NEW YORK CITY COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY The City University of New York School of Arts & Sciences Department of Social Science Course Outline

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1 NEW YORK CITY COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY The City University of New York School of Arts & Sciences Department of Social Science Course Outline Course code: HIS 1501 Course title: The Origins of Islamic Civilization Class hours/credits: 3 class hours, 3 credits Prerequisite: CUNY proficiency in reading and writing Pathways: World Cultures and Global Issues Catalog Description: A survey of the origin of Islamic civilization in a global context. By examining the life of the Prophet Muhammad, the period of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, the Arab conquest of the Middle East, the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates, as well as the scientific, literary and artistic achievements of Muslims, this course discusses the contribution of Islamic civilization to the development of human society. Content Learning Outcomes and Assessment Measures LEARNING OBJECTIVES: For the successful completion of this course, students should be able to: ASSESSMENT METHOD: Instructional activity and evaluation methods.* Students will: Distinguish between different approaches to history. Understand how historians utilize sources and critical analysis to draw historical conclusions. Explain how the impact of Islamic civilizations shaped the foundation of the modern world. Read and discuss a variety of historical texts. Students will use these texts to complete written assignments and presentations. Use primary and secondary sources to create their own historical conclusions. Students will discuss their conclusions in written quizzes and exams, as well as in oral in-class presentations. Read from a variety of primary and secondary sources in history, philosophy, sociology, and economics. Students content knowledge and critical thinking ability will be tested through in-class quizzes and exams, as well as through in-class discussion and class presentations.

2 General Education Objectives and Assessment Methods LEARNING OBJECTIVES: For the successful completion of this course, students should be able to: ASSESSMENT METHOD: Instructional Activity, Evaluation Methods and Criteria.* KNOWLEDGE: Engage in historical inquiry, research, and analysis. Skills: Understand the complex nature of the historical record and generate significant, open-ended questions about the past and devise research strategies to answer them. Integration: Craft historical narrative and argument. Values, Ethics, and Relationships: Practice historical thinking as central to engaged citizenship. * may vary slightly per instructor Students will demonstrate the ability to evaluate a variety of historical sources for their credibility, position, and perspective, as well as contextualize materials from the past with appropriate precision and detail. Students will demonstrate this competency complete written exams, quizzes, assignments, in-class discussion and presentations. Students will demonstrate the ability to 1) Distinguish between primary and secondary source materials and decide when to use each, 2) Choose among multiple tools, methods, and perspectives to investigate and interpret materials from the past, and 3) Recognize the value of conflicting narratives and evidence, 4) Generate significant, open-ended questions about the past and devise research strategies to answer them, 5) Seek a variety of sources that provide evidence to support an argument about the past, 6) Develop a methodological practice of gathering, sifting, analyzing, ordering, synthesizing, and interpreting evidence, and 7) Identify and summarize other scholars historical arguments. Students will demonstrate this competency complete written exams, quizzes, assignments, in-class discussion and presentations. Students will demonstrate the ability to 1) Generate a historical argument that is reasoned and based on historical evidence selected, arranged, and analyzed, 2) Write effective narrative that describes and analyzes the past for its use in the present, 3) Understand that the ethics and practice of history mean recognizing and building on other scholars work, peer review, and citation, and 4) Defend a position publicly and revise this position when new evidence requires it. Students will demonstrate this competency complete written exams, quizzes, assignments, in-class discussion and presentations. Students will demonstrate the ability to 1) Engage a diversity of viewpoints in a civil and constructive fashion, 2) Work cooperatively with others to develop positions that reflect deliberation and differing perspectives, and 3) Apply historical knowledge and analysis to contribute to contemporary social dialogue. Students will demonstrate this competency complete written exams, quizzes, assignments, in-class discussion and group presentations. Required Reading Textbooks: (Students will read selected excerpts from each of these texts) Berkey, Jonathan, The Formation of Islam: Religion and Society in the Near East, , Cambridge, Armstrong, Karen, Muhammad: A Prophet for Our Time, Harper Collins, New York, Kennedy, Hugh, When Baghdad Ruled the Muslim World: The Rise And Fall of Islam s

3 Greatest Dynasty, Da Capo Press; New edition, Dimitri Gutas, Greek Thought, Arabic Culture: The Graeco-Arabic Translation Movement in Baghdad and Early 'Abbasaid Society, Routledge, Primary source documents: Students will be required to read several primary source documents. These documents will be made available via the internet and might also be distributed directly from the instructor. Suggested Course Assignments/weights: Quizzes: 30% Report on Museum Visit: 10% Examinations 45% Class Participation: 15% Academic Integrity Statement Students and all others who work with information, ideas, texts, images, music, inventions, and other intellectual property owe their audience and sources accuracy and honesty in using, crediting, and citing sources. As a community of intellectual and professional workers, the College recognizes its responsibility for providing instruction in information literacy and academic integrity, offering models of good practice, and responding vigilantly and appropriately to infractions of academic integrity. Accordingly, academic dishonesty is prohibited in The City University of New York and at New York City College of Technology and is punishable by penalties, including failing grades, suspension, and expulsion. College Policy on Attendance/Lateness A student may be absent without penalty for 10% of the number of scheduled class meetings during the semester as follows: Class Meets Allowable Absence 1 time/week 2 classes 2 times/week 3 classes 3 times/week 4 classes Excessive Absence If a student s class absences exceed the limit established for a given course or component, the instructor will alert the student that a grade of WU may be assigned. If a student remains officially registered for a course and never attends that course, a final grade of *WN will be assigned. If the student withdraws officially from the course, he/she will be assigned a grade in accordance with the existing withdrawal policy of the College. Appeals A student wishing to appeal the excessive absence status and the impending grade should request a meeting with the chairperson of the department in which the course is offered. The chairperson will consult with the instructor to render a decision. A student wishing to appeal a WU grade may do so through the Committee on Course and Standards.

