HST 386 - The Iranian World and its Heritage in Afghanistan and the Post-Soviet Muslim Republics, 1500-Present

The new course will focus on a rarely studied phenomenon, that is, the Iranian political, linguistic, religious and cultural influence on the future and present-day states of Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Turkey, Pakistan and India. Current events have focused the attention of the world to this rarely studied region. Topics discussed will include the rise of Shi`ism; the Safavid State and the rise of modern Iran; European contacts with Iran, Iran versus Russia and Britain; Iran and Transcaucasia, Iran and Mughal India; colonialism, Iranian nationalism and the creation of a modern State; Iran and the Caucasus; Iran and Central Asia; the Great Game and the creation of Afghanistan; Iran and the politics of oil; Iran versus the Turkish and Arab Middle East; revolutions in Iran and Afghanistan; the fall of the USSR and its effect on the Caucasus and Central Asia; the US invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan and Iran; Iran’s role in the Arab World; Iran’s current relations with US, Russia, China, India, and the European Union.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Prerequisite: ENG 120 or Honors Status.
Offered Fall, Spring & Summer
Core Course
DCCG: Global Perspectives