Hist 103              
        

Since Muhammad

Fall 2025

Hunt Tooley

108 Sherman Hall, 813-2292

Office Hours:
MWF: In my office, noon to 12:30
TTH:  4:30 to 5
MWF: Via ZOOM, 1:45-2:30
https://austincollege.zoom.us/j/82278058303

Course Objectives                                                                                                                                               

• Goldschmidt/Boum.  A Concise History of the Middle East
•   Publisher: Westview Press; Eleventh Edition, 11th or 12th Edition edition
  
•   ISBN-10: 0813349621
•   ISBN-13: 978-0813349626

Ground Rules for Class

1.  What to call me when you are talking to me or emailing, etc.  Students at AC tend to call me Dr. Tooley (that implies that I have a Ph.D., which I do).  You could also call me “Professor Tooley,” since I am that too. In recent times, some students have called me “Tooley”—DO NOT call me that. Please save this use of last name only for other students, your pals, or for the kids on the little league team you are coaching. (I would follow this advice with your other professors too. Or ask them what they prefer to be called.)

2. Cell Phones. Please put your cell phone on the window ledge before class starts You can retrieve it at the end of class.

3.  Class time. I try to start right on time, and usually with a reading quiz. Please arrive on time. I to end classes exactly on time. Talking to the professor from a previous class is not an excuse. If you miss the reading quiz because you did not arrive in time to take it, you will not get credit for that quiz. And in college in general, you need to sit through the class without coming and going, even if you are accustomed to coming and going casually to your high school classes, etc.

4. All tests and quizzes must be written in pen, not pencil. Most quizzes will be written on a sheet of paper, so be sure to have one available when you arrive at each class.

5. Come to class armed with a notebook or paper and a pen or pencil. At this level of education, there is no way you can digest and remember the class material if you don’t take notes. If you have trouble with this ground rule, please come to me and talk about how you can make this happen.

6. Computers and tablets. Unless you have a College accommodation to use a computer to take notes in class, I would recommend taking notes by hand. Research has shown pretty conclusively that handwriting your notes provides many benefits. Ask me about these benefits if you like. The next best thing would be a tablet and a good note-taking application. But unless you have an accommodation from the College, please write your notes by hand. (If you have never mastered cursive, please consider learning it—it is much easier and faster for notes and tests.)

7. For those of you who are permitted to use a laptop for notes, please sit in the first or second row of the class. I will check periodically to make sure your computer has not distracted you from our primary purpose.

6. Questions and comments in discussion. Please raise your hand to speak. And when you do, please project. My hearing is not what it used to be. Please don’t hesitate to ask a question. In particular, questions of clarification may be very helpful to other students. But raise your hand to get my attention first.  

7.  Please do your best to go to the restroom if needed before class. If you must go during class, quietly leave and come back as quickly and quietly as possible.

8.  If you begin to feel sick, just leave quietly. And contact me via email later to make sure I know the reason for your departure.