Not available at this time

This course examines the formation of new social and cultural patterns in the medieval Islamic period. It begins with a historical survey of the formative period between the 7th and 9th centuries, and then examines key ideas and developments in the coalescence of Islamic civilization. Readings combine primary sources in translation and analytic summaries from secondary literature. These include coverage of religious texts, material culture, and contemporary treatises and travel accounts.

This course is an interdisciplinary introduction to Sufism, the mystical tradition of the Islamic world. The class focuses on the heartland of the Middle East, namely the eastern Arab lands, Turkey and Iran. No prerequisites are required. (Gen. Ed. I, DG)

The Mediterranean is a region whose sea binds together the three continents of Europe, Asia, and Africa. It was the world's major site for long-distance exchange before the rise of the Atlantic World and nineteenth-century globalism. Using the concept of the mosaic, a piece of art consisting of the assemblage of small pieces of colored glass and stone, this course explores the cultures and histories of the peoples of Mediterranean antiquity and the continuing influence of the ancient world in the modern age.

Not available at this time.

In many textbooks, the history of the Middle East is the mirror opposite of European history. We are told that the Middle East was a rich and cosmopolitan region of the world in the Middle Ages, but that its failure to properly modernize led first to weakness and colonization and more recently to extremism and violence. While Europe soared ahead in the years between 1400 and 1800, the Middle East appeared to languish.

Not available at this time.