4 Lateness It is the responsibility of the instructor to keep a record of lateness and to inform each class orally and in writing of the lateness policy during the first two weeks of class meetings of each semester. Grading: All grades will be calculated according to the college grade scale: Letter Grade Meaning of Letter Grade Number Grade A Exceptional A- Superior B+ Very good B Good B- Above Average C+ Slightly Above Average C Average D Poor F Failure SAMPLE SEQUENCE OF WEEKLY TOPICS*

5 Week Topic Suggested Instructional Activities Assignment and/or reading 1 The Middle East/The Near East/the Far East: Who defines it and to what end? Topography and Human Geography of the Middle East 2 Topography and Human Geography of the Middle East: Languages, Peoples and Religions 3 The World of Late Antiquity: The Two Eyes of the World, the Byzantines and the Sasanians. Students will learn about the two important empires that formed the context of the rise of the Arabs and Islam, in the sixth and seventh centuries, namely the Eastern Roman and the Iranian Sasanian Empires. Develop students critical thinking skills through an in-class discussion of the concept and the problematic nature of the term Middle East. This will be followed by a discussion of the topographical and geographical features of the Middle East in its world context. The aim here is to teach students, in an interactive manner, the ABCs of the landscape of the Middle East and the World. Continued discussion of the topographical and geographical features of the Middle East in its world context. Populating the Middle East through a detailed examination of the mosaic of its peoples and an examination of its diverse linguistic and religious landscape. The methodology will continue to be critical, with student participation a central aspect of it. Quiz: on the geographical features and languages of the Middle East Laying the cultural context of the rise of Islam through an analysis of the Byzantine and Sasanian Empires and the cultural heritage that they carried. Browse through the timeline of ancient to late antique history of the Near East and try to collate the chronology of various cultural traditions: Geography Review Sheet A Note on Proper Names Marshall G. Hodgson, "In the Center of the Map: Nations see themselves as the Hub of History," and "World History and a World outlook," pp Jonathan Berkey, The Formation of Islam: Religion and Society in the Near East, , Cambridge, 2002, pp Jonathan Berkey, The Formation of Islam: Religion and Society in the Near East, , Cambridge, 2002, pp Dimitri Gutas, Greek Thought, Arabic Culture: The Graeco-Arabic Translation Movement in Baghdad and Early 'Abbasaid Society, 1998.

6 4 The World of Late Antiquity: the Arabs Students will learn about the role of Arabs in the international context of the Late Antique period, and the interconnections of these with the Eastern Roman and the Iranian Sasanian Empires. Here we shall also discuss, the traditions about the Birth of the Prophet, the composition of the holy book of Islam, and the Arab Conquests. 5 The World of Late Antiquity: the Arab conquests and the 1 st Arab Empire of the Umayyads Here we shall continue our discussion of the Arab Conquests into Spain and to the borders of Tang China, the traditions about the formation of the new Muslim community, the first political schisms that appeared therein, most important of which was the proto- Sunni/Shi i schism, and finally the establishment of the first Arab Empire, namely the Umayyad Caliphate. Laying the cultural context of the rise of Islam through an analysis of the role of Arabs in the pre-islamic period. Quiz: Students answer critically posed questions on the material thus far covered. Jonathan Berkey, The Formation of Islam: Religion and Society in the Near East, , Cambridge, 2002, pp Armstrong, Karen, Muhammad: A Prophet for Our Time, New York, 2007, introduction. Jonathan Berkey, The Formation of Islam: Religion and Society in the Near East, , Cambridge, 2002, pp Dimitri Gutas, Greek Thought, Arabic Culture: The Graeco-Arabic Translation Movement in Baghdad and Early 'Abbasaid Society, 1998, pp Mid-Term Exam Exam Examinations will be in essay format and may include short answers and/or multiple choice-true/false questions Hugh Kennedy, When Baghdad Ruled the Muslim World, Forward and pp and pp

