History of Islamic Civilizations to 1500



HIS 231 -- History of Islamic Civilizations Since 1500

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Time: MWF 11:30-12:20 Room: LA 200

Spring 2003 3 credit hours

Instructor: Scott S. Reese Office: BIO 208

Tel.: 523-9049

Office Hours: MW 9-10 M, 2-3 F, 9-10

Email: scott.reese@nau.edu

Course url:

Course Description and Class Format:

Violent revolution, “fundamentalism”, suicide bombers, and women in veils are all popular western stereotypes of the modern Muslim world. But are they truly representative? How do they fit into the history of contemporary Muslim society? This is not a course dedicated solely to the Modern Middle East. Instead we will be looking at the length and breadth of the Muslim world during the age of growing western dominance. In particular, we will focus on the role of social, cultural and intellectual institutions in the development of contemporary Muslim society. In addition, we will explore issues such as gender, class, race and inter-religious relations as a way to better understand the Islamic past and present.

The first ten weeks of the class will be devoted to a chronological examination of the most important events and movements in the Islamic world since 1500. The last five weeks of the course, however, will be dedicated to extensive reading and discussion of particular topics of current importance including the Palestinian-Israeli dispute; Muslim revivalism and so-called “fundamentalism”; Iraqi-U.S. relations; Muslim-Hindu tensions in South Asia, and the growth of the Islamic faith in North America.

Class will be run as a combination of lecture and weekly discussions based on the assigned readings and student generated questions. Meetings on Mondays and Wednesdays will generally be given over to formal lectures. Fridays, will usually be reserved for discussion of the material covered over the course of the week. As a rule you should come to class at the beginning of the week having read the chapters assigned in the general survey text (Lapidus) and have the supplementary readings (e.g. books and various electronic reserve readings) completed by the time of class discussion on Friday. It is essential that everyone come to class having read the material and prepared for discussion.

Required Texts:

Lapidus, Ira A History of Islamic Societies Cambridge University Press 2nd edition, 2002. This is the general survey text for the course that will give us the “nuts and bolts” of Islamic history. For those of you who have taken the first half of this survey and already possess the 1st edition (1988) there is no need to invest in the newer one.

Esposito, John L. The Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality? Oxford University Press, 3rd edition, 1999. A comprehensive (if Arab-centric) overview of Muslim reform movements in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Rogan, Eugene and Avi Shlaim eds. The War for Palestine: Rewriting the History of 1948. Cambridge University Press, 2001. An edited volume that revisits the first Arab-Israeli war including chapters by the “new” Israeli historians.

Rushdi, Salman. Midnight’s Children. Award winning novel that explores the human costs of the 1947 partition of India.

The above books are Required Readings for all students in the course and are available at the NAU Bookstore. Other weekly readings are listed within the body of the syllabus. These include both primary documents in translation and secondary readings intended to add depth and texture to our understanding of the Islamic past. As such, they will form an integral part of class discussions and students will be expected to arrive for class meetings having read and digested the material and be ready for discussion. Most of these readings can be found through Cline Library electronic reserve which can be accessed via the following link: Other readings may be found linked to the course’s on-line syllabus.

Current Works on Iraq: The following works will form the basis of our discussion of Iraq during week 12 of the course. Please purchase one of them and be prepared to discuss it in class.

William Rivers Pitt, Scott Ritter (Contributor), War on Iraq: What Team Bush Doesn't Want You To Know

Milan Rai, Noam Chomsky (Introduction), War Plan Iraq: Ten Reasons Against War with Iraq

Kenneth M. Pollack, The Threatening Storm: The Case for Invading Iraq

Dilip Hiro, Iraq: In the Eye of the Storm

Richard Butler, The Greatest Threat: Iraq, Weapons of Mass Destruction, and the

Crisis of Global Security

Course Objectives:

 In addition to increasing your knowledge of our past, this course will also give you the opportunity to develop and utilize various skills -- especially regarding analytical thought and writing-- which will be valuable throughout your university career and beyond.  

 

As a Liberal Studies course this class will follow certain themes and is intended to help you develop particular intellectual skills in addition to studying the history of the ancient and medieval worlds. The Thematic Focus of the course is Understanding and Valuing the Diversity of Human Experience, which falls under the Cultural Understanding Distribution Block. There are a variety of Essential Skills you are expected to develop during the course of the semester including: Critical thinking, Critical Reading and Effective Writing.

