MO3385 Modern Iran since 1834: Reform and Revolution (previously MO3327)
   
Lecturer Professor Ali Ansari  (New Arts Building, room 131)
   
Credits 30
   
Availability 2011-2012 - semester 2
   
Class Hour view timetable
   
Description This course looks at developments in Iranian history from the 19th century to the present with particular reference to the impact of the West. The course will assess the various attempts at reform and the consequences of revolution in a country which is proving to be a major regional and international actor in the 21st century. The course will look at the way in which imperial decline has been managed with a view to reversing and restoring Iran’s fortunes as a Great Power. Particular attention will be given to political development, the growth of the modern state and the emergence of nationalism and political Islam.
   
Basic Reading Cambridge History of Iran Vol 7 Chapters 4-7
E Abrahamian Iran Between Two Revolutions
A Amanat The Pivot of the Universe
A M Ansari Modern Iran since 1921
   

Course Structure
  1. Europe and Iran in the era of the Napoleonic Wars
  2. Amir Kabir and the failure of Reform
  3. The Babi Movement
  4. The Constitutional Revolution
  5. Reza Shah 1921-1941
  6. Cold War and Oil Nationalisation
  7. Mohammad Reza Shah and the White Revolution
  8. Ayatollah Khomeini and the Islamic Revolution
  9. The Republic at War
  10. Khatami and beyond
  11. The US & Iran in historical perspective
   
Assessment 60% examination - 3-hour paper
40% coursework
   

Learning Outcomes
  • An appreciation of the tensions between tradition and ‘modernity’
  • Analysing reform and revolution in the context of a developing Middle Eastern state
  • A case study in imperialism and the dynamics of international relations
  • Placing current developments within their historical context.
  
   
Restrictions MO3327