History forms the core aspects of this course. The major topics of discussion here will be life on the Qatari peninsula during the Pre-Islamic and the Early Islamic eras. In later centuries, extensive attention is given to politics and society in Qatar as a major part of the Arabian coastal region often referred to as Al-Bahrain (The Two Seas) and the region of Al-Ahsa from the 16th to the 19th century. An important part of the course curriculum will be devoted to examining the influence of major European and Islamic empires on Qatar and its surrounding region, in particular the British and the Ottomans. Another major topic of concern will be the impact of Great Britain and the British Empire in India on Qatar’s political development from around 1820 to 1971. In similar respects, the extensive focus will be given to the history of Qatar as a district of the Ottoman Empire during 1871–1913 and how it laid the foundation for its emergence as a sovereign state.

With regards to the latter, the course aims to highlight the struggle of Qataris to develop their own traditional sheikhdom and later independent modern state. Of key importance to this course is also the discovery of oil and gas and its impact on society and politics. The last modules of this course will focus on contemporary Qatar, its society and its role as a key player in the Gulf, the Arab and Islamic worlds, and the larger international arena in areas such as politics, economy, culture, religion and sport.