Course Description
A special issue or topic not otherwise offered in the history
curriculum. Topics, methodology, and instructors will vary from
semester to semester. Representative topics include: "Tribes
and States in the Pre-Modern Middle East" and "Marriage and the
Family in Medieval Islam."
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Graduate students will undertake research under the direction of
the instructor. They will be expected to identify a major topic
of historiographical debate, familiarize themselves with the
principal contributions to the debate, and, where possible, read
the relevant primary sources so that they can reach an
independent judgment. They will then write a substantive paper
detailing their findings.
Athena Title
Middle East History Pre-1600
Prerequisite
HIST 2701 or HIST 2701H or HIST 2702 or HIST 2702H or HIST 3330 or HIST 3561 or HIST 3561E or HIST 3562 or HIST 3564 or HIST 3580
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student Learning Outcomes
- By the end of this course, students will be able to arrive at conclusions about specific topics in the pre-modern Middle East by gathering and weighing evidence, logical argument, and listening to counter argument.
- By the end of this course, students will be able to write stylistically appropriate papers and essays. Students will be able to analyze ideas and evidence, organize their thoughts, and revise and edit their finished essays.
- By the end of this course, students will be able to identify how the history of the pre-modern Middle East has shaped social and cultural identities and attitudes toward class, religion, and gender, encouraging them to understand diverse worldviews and experiences.
- By the end of this course, students will be able to apply appropriate methodological approaches to their analysis of primary sources and to organize their evidence to show historical continuities and discontinuities.
- By the end of this course, students will be able to generate their own research question or topic, locate suitable primary and secondary sources, and synthesize their ideas in novel ways.
- By the end of this course, students will be able to initiate, manage, complete, and evaluate their independent research projects in stages and to give and receive constructive feedback through the peer review process.
Topical Outline
- Will vary from instructor to instructor and from topic to topic.
Sample outline on "Marriage and the Family in Medieval Islam" Marriage Idealized:
- The Quran and Prophet's Example
- Byzantine and Jewish Influences
- Marriage and the Legal Rights of Husbands and Wives
- Divorce, Maintainance, and the Custody of Children
- Concepts of Adulthood and Childhood
- The Family as an Economic Unit
- The Extended Family: Slaves, Eunuchs, Concubines, and Clients
- The Politic Family: Dynasties and Dynastic Ideology
Institutional Competencies
Analytical Thinking
The ability to reason, interpret, analyze, and solve problems from a wide array of authentic contexts.
Communication
The ability to effectively develop, express, and exchange ideas in written, oral, interpersonal, or visual form.
Critical Thinking
The ability to pursue and comprehensively evaluate information before accepting or establishing a conclusion, decision, or action.
