This course is an advanced seminar in Comparative Semitics that critically discusses important secondary literature and linguistic methodologies concerning topics in the field, including topics in phonology, morphology, syntax, etc.
Prerequisites: Introduction to Comparative Semitics. Undergraduates require consent of instructor.
This course will examine important themes in late Ottoman history such as institutional reform, the development of consultative structures, taxation, capitulations, and nationalism.
Qualified undergrads may register with instructor consent
This two-quarter seminar focuses on the transformation of the Muslim Ottoman principality into an imperial entity--after the conquest of Constantinople in 1453--that laid claim to inheritance of Alexandrine, Roman/Byzantine, Mongol/Chinggisid, and Islamic models of Old World Empire at the dawn of the early modern era. Special attention is paid to the transformation of Ottoman imperialism in the reign of Sultan Süleyman the Lawgiver (1520-1566), who appeared to give the Empire its “classical” form. Topics include: the Mongol legacy; the reformulation of the relationship between political and religious institutions; mysticism and the creation of divine kingship; Muslim-Christian competition (with special reference to Spain and Italy) and the formation of early modernity; the articulation of bureaucratized hierarchy; and comparison of Muslim Ottoman, Iranian Safavid, and Christian European imperialisms. The first quarter comprises a chronological overview of major themes in Ottoman history, 1300-1600; the second quarter is divided between the examination of particular themes in comparative perspective (for example, the dissolution and recreation of religious institutions in Islamdom and Christendom) and student presentations of research for the seminar paper. In addition to seminar papers, students will be required to give an oral presentation on a designated primary or secondary source in the course of the seminar.
Upper level undergrads with consent only; reading knowledge of at least 1 European Language recommended
The course concerns the many ways Oriental Jews are represented in Israeli discourse: in academic writings, in history curricula, in Israeli novels and films, in ethnic museums and in political discourse. It will also discuss Mizrahi self-identities as manifested in protest movements, civil organizations, and political parties. The course will take a chronological path and will follow the changes that occurred in the discourse about ethnicity from the state`s early years until recent days.
The second quarter will be devoted to the preparation of a major research paper.
This course examines responses to the Mongol destruction of the Abbasid caliphate in 1258 and the background to formation of regional Muslim empires. Topics include the opening of confessional boundaries; Ibn Arabi, Ibn Taymiyya, and Ibn Khaldun; the development of alternative spiritualities, mysticism, and messianism in the fifteenth century; and transconfessionalism, antinomianism, and the articulation of sacral sovereignties in the sixteenth century. All work in English. This course is offered in alternate years.
Some knowledge of primary languages (i.e., Arabic, French, German, Greek, Latin, Persian, Spanish, Turkish) helpful.
NEHC 30019. Mesopotamian Law, LLSO 20019 SIGN 26002. Ancient Mesopotamia -- the home of the Sumerians, Babylonians, and Assyrians who wrote in cuneiform script on durable clay tablets -- was the locus of many of history's firsts. No development, however, may be as important as the formations of legal systems and legal principles revealed in contracts, trial records, and law collections (codes), among which The Laws of Hammurabi (r. 1792-1750 BC) stands as most important for understanding subsequent legal practice and thought of Mesopotamia's cultural heirs in the Middle East and Europe until today. This course will explore the rich source materials of the Laws and relevant judicial and administration documents (all in English translations) to investigate topics of legal, social, and economic practice including family formation and dissolution, crime and punishment (sympathetic or talionic eye for an eye, pecuniary, corporal), and procedure (contracts, trials, ordeals).
This course covers the period from ca. 950 to 1700. We survey works of literature, theology, philosophy, Sufism, politics, and history that were written in Arabic, Persian, and Turkish. We also consider the art, architecture, and music of the Islamicate traditions. Through primary texts, secondary sources, and lectures, we trace the cultural, social, religious, political, and institutional evolution through the period of the Fatimids, the Crusades, the Mongol invasions, and the “gunpowder empires” (Ottomans, Safavids, Mughals).
This sequence explores the thought and literature of the Islamic world from the coming of Islam in the seventh century C.E. through the development and spread of its civilization in the medieval period and into the modern world. Including historical framework to establish chronology and geography, the course focuses on key aspects of Islamic intellectual history: scripture, law, theology, philosophy, literature, mysticism, political thought, historical writing, and archaeology. In addition to lectures and secondary background readings, students read and discuss samples of key primary texts, with a view to exploring Islamic civilization in the direct voices of the people who participated in creating it. All readings are in English translation. No prior background in the subject is required. This course sequence meets the general education requirement in civilization studies.
NEHC 20601 (Islamic Thought and Lit–1) or NEHC 20501 (Islamic Hist and Soc–1). Partially fulfills Civilizational Studies requirement of the College.
This course covers the period from ca. 1100 to 1750, including the arrival of the Steppe Peoples (Turks and Mongols), the Mongol successor states, and the Mamluks of Egypt and Syria. We also study the foundation of the great Islamic regional empires of the Ottomans, Safavids, and Moghuls.
Taking these courses in sequence is recommended but not required. This sequence meets the general education requirement in civilization studies.
Is Islam a religion or a political ideology? What is sharīʿa and what is sharīʿa law? What do Muslims mean when they use terms like sharīʿa, fiqh and Islamic law? Does Islamic law represent a challenge to the authority of the nation-state? In this course, we will examine all of these issues and more.In this course, we will approach Islamic law from three main angles, jurisprudence, substantive law, and the judiciary. The substantive areas of Islamic law to be covered include the following: ritual worship, family and personal status law, criminal law, contract law, constitutional & international law. We will also be dealing with the challenges posed by the advent of modernity and colonialism to Muslims' understanding and practice of Islamic law. The course will combine readings in primary and secondary literature with case studies to illustrate the workings of Islamic law. The main textbooks will be Wael Hallaq's Introduction to Islamic Law and Knut Vikor's Between God and the Sultan: A History of Islamic Law. Supplemental readings will be provided from other works. Students will be required to write three 3-4 page response papers, take a midterm and a final exam. The final exam will comprise take home essay questions.