In particular by the end of this course you should gain:

• An acquaintance with methods of historical inquiry and terminology.

• A basic chronology of Islamic history since 1500.

• Practice in critical thinking and writing skills through historical interpretation.

• An understanding of the diversity and importance of the Islamic faith and Muslim societies in the development of human history as a whole.

Assessment of Outcomes and Course Requirements: A Variety of tools will be used to help you achieve the objectives of the course:

1) Two (2) 50 minute exams

        The objective of the course exams is to test your knowledge of the historical material (e.g. basic chronology, events, persons and trends etc.) Each exam will consist of short response and essay questions based on readings and class notes.  Essays must demonstrate a grasp of the historical material and be expressed in your own words.  Exams, if missed, may be made-up only for documented medical or grave personal reasons. NO DOCUMENTATION=NO MAKE-UP!!

2) Two Critical Reviews (1200-1500 words)

While exams are designed to test your knowledge of the “nuts and bolts” of the course, the writing assignments are intended to help you hone your ability to analyze scholarly arguments (i.e. sharpen your critical reading and thinking skills) and to help you develop more effective writing. During the last five weeks of the course students will be required to write critical reviews of 2 of the supplementary texts (Esposito, Rogan/Shlaim, Rushdi or one of the texts on Iraq). These essays will be 1200-1500 words in length, and must be typewritten, double-spaced with one-inch margins and font no larger than 12 point. Criteria sheets will be handed out in advance of the paper due dates.

Writing assignments are excellent candidates for inclusion in your electronic portfolios.

Late papers will lose one full letter grade per day late, NO EXCEPTIONS (this will include weekends when applicable). Make and retain a copy of your essay before handing it in-- the instructor is not responsible for “lost” papers. (Also, back-up all computer work on at least 2 separate disks).

3) Take Home Final Exam

All students will be required to take the final exam that will be in a take home format. The questions on the final will differ from the 50 minute exams in that they will require you to synthesize data from both lectures and readings from through out the term in order to demonstrate your understanding of the Islamic past. As a result, the objective of the final is not only to test your mastery of the chronology of Islamic history but also a final assessment of the development of your critical thinking abilities. Outside research will, of course, not be necessary.

4) Participation/Attendance and Weekly Summaries

Class attendance is not a graded portion of the course. However, as a discussion oriented course participation is graded. You are required to show up to each class period having read the material and ready to engage it in a meaningful manner.

In order to help insure that you complete the readings but also to assist you in approaching them critically, each student will be required to bring a five (5) point summary of the main arguments of that week’s readings to class every Friday. Each point need be no more than 1-2 sentences but needs to illustrate what you think are the principle foci of the readings. The objective of these exercises is to assist you in developing your critical thinking skills as well as your ability to communicate them orally within class.

These will be turned in to the instructor at the end of class. Failure to do so will result in the deduction of ½ point from your participation grade for each summary not turned in (e.g. if you miss one week your potential participation grade will drop from 10 to 9.5 automatically.) Keep in mind, however, this is not the only determinant of your participation grade. Summaries will only be accepted by the instructor at the time of the class meeting (i.e. you may not turn them in your before or after class.) A separate sheet detailing what you need to look for in different readings will be forthcoming.

Finally, it should be noted that missing more than 3 class periods will have a serious impact on your participation grade.

If you must miss class for whatever reason, it is your responsibility to obtain that day’s notes and any other pertinent information from one of your classmates. If circumstances dictate (e.g. family or medical emergency) that you must miss more than 3 classes, it is also your responsibility to discuss this situation with the instructor.

Extensions, incompletes and make-up exams will be granted only in accordance with University policy.

Course Evaluation:

Your course grades will be based on the following distribution:

50 Minute Exams – 15% ea.

Analytical Essays – 20% ea.

Final Exam – 20%

Participation/

Weekly Summaries -- 10%

A standard grading scale will be in use

90%+= A; 80-89% =B; 70-79%=C; 60-69%=D; below 60%=F

Weekly Schedule of Topics (bear in mind this is a guide. Readings and assignments may be subject to modification):

Part I New Empires and an Emergent Europe

Wk 1 Jan 13 -17 The Islamic World to 1500

Readings: No required readings

Suggested: Parts I and II to be paged through at your leisure. This is especially recommended for those who have not taken HIS 230 or its equivalent.

