History 145 (42.145): Introduction to the History of the
Muslim World I: 610-1405
Fall 2008
42-145-01: TU TH 9:30-10:45 @ NH 205
42-145-02: TU TH 12:30-1:45 @ OSH 122
Dr.
Safa Saraçoğlu (Last name pronounced as: sa-RAH-cho-lou)
Office:
OSH 131
Tel:
(570) 389-4158
E-mail:
Web
page: http://facstaff.bloomu.edu/msaracog/index.htm
Office Hours: T/R 11:00-12:30, 2:00-3:00; W 11:00-12:00 & by
appointment.
Course Description: This is an introduction to
the history and major institutions of the Muslim world, from the advent of
Islam around 610 CE through the death of the Mongol emperor Timur Lang in 1405.
The principal geographical areas upon which we will focus are the Middle East
and North Africa, yet we will cover other geographical areas as they relate to
the Muslim World. In this course, we will first consider the historical
contexts that shaped the life of the prophet Muhammad and gave rise to the
Qur'an. Next, we will address the early Arab conquests, the rise of Islamic
empires, as well as the theological, philosophical, and mystical movements in
Islamic civilizations and cultures. This course will also deal with the
interaction between Muslim and non-Muslim cultures, as well as the role of
religious minorities and women in shaping Islamic civilization during this
period.
Goals: This course
is designed to familiarize students with basic themes and issues related to Islamic
history, religion, cultures, and societies. Students will develop their writing
and critical thinking skills through the completion of writing assignments.
Through preparing in-class discussions of supplementary readings, the students
will also have the opportunity to advance their presentation skills. By working
with a variety of primary and secondary materials, students should develop
their abilities to comprehend and analyze texts, especially primary sources.
The course is meant to provide an experience in active learning: students are expected to complete reading
assignments before class and come to class prepared to discuss the material.
Structure of the Course: The format
of the course will include lectures, and general discussion during the
lectures. Weekly reading assignments are outlined in the syllabus below and
will be supplemented with further readings that I will distribute in the course
of the semester. You will be informed ahead of time of any changes. Any changes
that occur will also appear in the syllabus that will be available online at
the address given below. In this class, we may also watch documentaries to reinforce material presented in readings and
lectures. I will distribute separate handouts for these showings should there
be any.
Grading: (All assignments must be completed in
order to pass the course)
Attendance
& participation: 60 pts.
Map
exercise & Quizzes: 60
pts.
Papers
& Presentations: 80 pts.
(30 pts each paper, 20 pts presentation)
Mid-Term
Exam: 100 pts.
Final
Exam: 100
pts.
TOTAL: 400
points
Letter Grades
Letter
grades are recorded for individual assignments according to the following
scale:
A 4.0 Superior
Achievement C+ 2.33
A- 3.67 C 2.0 Average
Achievement
B+ 3.33 Above
Average Achievement C- 1.67
B 3.0 D+ 1.33
B- 2.67 D 1.0 Minimum
Achievement
Attendance and Participation: You are required to attend classes and
actively participate in discussions. You will lose 6 points (out of 60) for
each unexcused absence. Participation involves not only reading/watching the
assigned material, but also reflecting on it in our class discussions. There
will be frequent question-answer sessions during the lectures and your
involvement to these sessions is vital for a healthy classroom environment that
is conducive to learning. This is a small class, and by the end of the
semester, your participation to the class discussions will be apparent to you
and to me. Should you have any questions regarding your participation grade,
feel free to consult me at any point during the semester. You may get full
participation grade if and only if
you regularly participate in class discussions and if your unexcused absences
are less than two days. There are two sections of this course—see the top of the
first page of this syllabus. If you (think that you will) miss a meeting in
your regularly scheduled section, feel free to attend to the other section.
However, in order for me to mark you “present” for that day’s class you will
have to let me know, preferably before the class, of your situation.
Map Exercise
and Quizzes: I will
distribute a brief map exercise on
9/2/2007. The exercise will be due in class on 9/4/2007. This is not a group
exercise; you need to work on it on your own. I will not accept late
submissions for this assignment, unless you have a valid and documented medical
excuse.
I will set
aside 10-15 minutes at the beginning of nine (or more) randomly chosen sessions
for periodic in-class quizzes to assess how well you have been able to digest
the reading material. These quizzes will be strictly limited to the assigned
readings from your primary textbook (Vernon Egger, A History of the Muslim World to 1405.) You will not be able to make-up
missed quizzes. If your absence
is due to a documented and valid medical excuse, I will drop the missed quiz
from your quiz average so as not to let you lose points. I will give the
quizzes at the beginning of randomly selected classes. You will miss your
chance to take the quiz should you come to class more than five minutes after I
distribute the quizzes (according to the clock on the wall of the classroom—as
long as it is working).
