Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE HST3023

 
TITLE The Forgotten Power: Persian/Iranian History in Global Perspective

 
UM LEVEL 03 - Years 2, 3, 4 in Modular Undergraduate Course

 
MQF LEVEL 6

 
ECTS CREDITS 4

 
DEPARTMENT History

 
DESCRIPTION A continuous, millennia-old civilisation, Iran has for long been the forgotten power in Global History analysis. Iran’s geographic centrality, and its historical connectivity with the neighbourhood, place the country at the centre of five significant sub-regions: Levant, the Caucasus, Central Asia, South Asia and the Persian Gulf. From this perspective, Iran has for long served as the main crossroads for commerce between the Black Sea, the Mediterranean, the Caspian and the Persian Gulf, connecting the Eurasian unit. Benefiting from this connectivity has often required security either by pre-empting threats and acting against them and/or by building good relations with friendly states to make up for security vacuums in the aftermath of wars. The three imperial periods of Ancient Persia, Safavid Persia, and the Islamic Revolution generated strong historical rhythms in the Iranian strategic plans, bearing evidence of the country's ability to readjust its orientation to fit changing regional circumstances.

The study-unit’s emphasis is on the ancient and modern periods of Iranian history. We will start with a survey of Bronze Age Iran and the introduction and adoption of early writing systems, and then introduce Iron Age Elam and its political and cultural relations with Assyria and Babylonia. After that, we will cover the Achaemenid period and focus particularly on the Persepolis Archives, Imperial iconography, Avesta and Zoroastrianism. The unit will then chart the rise of Alexander the Great, the Seleucids, the Parthians, the Sasanians and their relations to Rome and Byzantium and then follow with the Islamic conquest of Sasanian Iran and Medieval Iran. The focus then straddles over Safavid Persia up to Phalavi Iran and the Iranian Revolution, to-date, this study-unit will explore the weight of Iran within the Muslim world, its commercial connections, its emergence as a separate entity, Western influences, modernisation, the Islamic Republic, and the pursuit for nuclear power. The aim is not only to familiarise the students with the transition phases of a resilient country, but also to explore the implications these carried for the whole region. In this way, students will understand how the puzzle piece labelled ‘Iran’ fits into the larger, global puzzle.

Study-unit Aims:

- Presenting Iran as another unit of analysis in the Global History debate;
- Examining the political and cultural relations of early dynasties and empires with their neighbours;
- Exploring the role of the arts, technology, trade, law, medicine, administration, and communication in the formation and development of empires;
- Investigating the role of women in the politics and culture of ancient and modern
- Showing how Iran’s regional influence fluctuated over the years and that it did not always come at the expense of the West’s and its allies’ interests;
- Exploring how Iran acted as an important linchpin between two continents in commercial, religious and political affairs;
- Historically contextualising contemporary Tehran's endeavour at turning East in its quest to regenerate its pivotal role in the region in conjunction with Russia and China.

Learning Outcomes

1. Knowledge & Understanding

By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- critically assess the historical development of Iranian society, politics, economics and culture within the context of the wider west Asian area across the centuries;
- appreciate the complexity of the history of Iran in the global context;
- analyse Iran in accordance with an interdisciplinary approach dealing with the political/military but also cultural and socio-economic aspects of the country in past and present;
- grasp how the ancient and modern history of this country influences contemporary Iran and the region(s) it is embedded in.

2. Skills

By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- enrich their knowledge of Iranian history by noting forces of continuity and change through the country's diverse historical phases;
- integrate the Iranian case in their understanding of the history of globalisation;
- consult a wide range of sources covering different historical periods with a view to creating a synoptical understanding of the main themes of connectivity, power struggles, foreign relations, cultural ties and military strategies;
- prepare and present detailed research on a specific topic relevant to the coursework;
- develop effective note-taking techniques and speaking skills.

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:

Main Texts:

- Daryaee, T.,The Oxford handbook of Iranian History, (Oxford University Press, 2012).
- Frankopan, P., The Silk Roads. A New History of the World, (London, Bloomsbury, 2015).
Potts, D.T. (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Iran, (Oxford University Press, 2013).

Supplementary Readings:

- Esfahani, H. S., and Hashem, P. M., “The Iranian Economy in the Twentieth Century: A Global Perspective.” Iranian Studies, 42:2, (2009).
- Mohsen, M., Iran in a Reconnecting Eurasia: Foreign Economic and Security Interests. Center for Strategic & International Studies, (2016).

More readings will be provided in due course.

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Assessment Due Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Assignment SEM2 Yes 50%
Presentation (15 Minutes) SEM2 Yes 50%

 
LECTURER/S Simone Azzopardi
Omar N'Shea

 

 
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It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

https://www.um.edu.mt/course/studyunit