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Syllabus
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History of the Islamic World (With emphasis on the Modern Middle East) History 3303 Fall 2007 Arkansas State University
Instructor: Erik GilbertWilson 116 972-2137 Office Hours: 11-12 MWF 10-12 T-Th
Course Description:
This course will examine the history of the Islamic world from the time of Muhammad to the present. It will examine the rise and definition of Islamic civilization and the spread of Islam into virtually every corner of the Old World. By the time the semester is over, I expect that each of you with have a sound understanding of Islam, the role of Islamic civilization in world history, the roots of the current Islamist revival, and have some experience using primary documents to write history.
Required Texts:
Arthur Goldschmidt Jr., A Concise History of the Middle East, 6th ed.
Amitav Ghosh, In an Antique Land.
Reserve and Online Readings:
Marshall Hodgson, excerpts from Venture of Islam
Toby Lester, “What is the Koran?” Atlantic Monthly, January 1999
Ross Dunn, Adventures of Ibn Battuta, excerpts
Course Requirements:
Attendance: Come to class unless you have a medical excuse. It is impossible to do well unless you come to class. I do not take role, but I reserve the right to modify the syllabus at any time through a single in-class announcement.
Readings: Each week of lectures has its companion readings. Read the assigned texts before the class meetings for which they are intended. Many class meetings will be devoted to discussing the readings and it is easier to discuss reading that you have read.
Grades: Your grade will be based on the following:
Map Quizzes 10%
Mid-term exam 20%
Final exam 20%
Response papers 20%
Research Paper 30%
Class participation: I reserve the right to raise or lower your final grade by a + or – depending on the quality and quantity of your contributions to our discussions of the readings.
The research paper: The most important thing you do this semester will be your research paper. Begin working on it now. You have the unique opportunity to do an original piece of historical research. The university recently bought (at great expense) several collections of documents that will make it possible for you to base your research paper on primary sources. The collections in question are listed below. You may also use documents in Khater.
J.C. Hurewitz ed., Diplomacy in the Near and Middle East, 1535-1956, 2 volumes.
Foreign Office Annual Reports from Arabia, 1930-1960, 4 volumes.
Persian Gulf Gazette, 6 volumes.
Records of the Hajj, 10 volumes.
Records of Yemen, 16 volumes.
Records of Oman, 11 volumes.
Your paper should be approximately 15 pages in length, it should be based on primary sources, and it should include the full scholarly apparatus of footnotes, bibliography, etc.
The response papers: In addition to the research paper you must also write two 5 page response papers. One must be on Amitav Ghosh’s In an Antique Land and the other will be on some primary documents I will provide to you. I will distribute the questions and other material for both response papers in class.
Other critical information: Late papers will be penalized a letter grade per day.
Course Schedule
Week 1: Course introduction & The World before Islam Aug. 20-24Read: Goldschmidt, Chapter 1&2 Hodgson, “The World Before Islam/Introduction the Study of Islamic Societies (on reserve)
Week 2: Rise of Islam Aug. 27-31Read: Goldschmidt, Chapters 3 and 4
Map quiz: Aug 29
Week 3: The High Caliphate Sept. 5-14 Read: Goldschmidt, Chapters 5 and 6. Lester, “What is the Koran?”
Week 4: Crusaders, Steppe Nomads, and Islamic Civilization. Sept. 17-21Read: Goldschmidt, Chapters 7 and 8 Lewis, Chapter 10
Week 5: The Dar al Islam, Trade, and the Dhimmis Sept. 24-28Read: Ghosh, In an Antique Land Lewis, Chapter 5 Week 6: Expansion of Islam-Asia Oct. 1-Oct. 5 Read: Dunn, Ibn Battuta
Midterm: Oct 5
Week 7: Gunpowder Empires and the Rise of Western Imperialism Oct 8-12Read: Goldschmidt, Chapters 9 and 10 Lewis, Chapters 11 and 12
Week 8: 19th Century Reform: Religious and Political Oct. 15-19Read: Goldschmidt, Chapters 11 and 12 Lewis, Chapter 15
Week 9: 20th Century Nationalism Oct. 22-26Read: Goldschmidt, Chapters 13, 14, and 15Lewis, Chapters 16&17.
Week 10&11: Israel and the Arabs Oct. 29-Nov. 9 Read: Goldschmidt, Chapters 16, 17, and 18Lewis, Chapter 18.
Week 12&13: Reform and Political Islam Nov. 12-16 Read: Goldschmidt, Chapter 19 Lewis, Chapters 31, 32, and 33
Week 14: Islam and the Contemporary World Nov. 26-30 Read: Goldschmidt, Chapter 20, 21 Lewis, Chapters 37, 39, 43, and 45.
Week 15: In Class Review Dec. 3
Final Exam: December 10, 12:30-2:30
Term papers are due Nov. 16.
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