HISTORY 444R: History of Islam and the Islamic World (c. 570-1326)

Course Description

This course introduces students to the history of Islam and the Islamic world. Students will analyze the life and times of Muhammad; the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates; the conquests of Muslim armies; the emergence of a distinct Sunni-Shi’i split within the Islamic umma; the court cultures, literate societies, and poetic practices of Muslims in the late antique and medieval periods; as well as the cultural encounters and challenges posed by non-Arabs to Islam from Turkic, Mongol, Persian, African, Byzantine, and European backgrounds. The core themes are the rise and spread of Islam and the formation of an Islamic world.