JS 240 - Great Powers in the Near East

3 credit(s)
This course will explore the great power of Islamic civilization from its beginnings in seventh century Arabia until the establishment of the Ottoman Empire in the fifteenth century. Attention will be given to the structure of political institutions, the changing nature of the caliphate, as well as social trends and important cultural developments. Students will read selections of important primary sources in translation, such as Arabic and Persian poetry, Hikayat Abi al-Qasim: Al-Azdi, Tale of Nur Al-Din Ali and his Son Badr Al-Din Hasan, and Ibn Khaldun’s Muqaddima.

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