Overview

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

This course offers a broad survey of the development of classical Islamic civilization. It begins with an examination of the origins of Islam in seventh century Arabia and concludes with the break-up of the Abbasid Caliphate of Baghdad in the 13th century. Emphasis will be place on gaining an understanding of the doctrines of Islam, the significance of the rise and fall of the early Arab-Islamic empires, and the role of Islam in world history. Breadth-Humanities.

COURSE DETAILS:

This course is an introduction to the major intellectual and religious traditions informing the civilization evolved by Muslims from the 7th to 10th centuries. The survey begins by reflecting on the legacy of orientalism; it then examines the pre-Islamic contexts of the emergence of Islam; the career of the prophet Muhammad in the Meccan and Medinan socio-religious modes; the realization of the Qur’an in spoken and written form; the expansion of the Arabs and the assimilation of the Byzantine and Persian traditions; the question of the explanation for and the consequence of conversion to Islam; the development of a consensus on the nature of authoritative political and religious action; the rise of Turkish slave-based authority and its theoretical justification; the socio-religious and cultural qualities of the Umayyad and ‘Abbasid caliphates and the causes and consequences of the decline of a central caliphate in the tenth century; the emergence and dominance of jurisprudence as a way of realizing Islam; the evolution of a mystical interpretation of Islam from personal piety to later mystical orders; competitive notions concerning sexuality and gender in Islam; and the formation and legacy of a classical Islamic cosmopolitanism in literature, art, architecture, science, and philosophy.

CREDIT FOR THIS COURSE MAY BE APPLIED TOWARDS THE CERTIFICATE OF LIBERAL ARTS

Grading

Materials

REQUIRED READING: