A very clear, rigorous and ENJOYABLE presentation of a very complex subject. Definitely everyone interested in the roots of the modern Middle East troubles should take this primer.

I'll be honest. I had ignored taking this course since I worried that learning about the Middle East from an Israeli professor would be filled with bias. How ignorant I was! Professor Susser was an obviously incredibly knowledgeable and objective lecturer. It was apparent that living in the Middle East really enhanced, and in no way diminished, his presentation of the history of this area.

Professor Susser and staff I thank you for putting together this fantastic course!

I have taken many courses through Coursera, and this one is by far my favorite. The content is easy to understand, the lectures are concise, and the professor does not waste a second of your time in his lectures. I cannot recommend this course enough!

I really like the professor and his narration, quite engaging and interesting course. The only suggestion I have is to improve the quizzes with more analytical rather than fact-based questions.

A complete breakdown of the Middle Eastern States emergence from the Ottoman Empire's rule to the Mandates imposted by the European Powers post WW1.

Looking forward to part 2.

This class was so informative and it brought to mind many thoughts and questions about how we interact globally. If you're not familiar with the area, you probably should bring up a few maps to refer to during the lectures -- he has plenty of graphics but that wasn't enough for me.

The history of this area has always been so convoluted (in my mind at least); this class has taught me a lot and kept my interest throughout. Too many names but taking actual notes helps. I'm starting the next part now! Very worthwhile class.

This course taught me more about the Middle East than anything I encountered in my undergraduate education. I feel like this should be a mandatory class in US colleges to explain the middle east to an otherwise ignorant populace (counting myself in this as well). This class was worth everything for explaining the differences between Arabs and Non-Arabs, the different sects of Islam, and why many middle eastern cultures object to foreign or Western influence.

Este curso superó mis expectativas siento una gran afinidad por el Medio Oriente y gracias bajo el direccionamiento del Profesor Asher Susser siento y se que tuve una adquisición de conocimiento o aprendizaje del mejor. Muy bueno, Excelente Gracias a la Universidad de Tel Aviv por su compromiso y su educación de calidad y por supuesto muchas gracias Coursera.

JJENNY MORENO AVELLANEDA

Excelente. Absolutamente todo de un nivel de excelencia. Completo, dinámico, y accesible a cualquier persona sin conocimiento previo en el tema. Felicitaciones.

Great course with lots of information. I only wish that it was slightly longer and had time to go into some areas in more depth, but looking forward to part 2.

Great if you enjoy Zionist propaganda whose only source material comes from British and American Orientalists. Think maybe a course on the Middle East should cite a couple of Arab writers? Naaaaaaah.

I recommend this course to anyone interested in learning about the Middle East. (I took Part I and Part II of this course) The Middle East is a very hot topic of discussions these days, but sadly a lot of people don’t know much about the region. Most of the people learn about the Middle East trough media. Popular (mainstream) media creates an image of the region that only involves terrorism, autocratic governments and civil war. Even though most of the Middle East contemporary problems are extremely complicated, this course will help you understand a little about the region’s modern history, culture and ethnic/religious diversity. Understanding Middle East’s history (especially its modern history) will help you a great deal to understand the region’s contemporary issues. The Middle East is much more than what we see in the news. This course will greatly expand your knowledge regarding the history and culture of the region. I recommend people to take both, Part I and Part II, of this course. You will not regret it.

Es un curso fantástico, me ha ayudado a comprender mucho mejor la importancia del Imperio Otomano y todos los acontecimientos que llevaron a su disolución, así como el papel que jugaron las grandes potencias después de la Primera Guerra Mundial y los intereses que movían a cada una de ellas en la formación, muchas veces arbitraria de los estados que hoy forman Oriente Medio; el rol de las religiones en cada uno de ellos, las diferencias entre las distintas ramas del Islam y las posiciones que adoptaron algunas minorías que han causado en muchas ocasiones situaciones muy críticas que ocasionaron enorme cantidad de pérdidas en vidas humanas. Comprender históricamente el rol que tuvieron ayuda a ampliar la visión que tenemos en Occidente.

Extraordinarily helpful course. Impossible not to be impressed by Professor Susser's knowledgeable and even-handed treatment of the final century of the Ottoman Empire and the Middle East resulting from the end of World War I. Very much looking forward to Part II of the course.

Well-told story of the modern Middle East. Professor Susser does an excellent job of providing ethnic and religious background, characterizing the many and varied groups. and weaving in foreign influence. Appreciated the even-handed presentation of difficult issues.

An outstanding course -- provides a great depth of information and explanation of how and why the Middle East was shaped. I recommend this and Part II to anyone interested in understanding the Middle East and its complex development.

Great intro to understanding the modern middle east, although some introduction to the history of Islam, it's achievements and culture and the ottoman empire would also have been useful to understand more of an overall picture

first I should say I was impressed by the great information about historical events presented in this course but unfortunately the lecturer put so much emphasis on the ottoman empire, Egypt and Arab states and almost neglected the important role of Iran in the emergence of the modern Middle East.

The course material was very interesting! The videos were a bit too lengthy, however.

Boa noite, meu nome é Gládiston, sou brasileiro e moro em São Paulo, Brasil. Sou professor da rede pública e resolvi fazer este curso porque é muito importante pra minha formação contínua. Os conteúdos aprendidos serão muito úteis para as minhas aulas. Gostei de todos os módulos do curso, pois cada um abordou o tema de uma nova perspectiva. Agradeço, profundamente, pela oportunidade, pois, certamente, poderei contribuir para formação de seres humanos dignos e responsáveis.

Good evening, my name is Gládiston, I am Brazilian and I live in São Paulo, Brazil. I am a teacher in the public network and I decided to take this course because it is very important for my continuing education. The contents learned will be very useful for my classes. Enjoy all the modules of the course, as each one approached the theme from a new perspective. I deeply thank you for the opportunity, for I will certainly be able to contribute to the formation of worthy and responsible human beings.

Thorough, insightful and taught with passion, this course gave me the understanding of the middle east conflict that I was looking for. They say experts can explain a complicated subject and make it feel simple and easy to understand and that is what Prof. Susser did with this course. Truly a "do not miss" course for any level if you want to gain insights into the history or get a simple and real understanding of the modern middle east. Really a great course.

Very nice presentation; clear and with frequent references to people or events discussed in earlier lectures to provide a growing net of connected facts. As with many courses, my only objection is that it could be so much more detailed ... but that is not the aim of the course (and thus just a comment from me). Very nice course, easily taken in a few evenings (lectures) and over a few weeks (readings). I would recommend this to anyone.

Such a wonderful course! Clear and concise, but entertaining, deep and thorough at the same time. If you love history, this is your course: you will finish it understanding why the Middle East looks the way it does in the present. And, indirectly, comprehending in a new way recent developments in the Syria, Egypt, Turkey and Iran. Thank you so much, Professor Susher, for illuminating us with this course!

Before taking this course I had rather preliminary understanding of what the Middle East is, how come the Ottoman Empire managed to last for four centuries, why were there some many continuous conflicts in the post Ottoman countries in the XXth century, etc. So many questions I have answered. Thank you for the well-tought lectures and well-structured material.I higly recommend this course.

Es un curso que se ve muy interesante y me gustaría poder continuarlo. Desgraciadamente mi obstáculo para esto es el idioma. Aunque los vídeos están subtitulados las lecturas que dejan son en inglés. Mi conocimiento de inglés es muy bajo y tardaría muchísimo en leer los documentos. Espero pronto mejorar este aspecto y para entonces siga este curso para poderlo tomar.

Muchas gracias.