HI 6570 - Topics in Islamic Civilizations: Islam in World History

Credits: 3

Description With its doctrinal integration of faith and politics, Islam has been a force in world history for nearly 1500 years, encompassing a great range of linguistic, ethnic, and geographic diversity. Topics to be discussed begin with Islam’s emergence as a cultural and political power on the Arabian peninsula; early Arab/Islamic encounters with societies such as Byzantium and the Sasanian empires; the formation of the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates; the Crusades; Persian and Turkic influences, and the role of mysticism. The dissolution of pre-modern Muslim states in the face of imperialism and nationalism brings about the resurgence of Islam in the 20th and 21st centuries, giving rise to such pressing issues as the role of women, regional identity, the role of popular culture and the arts, and Islam’s role in geopolitics. For final research projects candidates will work in groups to prepare presentations of selected current issues.