and American History. Prior to joining academia, he worked as a journalist in Istanbul where he reported on religion and human rights in the Middle East.
Michael is the author of 12 books, including "From Muhammed to Burj Khalifa: A Crash Course in 2,000 Years of MIddle East History,"; "The Crusades and the Soldiers of the Cross"; and "The Most Powerful Women in the MIddle Ages: Queens, Saints, and Viking Slayers, From Empress Theodora to Elizabeth of Tudor."
He lives in Istanbul with his wife and two daughters.