Presentations: There are
three supplementary readings; everyone will present one of these books and
write a paper about the other two. In this way, for each book we will have 1/3
of the class presenting and discussing certain aspects of each book and the
remaining 2/3 will be writing a paper on these books. We will establish three
separate groups to be responsible for presenting these books (see below on how
we will decide on the presenting groups). Everyone will read the books, but
only the presenting group will work with me in designing their in-class
presentation.
The
presenting members
will not just summarize the book. In their presentations, they will discuss a
particular theme in the book and relate it to our course discussions. (See
below for how they will pick a theme). They will have to involve the rest of
the class to the discussion of the book by asking them questions and/or
responding to their questions. At the end of their presentation, the presenters
will be assessed by their classmates on the rubrics that I will distribute on
the day of presentation. I will collect the rubrics at the end of our discussion
and will use them to determine the grades of each presenter.
Those
who do not present
will write a position paper on the book they are assigned. The purpose of these
presentations and papers is to get a sense of how you are thinking and approaching
Islamic history, and to help you prepare for your examinations. You will
receive a handout with the necessary instructions for writing the paper. The
due dates and book titles are listed in the schedule.
Who
gets to present which book: Everyone will
have
to present one book of their choice and write a paper about the other
two books. I will assign only 1/3 of the enrolled students for a book on a
first-come-first-served basis. If you wish to present a book, you need to get
in touch with me about it. You cannot, however, just come and tell me that you
want to present The Crusades through Arab
Eyes. You need to contact me, when you are ready, with a topic that you would like to focus on, a proper thesis statement
relating to that topic and examples, from the book, supporting your thesis
statement. This means that you would have to have read a significant part
of the book, if not all of it. Once we discuss and agree on the topic then we
will figure out how to proceed with your presentation. A proper thesis
statement is essential to this process. Please
see this link on how to construct thesis statements: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/545/01/
A
note of warning:
Ideally, in a class of thirty students, ten students should present each book.
However, every semester a few students choose to wait until the last minute and
come to me with a topic only after 1/3 of the class already applied for the
final presentation. In those instances they earn a failing grade for their
presentation assignment. Please plan accordingly to avoid a failing grade on
your presentation.
Late
Work: All assignments are due in
class on the dates specified below. Late work on papers will be downgraded
by one full letter grade for each day it is late. If they are four or more days
late, they will not be accepted.
If you are unable to complete the semester’s work on schedule, be
prepared to turn in what you have accomplished or accept a failing grade for
that assignment. Exceptions to this policy will be made only in dire
circumstances (e.g., serious illness, death in the family), which must be documented.
Plagiarism
Policy:
Plagiarism, that is, appropriating someone else’s ideas or words and using them
as your own, will not be tolerated. Plagiarism is cheating. It is a violation
of the Student Discipline Code and will result in automatic failure of this
course and possible expulsion from the university.
Academic Integrity
(Bloomsburg University Policy and Procedures
3512)
"Academic integrity refers to the
adherence to agreed upon moral and ethical principles when engaging in academic
or scholarly pursuits. The university's academic integrity is part of an effort
to nurture a community where trust, honesty and personal integrity guide all of
our dealings with one another. Personal integrity is vital to our pursuit of
educating and becoming educated. This student academic integrity policy is only
part of, not the entirety of, efforts to foster a community of trust; trust is
built first on our actions toward each other. The responsibility to be honest,
fair, and forthright with others is a responsibility that each member of the
Bloomsburg University community must accept.
"The
following types of behaviors are examples of academic dishonest. This list is
not, and cannot be exhaustive. Students who are unsure if an act is
academically dishonest have a duty to consult their professor before engaging
in the act."
Academic dishonesty includes:
cheating, plagiarism, fabrication, misrepresenting circumstances,
impersonation, obtaining an unfair advantage, aiding and abetting of academic
dishonesty, falsification of records and official documents, and unauthorized
access to computerized academic or administrative records or systems. For
detailed definitions of these examples of academic dishonest, consult
Bloomsburg University's Academic Integrity Policy (PRP 3512):
www.bloomu.edu/about/govern/pol.3512.htm.
