NEHC

How did the Qur’an, Islam’s holy text, articulate what it meant to be a Muslim by constructing the confessional other? How did the social, cultural, and political context of the Qur’an’s interpreters influence their conceptions of gender or ethnicity? This course explores identities and identity formation in the Qur’an and its interpretation by asking how identity was articulated through the construction of the religious, ethnic, or gendered “other.” You will read English translations from the Qur’an, literature associated with its interpretation (exegesis tafsir, biography sira, sayings of the Prophet hadith, and “occasions of revelation” asbab al-nuzul), as well as relevant secondary literature. By the end of the course, you will be familiar with the structure and content of the Qur’an, its history as a text, the early Islamic community, and Qur’anic revelations’ relationship to other Abrahamic faiths (Christianity and Judaism). No prior knowledge of Middle Eastern history or languages is required, but if you have interests in the study of the Middle East, the Qur’an, or identity, you are strongly encouraged to incorporate your own experiences, research, or projects into the course.

This course will examine the concept and definition of empire and the practices of imperial control through a case study of Mesopotamia’s best-known empire, the Neo-Assyrian (first half of the 1st millennium BCE). At its peak, the Assyrians ruled a vast area covering most of modern Iraq and Syria, plus parts of Iran, Turkey and the Levant, with aspirations to control Egypt. The gradual expansion of this empire from late 2nd millennium BCE beginnings and its extremely rapid collapse in ca. 612 BCE provide an excellent example of the tensions within trajectories of empire. The course themes include warfare and political strategies, identity and ethnicity, imperial bureaucracy, and the practical and ideological purposes of infrastructure building. Evidence examined will include texts (in translation) and the archaeological record at various scales, from settlements through artworks. We will also examine paradoxes, such as the contrast between textual claims of hegemony and limited archaeological evidence for this, and the power of visual propaganda versus its select audience.

In usual historiography, Alexander’s campaigns from 336 to 323 BCE ushered in an age of intense cultural exchange between Hellenism and various eastern cultures that lasted until late antiquity. Applying the concept of the “Silk Road,” this course will explore cultural exchanges between the Greco-Roman world and the East from the 4th century BCE to the 3rd century CE as well as how contemporary East Asian media products represent this age. Primary sources originally written in Greek, Latin, Iranian, Babylonian, and Chinese will be read in English translations.

In usual historiography, Alexander’s campaigns from 336 to 323 BCE ushered in an age of intense cultural exchange between Hellenism and various eastern cultures that lasted until late antiquity. Applying the concept of the “Silk Road,” this course will explore cultural exchanges between the Greco-Roman world and the East from the 4th century BCE to the 3rd century CE as well as how contemporary East Asian media products represent this age. Primary sources originally written in Greek, Latin, Iranian, Babylonian, and Chinese will be read in English translations.

Prior knowledge of the Middle East not required. This course aims to facilitate a general understanding of some key factors that have shaped life in this region, with primary emphasis on modern conditions and their background, and to provide exposure to some of the region's rich cultural diversity. This course can serve as a basis for the further study of the history, politics, and civilizations of the Middle East.

This course covers the period from ca. 1750 to the present, focusing on Western military, economic, and ideological encroachment; the impact of such ideas as nationalism and liberalism; efforts at reform in the Islamic states; the emergence of the "modern" Middle East after World War I; the struggle for liberation from Western colonial and imperial control; the Middle Eastern states in the cold war era; and local and regional conflicts.

This course explores the content and literary features of the Qur’an and charts the historical development of Muslim communal engagement with its holy scripture. Beginning with its revelation in the early-seventh century CE, the Qur’an has been an object of interpretation and debate, culminating in the solidification of the exegetical tradition, or tafsīr, in the tenth through fourteenth centuries CE. The course begins with an in-depth investigation into the history and text of the Qur’an and is followed by a survey of tafsīr literature until modern times. By the end of the semester, students will understand: 1) The Qur’an’s core themes, arguments, and literary features

2) The historical context in which the Qur’an was first promulgated and codified

3) The relationship between the Qur’an and the preceding literary traditions of the ancient world, in particular the Bible, post-biblical Jewish and Christian writings, and Arabic poetry

4) Muslim utilization of the Qur’an towards intellectual, social, religious, legal, and political ends

5) The pre-modern and modern scholarly traditions of interpreting the Qur’an

6) The skills of close reading, argumentation, and academic writing

This course will explore the narrative history of Central Eurasia and the “Silk Roads” from rise of the nomadism up to the coming of modernity. It will discuss the peoples who lived there, the political entities that ruled, and the region’s role in the ancient, medieval and modern world. The course considers a wide range of topics in the context of the Silk Roads history, including nomadism; religions (such as Buddhism and Islam), languages, and ethnicities. It approaches Central Eurasia as a cohesive unit of historical inquiry while connecting to the Middle East, East Asia, Russia among other units surrounding it. In making sense of the past, provides insights into current issues such as Islam in China, terrorism, separatist movements, the construction of the “New Silk Roads,” and the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

This course covers the period from ca. 1700 to the present. It explores Muslim intellectuals’ engagement with tradition and modernity in the realms of religion, politics, literature, and law. We discuss debates concerning the role of religion in a modern society, perceptions of Europe and European influence, the challenges of maintaining religious and cultural authenticity, and Muslim views of nation-states and nationalism in the Middle East. We also give consideration to the modern developments of transnational jihadism and the Arab Spring. This course sequence meets the general education requirement in civilization studies.

The goal of this class is to get an overview of Hittite literature, as “defined” by the Hittites themselves, in the wider historical-cultural context of the Ancient Near East. Some of the most important questions we can ask ourselves in reading ancient texts are: why were they written down, why were they kept, for whom were they intended, and what do the answers to these questions (apart from the primary content of the texts themselves) tell us about — in our case — Hittite society?

The story of Abraham’s (near) sacrifice of his son, Isaac, found in Genesis 22:1-19, is one of the most influential and enduring stories in Western literature and art. It is part of the living tradition of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam and its meaning and implications have been repeatedly explored in the communities defined by these religions, and has, in turn, helped to shape the self-perception of those communities. This course will consider the multiple perspectives from which this story has been viewed and the multiple interpretations which this story has generated, starting with its earliest incorporation into the Hebrew Bible, moving to its role in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and concluding with its influence on modern works. No knowledge of Hebrew is required.