Wk 2 Jan 20-24 The New Empires I: The Ottomans (Mon. Jan 20th MLK Day, No Class)

Readings:

Lapidus chs. 13 and 14 (same in 1st edition)

Heywood, “Bosnia under Ottoman Rule” in The Muslims of Bosnia-Herzegovina pp.22-53 on electronic reserve

Dinner With the Sultana Link attached to on-line syllabus

Smallpox prevention Link attached to on-line syllabus

Wk 3 Jan 27-31 The New Empires II: The Mughals

Readings:

Lapidus chs. 17 and 18 (same in 1st edition)

Link attached to on-line syllabus

Andrea and Overfield, Andrea and Overfield, The Human Record, Sources of Global History v. II Since 1500 (on electronic reserve)

“Jahangir, Memoirs” pp. 99-103

“Abu’l Fazl, Akbarnama” pp.107-110

Wk 4 Feb 3-7 The New Empires III: The Safavids

Readings:

Lapidus, ch. 12 (Ch. 13 in the 1st edition)

Andrea and Overfield, Andrea and Overfield, The Human Record, Sources of Global History v. II Since 1500 (on electronic reserve)

“A Carmelite Friar’s view of Shah Abbas I” pp.94-98

“Letter to Shah Ismail of Persia” pp.104-107

Wk 5 Feb 10-14 On the Defensive: Islam and European Expansion

Readings:

al-Jabarti’s Response to Napoleon

McNeil, “The Age of Gunpowder Empires, 1450-1800” pp. 103-139 in Adas, Islamic and European Expansion: The Forgingof a Global Order on electronic reserve

1st Hour Exam

Part II 1800-1900: A Century of Reform and Renewal

Wk 6 Feb 17-21 Uthman Dan Fodio and the Jihads of West Africa

Readings:

Lapidus, ch. 20 (same in 1st edition)

The Sokoto Caliphate, in Sources of the African Past pp. 124-160 on electronic reserve.

One Woman’s Jihad, pp. 1-45, 76-91 on electronic reserve.

Wk 7 Feb 24-28 Mehmet Ali and the “New” Egypt

The Tanzimat and Ottoman attempts at Reform

Readings:

Lapidus, chs. 22, 23, 24 (same in 1st edition)

Wk 8 Mar 3-7 Islam and colonial rule I: Egypt

Readings:

Lapidus, ch. 24

Link attached to on-line syllabus

Wk 9 Mar 10-14 Islam and colonial rule II: India

Readings:

Lapidus, ch. 27

2nd Hour Exam

March 17-21 Spring Break!!!!!!

Part III Constructing the Islamic Self in the Modern World

Wk 10 Mar 24-28 Reform and the construction of modern Islamic society

Readings:

Esposito, The Islamic Threat

Suggested: Lapidus, ch. 29

Wk 11 Mar 31-Apr 4 Zionism, Colonialism and the Question of Palestine

Readings:

Rogan and Shlaim, The War for Palestine

Kanafani, “The Land of Sad Oranges” on electronic reserve

Suggested: Lapidus, ch. 25

Wk 12 Apr 7-11 To Invade or Not to Invade?: The Iraq Crisis

Readings: Please choose one of the works provided in the “Current Works on Iraq” section of the syllabus.

Wk 13 Apr 14-18 The Partition of India: Hindu-Muslim tensions in a nuclear age

Readings:

Rusdhi, Midnights’ Children

Suggested: Review Lapidus ch. 27

Wk 14 Apr 21-25 Neo-Colonial Adventures – Islam, the Cold War and the Creation of the Taliban in Afghanistan

Readings:

Maley, Fundamentalism Reborn? Afghanistan and the Taliban pp.v-x, 1-132 on electronic reserve

Wk 15 Apr 28-May 2 Faith of Our Brothers: Islam in North America

Readings:

Lapidus ch. 32, conclusion

Gardell, “The Sun of Islam Will Rise in the West: Minister Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam in the Latter Days” in Haddad and Smith Muslim Communities in North America pp. 15-50 On electronic reserve

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