Statement on classroom behavior:
Disruptive
classroom behavior will not be tolerated. Such behaviors are defined as 1.) verbal, physical
or psychological threats, harassment, and physical violence; 2.) refusal to
comply with reasonable directions from the instructor; 3.) repeatedly arriving
after class has begun or leaving class early; 4.) distractive talking,
including speaking out of turn or monopolizing discussions; 5.) use of any
electronic device not related to class during the class period; 6.) use of an
electronic device related to class but in a manner that restricts
discussion/learning; 7.) use of alcohol, tobacco products, or controlled
substances. If any such behaviors take place in class, the disruptive
student will be asked to leave and not allowed to return until the matter is
adjudicated through the Office of Student Standards
Assigned Readings
Armstrong,
Karen. Muhammad: A Biography of the
Prophet. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1993.
Egger, Vernon. A
History of the Muslim World to 1405 : The Making of a Civilization. Upper Saddle
River: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2004.
Maalouf, Amin. The
Crusades through Arab Eyes. New York: Schocken Books, 1989.
Mernissi, Fatima, and Mary Jo Lakeland. The Forgotten Queens of Islam.
Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1993.
Important note regarding assigned books:
It
is your responsibility to acquire these books in a timely manner. If you are
concerned that you may not have all the books ready in advance for your
assignments and exams, you have to contact me at least two weeks prior to your assignment/exam. I will not consider extending
the deadlines for assignments if you do not get in touch with me two weeks
prior to the assignment/exam. If you
are concerned that you may not have all the books ready in advance and if you get in touch with me two weeks in advance I will consider
your circumstances, this does not
mean that you will get an extension. Most likely, you will have to rush-order
the book or fail the assignment. The University Store should have all the books
that are required for this course; if you choose to order the books from a
website, do it at your own risk.
THIS SYLLABUS IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITH
SUFFICIENT NOTICE IF NEED BE. FOR AN UPDATED VERSION, ALWAYS REFER TO MY
WEBSITE NOTED ABOVE.
Class Schedule
Week one: 8/26
– 8/28
Introduction
to Course
Concepts of analysis; land, people, and orthography—This week is the introduction week. In our discussion, I will introduce the framework of the class and the questions that I wish to focus on, I will also ask you to inform me on what you know/think about Islam and the Muslim world and your expectations from this class. We will revisit most the points that we discuss this week as we move along the semester.
1)
Egger,
xv-xvi.
2)
Begin
reading Armstrong
Byzantine and Sassanid Empires, Pre-Islamic
Arabia—As
was the case with all Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) Islam emerged east of the
Mediterranean Sea. This week we will focus on the conditions of the eastern
Mediterranean prior to Islam and discuss how they could have contributed to the rise of this new
religion. Most the things that we will discuss this week will help us
understand why and how the frontiers of the Muslim world changed so drastically
in such a short period.
Assignment:
Get your Map Assignment in class (Sep. 2)
Turn in your Map Exercise (Sep. 4)
1) Egger, pp.
1-20.
2) Continue
reading Armstrong
Muhammad and his milieu; conflict and conquest of
Mecca—Who
was Muhammad? What do we know about him? How do we know what we know about him?
What did he try to do in his life? Be prepared to discuss these questions this
week. We will talk about the Hijra (the difficult escape of Muhammad and his
followers from Mecca to Medina). The topic is complicated and closely related
to our discussion next week.
Readings:
1) Egger, pp.
20-31.
2) Finish
Armstrong
THAT DISCUSSION
After Muhammad: The Rashidun—Early
expansions determined much of what was going to happen to the “Islamic Empire”
in the next couple centuries. This week we will discuss what happened in the
aftermath of Muhammad. After your readings, you should be prepared to answer
questions such as: Who were the Rashidun?
How did they come to power? How could they expand the frontiers of the Muslim
world so fast? What were the consequences of this rapid expansion? This week’s
discussion will play a key role in understanding the differences between the
Sunni-Shi‘a sects in Islam.
Assignment:
Presentation I (Karen Armstrong.
Muhammad: A Biography
Readings:
1)
Egger,
pp. 33-43, 80-83.
Week Five:
9/23 – 9/25 The
Umayyad Caliphate and Their Crisis
The first Civil War, Beginnings of the Caliphate—Following the Rashidun
we come to a critical turning point in the Muslim world. The physical
dimensions of the area that the Muslim community “controlled” was one of the
biggest challenges for them. After the fourth caliph, the Muslim community
adopted a different rule of succession for their leaders. We will elaborate on
how did this emerge and what the consequences of this transformation were? This
week, we will also spend time on the origins of Shi‛ism.
Readings:
1) Egger, pp.