7 7 The World of Late Antiquity: Conversion to Islam and rise of the Abbasid Caliphate The issue of conversion to Islam, the growth of the Muslim community, and the first important revolution that beset this community, namely the Abbasid Revolution, will be discussed in this week. 8 Golden Age of Islamic Civilization A discussion of the cultural efflorescence of the Muslim community, the scientific achievements of this community, the role of non-muslims, Jewish, Christians and Zoroastrians, in this cultural efflorescence will highlight the important achievement of the Islamic Civilization 9 Golden Age of Islamic Civilization: Cosmopolitan Islam & The Translation Movement and Transmission of Knowledge A discussion of the rise of cities and the translation movement of the 8 th -10 th centuries, will highlight the attempt of the Muslim community to collect, elaborate upon and transmit the sum-total of the available knowledge produced by Greeks, the Indians, Persians, and the Chinese, etc. This then will set the stage for the transmission of this knowledge, through Arabic to a rising Europe in the 12 th and 13 th centuries, laying the foundations of the European Renaissance. Quiz: Students answer critically posed questions on the material thus far covered. Hugh Kennedy, When Baghdad Ruled the Muslim World, pp Ibn Sina, The Autobiography of Avicenna, pp in Islam: From the Prophet Muhammad to the Capture of Constantinople. Ibn al-qifti, Musa b. Maimun pp , Musa b. Maimun, a Day in the Life of a Court Physician, pp. 192, and Ethnic Groups, pp , in Islam: From the Prophet Muhammad to the Capture of Constantinople. Dimitri Gutas, Greek Thought, Arabic Culture: The Graeco-Arabic Translation Movement in Baghdad and Early 'Abbasaid Society, 1998, pp J. J. Saunders, A History of Medieval Islam, pp

8 10 The Break Up of the Caliphate, the Rise of New Dynasties and the Emergence of the Turks. Discussion of the gradual breakup of the Abbasid Caliphate and the rise of new dynasties and courts which imitated Baghdad in their production of knowledge and gradual entry into the Turkic populations. 11 The rise of the Turks: The Eleventh century and the Seljuqs The emergence of the Turks and the rise of the Seljuqids, which led to the creation of new political concepts and polities of the sultanate will be discussed here. It will be highlighted that from this period onwards it was various Turkic tribes who began ruling the Muslim community, a process that saw its end only in the 19 th century. 12 The Interlude: The Crusaders ( ): The rise of the Turks: Turkic Conquest & Colonization of the Byzantine Anatolia A discussion of the Battle of Manzikert in 1071 in Eastern Anatolia between the Seljuqids and the Byzantines will foreground our examination of gradual colonization and Turkification of Anatolia and the establishment of frontier societies therein. Quiz: Students answer critically posed questions on the material thus far covered Museum Visit: Any time between weeks 10 and 13.. Quiz: Students answer critically posed questions on the material thus far covered. J. J. Saunders, A History of Medieval Islam, pp J. J. Saunders, A History of Medieval Islam, pp ; J. J. Saunders, A History of Medieval Islam, pp

9 13 The Interlude: The Crusaders ( ) The Crusaders will be here discussed as a historical phenomenon that galvanized medieval Europe and captured later European imagination. A discussion of the crusaders as the agents responsible for continuing the transmission of knowledge between the East and the West, will proceed to underline the relative insignificance of the process to the main currents of medieval Middle Eastern history. 14 The Mongol Conquests: The Finale of the Abbasid Caliphate A discussion of the Mongol conquests and the final demise of the caliphate and the sack of Baghdad through the hands of these, will lay the foundation of our examination of the establishment of the Mongol Empire. 15 Pax Mongolica and the Timurids: The Mongol Empire, commerce and trade and east-west relationship A discussion of pax Mongolica during the 13 th and 14 th centuries, and the abolishment of various political borders, will lead to an examination of the rise of the Timurids and the stage which it set for the rise of the gunpowder empires of the Ottomans, the Safavids and the Mughals Museum Visit Report Due. In-class discussion of primary source analysis, in order to cultivate In-class discussion of primary source analysis, in order to cultivate Final Exam J. J. Saunders, A History of Medieval Islam, pp Ronald Findlay, Kevin H. O'Rourke, Power and Plenty: Trade, War, and the World Economy in the Second Millennium, Chapter on World Trade and Economic Consequences of Chengis Khan, pp *guidelines from which instructors may select or adapt

10 Instructions for the Museum Visit Below are the instructions for your visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I hope this would be a very enjoyable project with you, as part of your cultural heritage is beautifully stored for you in the Museum. I suggest that you make a day trip to the Museum. Try and arrange going to the Museum either with your friends in class, other friends, family etc. I am certain that this will be a rewarding experience for you. The choices of the galleries that you can visit are listed below. Please note that you must choose the galleries, the cultural heritage of which we have already discussed. I leave the topic of the report to your own choosing. In general, in the galleries of your choice, you are asked to try and identify any aspect of the cultures that we have talked about. I suggest you review the material we have discussed on the topic before going to the museum. It will be so much more rewarding. You might decide to write on a number of objects or on the galleries that you visited as a whole. Whatever your choice, please make sure that you also take notes on at least a few objects that stand out for you. And you must make sure that you identify aspects of the cultural tradition that we have talked about in your report. The Museum is a world onto its own and is quite large. So I suggest that you plan your visit beforehand by going to the Museum page. (( Written by: Parvaneh Pourshariati, Ph.D. Reviewed/revised by: Stephanie Boyle, Ph.D., Spring 2016