Courses for fall 2008 - spring
2009
HIS 2591. From Baghdad to Burgos: Islamic, Jewish, and Christian Perspectives of the Medieval and Early Modern Mediterranean World.
Course Syllabus
In this advanced course on inter-cultural, religious, and political relations, we will explore and discuss the intensive interaction of Jewish, Islamic, and Christian communities during the medieval and early modern periods. Together, we will: witness an Islamic caliph’s gift of an elephant to a Christian king, follow the flow of silk and sugar across the Mediterranean Sea, watch a Jewish general lead an Islamic army into battle, lament the tragic outcome of the “curious” medicine of the Franks, experience the three faiths’ rediscovery of Greek philosophy and science, and bear witness to the tragedies of religious intolerance. This course focuses on what the great Spanish historian Americo Castro referred to as “convivencia”, the co-existence of medieval and early modern Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
Our exploration begins with an investigation of the simultaneous development and formation of medieval European and Islamic civilizations (600-1100). After acquiring this essential historical context, we will begin the critical process of exploring two key and counter-balancing Competitive Landscapes—in the west, the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa, and in the east, the Holy Land and Byzantium. By studying these two Competitive Landscapes, we will acquire an analytical framework that will prepare us for investigating five dominant Spheres of Contact in the greater Mediterranean. These include: Egypt, Iberia and North Africa, the Holy Land and Byzantium, Sicily and the central Mediterranean, and Constantinople/Ottoman Turkey.
Spheres of Contact
The investigation of each Sphere of Contact will allow us to understand the manner in which these social groups interacted as well as assess their views of each other. We will study religious and cultural beliefs, economics and trade, political events and warfare, language and the arts, and intellectual and scientific issues. In sum, the course will highlight the numerous interconnectivities of the medieval/early modern Mediterranean world.
Subscribe to the iTunes U - Podcast
Clicking on the icon below will automatically launch iTunes on your computer and take you to the course podcast page. At this page, you can subscribe and download podcast.
LINKS TO SOME OF THE PRIMARY SOURCES USED IN THE COURSE:
Courses Under Development
“I Speak the Truth”: Medieval and Early Modern Europe as Heard through Primary Sources.
The Alchemy of Faiths: Conflict and Cooperation (“Convivencia”) in Medieval and Early Modern Spain.
HIS 2591. From Baghdad to Burgos: Islamic, Jewish, and Christian Perspectives of the Medieval and Early Modern Mediterranean World.
Course Syllabus
In this advanced course on inter-cultural, religious, and political relations, we will explore and discuss the intensive interaction of Jewish, Islamic, and Christian communities during the medieval and early modern periods. Together, we will: witness an Islamic caliph’s gift of an elephant to a Christian king, follow the flow of silk and sugar across the Mediterranean Sea, watch a Jewish general lead an Islamic army into battle, lament the tragic outcome of the “curious” medicine of the Franks, experience the three faiths’ rediscovery of Greek philosophy and science, and bear witness to the tragedies of religious intolerance. This course focuses on what the great Spanish historian Americo Castro referred to as “convivencia”, the co-existence of medieval and early modern Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
Our exploration begins with an investigation of the simultaneous development and formation of medieval European and Islamic civilizations (600-1100). After acquiring this essential historical context, we will begin the critical process of exploring two key and counter-balancing Competitive Landscapes—in the west, the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa, and in the east, the Holy Land and Byzantium. By studying these two Competitive Landscapes, we will acquire an analytical framework that will prepare us for investigating five dominant Spheres of Contact in the greater Mediterranean. These include: Egypt, Iberia and North Africa, the Holy Land and Byzantium, Sicily and the central Mediterranean, and Constantinople/Ottoman Turkey.
Spheres of Contact
The investigation of each Sphere of Contact will allow us to understand the manner in which these social groups interacted as well as assess their views of each other. We will study religious and cultural beliefs, economics and trade, political events and warfare, language and the arts, and intellectual and scientific issues. In sum, the course will highlight the numerous interconnectivities of the medieval/early modern Mediterranean world.
Subscribe to the iTunes U - Podcast
Clicking on the icon below will automatically launch iTunes on your computer and take you to the course podcast page. At this page, you can subscribe and download podcast.
LINKS TO SOME OF THE PRIMARY SOURCES USED IN THE COURSE:
| Main Link to Access the Internet Medieval Sourcebook |
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| Medieval Sourcebook:Einhard: Life of Charlemagne |
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| READ THIS ITEM: CONSTITUTION OF MEDINA (Via Wikisource) |
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| Supplemental info: Constitution of Medina (Via Islamic-World.net) |
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| Medieval-Jewish History Sourcebook: The Pact of Umar, 9th Century CE |
|
| Medieval Sourcebook:The Crusaders Journey to Constantinople |
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| Medieval Sourcebook: The Crusaders at Constantinople |
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| Medieval Sourcebook: The Siege and Capture of Nicea |
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| Medieval Sourcebook: The Siege and Capture of Antioch |
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| Medieval Sourcebook: The Siege and Capture of Jerusalem |
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| Medieval Sourcebook: William of Tyre |
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| Medieval Sourcebook: The Decline of Christian Power in the Holy Land, 1164 |
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| Medieval Sourcebook: Ernoul: The Battle of Hattin, 1187 |
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| Medieval Sourcebook: De Expugatione Terrae Sanctae per Saladinum: The Capture of Jerusalem by Saladin, 1187 |
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| Medieval Sourcebook:The Fourth Crusade 1204: Collected Sources |
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| Medieval Sourcebook: Robert de Clari: The Capture of Constantinople |
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| Medieval Sourcebook: Nicetas Choniates: The Sack of Constantinople (1204) |
|
|
Medieval Sourcebook: Pope
Innocent III: Reprimand of Papal
Legate |
Courses Under Development
“I Speak the Truth”: Medieval and Early Modern Europe as Heard through Primary Sources.
The Alchemy of Faiths: Conflict and Cooperation (“Convivencia”) in Medieval and Early Modern Spain.