History 130 - Middle East History I

This course will provide an introduction to the history of the Islamic world from the birth of the Prophet Muhammad in 570 CE to the Mongol conquest of Baghdad in 1258. It will focus on the origins and the tenets of Islam, then turn to an investigation of the cultures and societies that emerged from the interactions of Islam and the Muslim community with existing cultures and political systems. The course will address such issues as the military and political realities of the Islamic empires, economics and trade, the interaction between nomadism and sedentary life, and Middle Eastern models of just rule. It will also examine questions of religious sectarianism, race, philosophy and spirituality. (Gen. Ed. HS, DG)