Course Description

Violence, revolution, and war dominated the twentieth century histories of Iran and Iraq. This course examines key episodes of conflict, such as Iran’s Islamic revolution, the Iran-Iraq War, and the two U.S. led wars on Iraq. While much of the course is concerned with the violence that gripped the countries in the last third of the twentieth century, the course also aims to explore the long-term social, political, and economic forces that constituted the roots of so much conflict. In addition to exploring the forces that sparked conflict, the course also explores the often costly social, political, and ideological consequences of violence on Iraqi and Iranian society.