This course examines the 2011 Arab Spring, its aftermath, and its connection to the exponential rise of protests across the world in the past decade, including in the United States. The protests that swept the Middle East ten years ago were widely hailed as a unique moment when people in the region rose up against authoritarian rulers. Commentators then pronounced on the so-called failure of these protests to effect real change, and blamed Middle Eastern politics and societies themselves. This course challenges these narratives by clarifying the causes and outcomes of the Arab Spring, while also showing their global connections. This course will be especially useful to teachers looking for a more complex understanding of the Middle East, as well as the causes and outcomes of protest around the world. It will also provide ideas for helping students place their own social justice concerns within a global context.
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