Teaching the Middle East: The Perspectives Method‪.‬

Why the Middle East Now? "The Perspectives Method" was developed and taught successfully as a semester-long history elective for upper-level students at Cranbrook Kingswood Upper School in Michigan, but it could easily be adapted as a unit in a Global Studies or Modern History course at both the secondary and college levels. Despite the challenges, which we will address here, it is imperative that history departments in American secondary schools and colleges somehow include Middle East studies in their curriculum. Although students today are coming to adulthood during the "Age of Terror," they possess little understanding of the ideas and events involving the Middle East and its relationship with the United States. The questions of national security, culture, religion, and politics emanating from the 9/11 attacks, the longstanding geopolitical relevance of the region in terms of oil and other U.S. interests, and the current conflict in Iraq, all point to the growing significance of this region. Many of our students recall being at school when the hijacked airplanes struck on September 11, 200l, and many might go on to serve in the military or Foreign Service in the region. For this entire generation, which will come of age during what President George W. Bush defined as "a war on terror without end," relations between the Middle East and the West are life defining. As history educators, we must provide the tools with which students can approach the serious problems wrought in the Middle East-West relationship, which significantly impact our students' lives. (1)