Provides students with an overview of major political and social events in the history of the Middle East and North Africa, with a focus on Arabic-speaking regions in the modern period. Makes use of a range of source materials and secondary readings (in Arabic and English) to illuminate how major events and changes impacted everyday life for different groups across the region. Assessments are intended to develop linguistic competence in Arabic and to guide students to become self-directed language learners and to conduct and present research on a topic of their choosing in modern Arab history.