44-68
Week Six: 9/30
– 10/2 The
Abbasids
The Abbasid Revolution; the Abbasid Order—The Umayyad leadership was not liked by
everyone. This week we will focus on those who did not want to be under the
authority of an Umayyad ruler. After discussing some resistance movements, we
will focus on an event that turned out to transform the entire Muslim world:
the Abbasid revolution. Be prepared to answer questions such as, what holds a
community together? What does it take to maintain legitimacy for a ruler?
Readings:
1) Egger, pp.
69-94
2) Start reading
Maalouf
The other Caliphates; Midterm Review—We will start
the week with continuing our discussion on the fragmentation of the Muslim
world. This time, we will also discuss the different caliphates that emerged in
the aftermath of the Abbasid revolution. We will continue our discussion on
legitimacy and will begin our discussion of the relationship between rulers,
polities, and knowledge. We will focus on how legitimacy relates to production
of knowledge.
Readings:
1) Egger, pp.
94-112
2) Continue
Reading Maalouf
Islamic Law—What is law? How do we make law?
How can law be Islamic? What can we use Islamic law for and what are its limitations?
These are some of the questions that you should think about before coming to
class.
Readings:
1) Egger,
114-122, 127-137
2) Continue
reading Maalouf
Islamic Mysticism—What other
ways do we have to regulate how we, human beings, relate to a creator? So far,
we have discussed state, law and religious institutions such as caliphates,
there are other ways to organize communities. This week we will focus on Islamic
mysticism. How much can law, state and caliphs control our spiritual lives? Why
has there always been a need for mystic orders? These questions will lead our
discussion this week. These are some of the questions that you should be
prepared to discuss.
Readings:
1) Egger,
123-127, 199-219
2) Continue
reading Maalouf
Filling the Vacuum of Power—Following our
discussions of Islamic law and mysticism, this week we will go back to our
analysis of the historical account of Islamic polities. We will discuss the
Turkic invasions, and their impacts. Consider the answers for questions such
as: what would be the differences between the ways nomadic groups and sedentary
populations understand Islam? What happens when the religious leader of a
community is not as strong as the military leader of the same community? We
will also discuss how the Muslim communities in the west Mediterranean dealt
with the difficult political conditions in Africa and Europe.
Assignment: Presentation II (Amin Maalouf, The Crusades through Arab Eyes)
Readings:
1) Egger pp.
139-170
2) Finish Maalouf
Seeing the Crusades from the Other Side—This week we
will discuss a very interesting topic that most of you have been exposed to in
one way or another. Our discussions will center around the Muslim perspectives
on the Crusades. Think about the answer to questions such as: why were the
Muslim communities not expecting the attacks by the Crusaders? How were they
influenced by it? What did they think/write about the Crusaders? What could
this tell us about the motivation of the Crusaders to travel all the way to the
east of Mediterranean?
Readings:
1) Egger, pp.
172-197.
2) Start reading
Mernissi
Week Twelve:
11/11 – 11/13 Daily
Life in the Islamic World
Islamic City and the Urban Marketplace; Conversion—Most of the time, Muslim communities lived together with members of
other religions in the same urban setting. This week we will discuss the
routines of daily life in urban settings. Some question you should prepare for:
How does a religion influence our living space? How can a city be Islamic? How
do members of different religions cohabit in the same city? What were the
interactions among different religions like? I will be away for a conference on
November 15. More than likely, we will not be able to finish our discussion of
the topic, in which case we will continue our discussion the following week.
Readings:
1) Egger, pp.
229-255
2) Continue
reading Mernissi
Week Thirteen:
11/18 – 11/20 Women
in the Muslim World I
Women and
Islam—This week we will begin our discussion of gender
roles and Islam. Be prepared to answer broader questions such as: how can
religion influence the way men and women live differently? Were the women
treated the same all over the Muslim world? What can explain the differences?
Assignment: Presentation III (Fatima Mernissi, The Forgotten
Queens
Readings:
1) Finish
Mernissi.
Week Fourteen:
11/25 – (11/27: THANKSGIVING) Women in the Islamic World II
Condition of Women—This week we will
continue our elaboration of the condition of women in the Muslim world.
Mernissi’s work will help us organize our discussions. We will focus on themes
such as decision-making, political power, social roles, and veiling.
Readings:
1) Egger, pp. 50-52,
120-22.
2) Finish
Mernissi
The Mongol Hegemony—In our last
week, we will discuss the Mongolian invasions focusing on how they changed the
Muslim world that we have discussed so far. We will also do a review for the
final exam.
Readings:
1) Egger, pp.
260-290.
Final Exam:
|
TR 9:30 am |
Wednesday, Dec. 10 |
10:30 am to 12:30 pm |
|
TR 12:30 pm |
Monday, Dec. 8 |
8:00 am to 10:00 am |