Introductory lecture (Jan 24, 2026)
Introductory lecture (Jan 24, 2026)
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We will start with an introduction to the Middle East in general, on Saturday, Jan 24, at the Albany Library, Edith Stone room 10 am to 12 noon. No assignments, no required readings and no exams, unless you insist.
In that meeting we will also be discussing what day and time would be most convenient for the most people and the most available venue for future meetings.
Outlines of each Lecture
Outlines of each Lecture
Suggested readings for the introductory lecture
Suggested readings for the introductory lecture
Esposito: The Islamic Threat
Esposito: The Islamic Threat
Esposito Corrections
Esposito Corrections
Khalidi: Resurrecting Empire
Khalidi: Resurrecting Empire
About Dr. Barry Preisler
I am a political scientist who taught Middle East and Palestinian-Israeli conflict studies for 25 years at Sonoma State University and other California universities. I hold a Ph.D. from UC Berkeley and a B.S. from the American University of Beirut. I lived in Lebanon in the early 1970s, and have traveled extensively throughout the region, and retired in 2023.
About the Lectures
About the Lectures
This series is an abbreviated version of my semester-length course, “Israel, the Palestinians and US Foreign Policy,” which I taught for 25 years at Sonoma State University.
Since October 7th, 2023, many have been overwhelmed by the magnitude of the death toll and the destruction of the physical infrastructure of the Gaza Strip. Whether you have limited knowledge of the Palestinians’ past or a significant familiarity with the Palestinian experience, these lectures aim to connect the signal events of history—from the rise of Political Zionism to the present.
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