My primary teaching field is medieval and early modern Europe, with a specific emphasis on Iberian political, cultural, and religious history. Although I am trained as a Europeanist, Spain’s unique history also prompted me to secure a thorough knowledge of medieval Islamic historiography from the time of Muhammad until the fall of the Iberian Nasrid Kingdom of Granada in 1492. To enhance my expertise from a global perspective, I am prepared to teach elements of Chinese, Indian, and African medieval histories. My teaching experience, and my prior eight years of employment in the public sector, spurred me to embrace a teaching philosophy that emphasizes the development of each student’s intellectual curiosity, professional values, and communication skills. To capture the attention of students, I often place historical studies into dialogue with their personal life experiences and values. I find that challenging students to be reflective enables them to form more intensive and innovative lines of inquiry. Additionally, I explicitly state to students the necessity of developing strong writing, analytical, and speaking skills. Further, I express the importance of committing themselves to high standards of workmanship and personal ethics. Specifically, I emphasize to students that mastering these capabilities and adhering to these values are critical to their future advancement in their professional careers.
COURSE OFFERINGS
Upper-Division University History Courses
From Baghdad to Burgos:
Christians, Muslims, and Jews in the Medieval and Early Modern Mediterranean World
Course Description: In this advanced, upper-division course on medieval intercultural relations, students explore and discuss the intensive interaction of Jewish, Christian, and Islamic communities in Europe, North Africa, and the Holy Land. The course evaluates religious and cultural beliefs, economics and trade, political events and warfare, language and the arts, and intellectual and scientific issues. Students witness an Islamic caliph’s gift of an elephant to a Christian king, follow the flow of silk and sugar across the Mediterranean Sea, and watch a Jewish general lead an Islamic army into battle. Course participants also observe 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. In sum, the course highlights the numerous interconnectivities of the medieval/early modern Mediterranean world. (Offered: Fall 2008) View my syllabus.
Beyond the Pillars of Hercules:
The Trans-Atlantic Empires of Spain and Portugal (1492-1713)
Course Description: In 1516, Spanish Emperor Charles V proudly proclaimed the motto, “Plus Ultra”, to signal to the world that Spain intended to surpass the Roman Empire by going beyond the Pillars of Hercules (the Strait of Gibraltar). Unlike the Romans, who considered the strait to be the extent of the known world, Spain ventured across the Atlantic Ocean. In the process, they encountered the Americas and established a global empire. This upper division course investigates the Spanish and Portuguese kingdoms’ earliest encounters with the New World, the formation of colonial settlements and governments, and the bi-directional flow of people and goods. Additionally, the class focuses on the cultural and religious challenges that resulted from the secret migration of Jews to the Americas, as well as the intermixing of European and Native American populations. (Offered: Spring 2009) View my syllabus.
Transformations in Early Modern Europe (1400-1800)
Course Description: Over the course of five centuries, Europe experienced massive cultural, economic, intellectual, and scientific transformations. Alongside the birth of the Renaissance, religious and political wars raged across the continent and in people’s hearts. European dynastic empires stretched across the globe, thereby bringing Europeans into intensive engagement with other cultures. Within this cauldron of connectivity, economic activity and trade flourished, political values diversified, and art explored new forms. In this course, students explore the social and economic transformations generated from new manners of accumulating wealth and status. Likewise, the course participants study the revolution of personal identity and Europeans’ formulation of a vision of themselves as “individuals”. Students re-enact, using the Reacting to the Past pedagogy, crucial scientific and theological events such as the 17th century papal trial of Galileo Galilee that pitted new cosmologies against religious dogmatism. Lastly, course participants consider how Europeans and “others” perceived and interacted with one another. (Offered: Fall 2009) View my syllabus.
Medieval Islamic Civilization: Material Culture, Scientists, and Philosophy (600-1300).
Course Description: In this upper-division course, students investigate the essential intellectual and material culture achievements produced by the Umayyad, Abbasid, and Fatimid Caliphates. The course argues that when the Prophet Muhammad (c. 570-632) brought Islam to the Arabian Peninsula, he initiated an impressive transformation of human civilization that outpaced and outcompeted European communities in almost every tangible measure. Scientific methods and exploration proliferated, religious and political philosophies cut new paths, and the arts benefited from generous patronage. (Offered: Spring 2010) View my syllabus.
Lower-Division University History Courses
Introduction to Western Civilization I (Antiquity - 1500)
Course Description: In this historical survey, we will undertake the difficult process of answering the question, “What is ‘Western Civilization’ and why should we endeavor to study the topic?” The study of history is more than the accumulation of information about events, dates, and people – it is fundamentally about understanding who we are and how the past impacts and shapes our 21st century experiences. While Western Civilization is typically taught as the chronological progression of recorded history from the time of the Egyptians and Sumerians up until the birth of the United States of America, we will approach the topic from a substantially different perspective. While we will need to acquaint ourselves with key historical transitions – Antiquity (Sumeria, Egypt, Greek Civilizations), the Roman Era, the “Dark Ages” or Middle Ages (the formation of Christian Europe and the rise of Islam), and the Pre-Modern (the Age of Discovery) and Modern Eras– we will mostly focus our attention on key themes that resonate across time. We will discover what are the continuities and discontinuities that hold history “together.” Primarily, our task will be focused on repeatedly placing ourselves in the shoes of “others” and attempting to understand the world from their perspective. Thus, across time and for many cultural groups we will be asking: What were their religious, intellectual, and cultural values? How did they pursue economics and trade? What was their sense of politics and governance? How did they conceive of themselves as a group and how did they relate to “others”? Using these thematic lenses, we will compose a more meaningful understanding of Western Civilization, and perhaps, we might decide that it does not exist at all. Rather, we might end the semester with a more complex, fragmented, and rich understanding of how our past informs and shapes our 21st century lives. (Offered: Fall 2008, Fall 2009) View my syllabus.
Introduction to Western Civilization II (1500 - Modern Era)
Course Description: In this course we will study the history of “the West”, which is often ascribed to Europe and North America, from roughly the year 1500 until the present. This conception of “Western Civilization” is problematic because it implies that theses regions and their peoples existed and continue to exist as autonomous and disconnected entities from the rest of the world. More importantly, when Western Civilization interacts with other cultures and peoples in the world (“the globe”), the relationship between the two is viewed as unidirectional and one where only the West directs and influences the globe. In this class, we will study Western Civilization with a global approach and accept that information, ideas, values, beliefs, art, economics, and other issues flow back-and-forth among many cultural groups. In sum, we will utilize this course to investigate the major historical, cultural, scientific, and intellectual developments over the last 500 years. (Offered: Spring 2009, Spring 2010) View my syllabus.