This course is designed to offer a general introduction to the region of Southwest Asia/North Africa commonly designated “The Middle East.” The class will provide an overview of major historical developments in the region from roughly the mid-eighteenth century to the present. But it also aims to leave students with a basic understanding of the work that historians do and the kinds of questions they ask. Towards that end, we will in fact be studying two histories at once. First, the general outline of the course will follow the longer arc of time through the major political, social, and cultural transformations that have shaped the region. We will focus in particular on the changing character of the state and its relationships with the populations it governs. But second, we will stop along the way to examine the history of ideas about how this part of the world should be studied and understood. As we move through the course, the connections between these two histories will become clearer. We will explore how different kinds of knowledge about the Middle East have in fact shaped its history.