Introduction to Islamic Cultures and Thought
This class will provide students with an overview of the history of Islamic thought, societies, institutions, and and cultures in a global context. We will cover periods ranging from late antiquity to today and discuss diverse geographies ranging from Arabia and the Middle East to Central Asia, South and Southeast Asia, North Africa and the Mediterranean Sea, East and West Africa, and the Atlantic Ocean and the Americas. The class will progress chronologically and cover topics such as the Quran and Prophet Muhammad, conquest and conversion, Islamic law and theology, Sunnism and Shiʿism, philosophy and cosmology, travel and trade, sainthood and mysticism (Sufism), pilgrimage, and Islam in America. Together we will engage with primary and secondary readings as well as videos, music, and art. This class assumes no prior knowledge of the subject.