Comparative analysis of ancient and contemporary cities in Arabia

Readings There is one required book for the class: Reilly, Benjamin. Slavery, Agriculture, and Malaria in the Arabian Peninsula. Athens, OH: Ohio University Press, 2015. Abdullah, Thabit A. J. Merchants, Mamluks, and Murder… Allan, J. A. The Middle East Water Question: Hydropolitics and the Global Economy. Anscombe, Frederick F. “An Anational Society: Eastern Arabia in the Ottoman Period.” Bowen, Richard LeBaron. “Marine Industries of Eastern Arabia.” Breton, Jean-François. Arabia Felix Chatty, Dawn. Mobile Pastoralists: Development Planning and Social Change in Oman. Cole, Donald P. “Where Have the Bedouin Gone?” Cunnison, Ian. Baggara Arabs: Power and Lineage in a Sudanese Nomad Tribe. Donner, Fred McGraw. The Early Islamic Conquests. Eph’al, Israel. The Ancient Arabs: Nomads on the Borders of the Fertile Crescent. Hiyari, M. A. “The Origins and Development of the Amirate of the Arabs…” Hourani, George F. Arab Seafaring. Issar, Arie S. Climate Change- Environment and Civilization in the Middle East. Köhler-Rollefson, Ilse. “Camels and Camel Pastoralism in Arabia.” Lightfoot, Dale R. “The Origin and Diffusion of Qanats in Arabia…” Lindholm, Charles. The Islamic Middle East: An Historical Anthropology Losman, “The Rentier State and National Oil Companies…” McCorriston, J. “Breaking the Rain Barrier…” Mithen, Steven. Thirst: Water and Power in the Ancient World Onley, James and Sulayman Khalaf. “Shaikhly Authority in the Pre-oil Gulf…” Peters, F. E. The Hajj: The Muslim Pilgrimage to Mecca and the Holy Places. Potts, D. T. “Date Palms and Date Consumption in Eastern Arabia…” Pouwels, Randall L. “Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean to 1800…” Reilly, Benjamin. “Blood and Milk…” Reilly, Benjamin. “Mutawallideen and Malaria…” Reilly, Benjamin. “Revisiting Bedouin Adaptations…” Salim, S. M. Marsh Dwellers of the Euphrates Delta. Sweet, Louise E. “Camel raiding of North Arabian Bedouin: A Mechanism of Ecological Adaptation.” Thompson, Andrew. Origins of Arabia. Varisco, Daniel Martin. “The Future of Terrace Farming in Yemen…” Vassiliev, Alexei. The History of Saudi Arabia. Vogel, Horst. “Terrace Farming in Yemen.” Watson, Andrew M. Agricultural Innovation in the Early Islamic World. Students must complete one long research paper of approximately 6-8 pages length and utilizing 3-5 academic sources. Students should meet with the instructors during office hours to discuss possible topics. In the term paper, students will be graded on clarity, style, and the use of appropriate evidence to defend a clearly-articulated argument (click here for the rubric, which is the same as the short assignments). Purely narrative papers- which tell a story rather than analyzing an issue- will receive very poor grades.