NES 1981

FWS: The Emergence and Articulation of Islam

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2019-2020.

The factors and influences that contributed to the early development of Islam are a topic of intense debate and continued speculation. Devoted to the question of Islamic origins, this course examines Islam from numerous vantage points across the vast and shifting religious landscape of the Near East. Through selections of primary sources and scholarly literature, we will encounter the Sabaeans and Himyarites of Yemen, the Christians of Byzantine Rome and Abyssinia, and the Jewish diaspora in Arabia. Scrutinizing our state of knowledge, we will think and write much about how nascent Islam may have been impacted by these and other communities. Assignments—several multi-draft analytical essays and a research paper—will focus on developing critical thinking and persuasive, clear arguments.

When Offered Spring.

Course Attribute (CU-ITL)
Satisfies Requirement First-Year Writing Seminar.

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