This course will explore the history of American relations with the Middle East. How have U.S. Policy-makers defined American interests in this region? How have they sought to protect and advance those interests? We will consider the cultural stereotypes and assumptions Americans have brought to their relations with the Middle East, and the images of the Middle East that have been projected in American popular culture. Finally, we will explore the ways in which the current political situations in the Middle East reflects the results of past U.S.