HIS 256 History of Muslim Societies and Communities

3 hours 

The course provides an introduction to the development of Muslim societies globally, from the early Arabian Peninsula to the Muslim kingdoms of West Africa, from the Mughal empires in the Indian sub-continent to the Iranian Islamic revolution. The emphasis is on the historical movements of people, goods, ideas, art, technological inventions and scientific knowledge, and the ways these exchanges have and continue to shape society. The course will frame Islam within a diversity of cultures, civilizations, and social practices rather than a theology.