CONTEMPORARY HISTORY AND BUSINESS IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Degree course: 
Corso di Second cycle degree in COMMUNICATION SCIENCES AND TECHNIQUES
Academic year when starting the degree: 
2025/2026
Year: 
1
Academic year in which the course will be held: 
2025/2026
Course type: 
Compulsory subjects, characteristic of the class
Seat of the course: 
Varese - Università degli Studi dell'Insubria
Language: 
Italian
Credits: 
8
Period: 
First Semester
Standard lectures hours: 
64
Detail of lecture’s hours: 
Lesson (64 hours)
Requirements: 

Some of the documentaries shown in class will be in Persian with English subtitles. A good knowledge of English is therefore recommended.

Final Examination: 
Orale

The written exam will be structured in open questions on the history of Iran. The exam will take place in written form in order to ensure that students will have enough time to provide coherent answers. Oral skills will be tested during the discussion in class.

Assessment: 
Voto Finale

The course examines the historical developments of the Middle East since the end of the XIX century to nowadays, intertwining history and business. At the end of the course, students who attended the course and passed the final exam will have acquired a solid knowledge of one country in particular: Iran. We'll focus on the constitution of the nation state, on modernization, on religious and ethnic minorities and gender issues, as well as business.

The course will be focused on Iran since 1892.

The course will follow the topics in our textbook, in chronological order. On 20 and 27 October specific lectures on pre-Islamic Iran and contemporary Persian literature will be delivered by Giulio Oddone (archaeologist) and Giacomo Longhi (translator).

Convenzionale

The course is mainly structured in lectures. PowerPoints and short documentaries will be used. Those students who will attend will be required to make presentations on specific topics (do check the topics you wish to tackle with Prof. Sabahi).

TEXTS: Farian Sabahi, Storia dell'Iran 1890-2020, Saggiatore, Milano, 2020. Optional texts (novels) are on Leganto. Students are supposed to study the main text plus an optional one.