Provides students with an overview of basic themes and issues in Middle Eastern history from the rise of Islam to the present, with an emphasis on exchanges and encounters between the Middle East and Europe/North America. Examines the history of the notion of "East" and "West"; the emergence of Islam and the Christianization of Europe; Ottoman, Sufavid, and Mughal expansion and the flourishing of European powers; European competition with and colonization of Middle Eastern societies, and Middle Eastern responses including Arab nationalism and the popularity of Islamic movements.