Muslim Civilizations: Religion and Empires

2024/2025

Academic Year

ENG

Instruction in English

3

ECTS credits

Delivered at:

Institute for Oriental and Classical Studies

Course type:

Compulsory course

When:

1 year, 1 module

Instructor

Volkov, Denis V.

Course Syllabus

Abstract

Islam has been one of the most important transformative forces in the world for the past almost 1500 years. Not only has it been one of the largest religions in human history, its political, cultural, and intellectual influences have been vast. Historically, the Islamic world has reached far beyond the Middle East, from Asia and the Indian Ocean to West Africa; and today its reach is truly global. This module examines the key developments of the Islamic world in their historical perspective. It explores the importance of Islam in creating states, in fostering trade, and in circulating ideas. The module therefore provides a key foundation in understanding the emergence of the modern, globalised world, which could not have occurred without these transformations. This course is supplemented by a Coursera 8-hour online course The Emergence of the Modern Middle East - Part I, see https://www.coursera.org/learn/modern-middle-east-1#about.

Learning Objectives

• The course will provide a history of the influences of Islam across the Middle East and Africa
• The course will introduce students to major developments in politics, empire, and culture in the Islamic world
• The course will expose students to major themes in world history
• The course will foster comparison between different regions of the world
• The course will introduce practices of critical analysis in seminars

Expected Learning Outcomes

• Awareness of the impact of the so-called Eastern and Persian questions on the contemporary Middle East.
• Awareness of the main political, social and economic processes.
• Awareness of the milestones of the Early Islamic State development.
• Awareness of the role of the Safavid State for contemporary Iran.
• Book review writing technique.
• Main trends and continuities identified in the case of the Ottoman Empire.
• Ознакомление с содержанием и методологией курса.

Course Contents

• Week 1 Seminar. Introduction to the course (how to write book reviews, essays and make oral presentations). Lecture 1. Introduction to Islam.
• Week 2 Seminar. Lecture 2. The Inception of Islam.
• Week 3 Seminar for Lecture 2. Lecture 3. The Early Islamic State and the Schism (632-750).
• Week 4 (book review due) Seminar for Lecture 3. Lecture 4. The Ottoman Empire.
• Week 5 Seminar for Lecture 4. Lecture 5. The Safavid Empire.
• Week 6 Seminar for Lecture 5. Lecture 6. The Qajar State.
• Week 7 (essay due) Seminar for Lecture 6. Recap and feedback on essays.

Assessment Elements

• Обзор книги
• Работа на семинарах
• Презентация

Interim Assessment

• 2024/2025 1st module
  0.4 * Обзор книги + 0.4 * Презентация + 0.2 * Работа на семинарах

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

• Lapidus, I. M. . (DE-588)124445977, (DE-576)294175717. (2014). A history of Islamic societies / Ira M. Lapidus. New York: Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edswao&AN=edswao.425657388
• RB. (2017). The Cambridge History of Islam (1977). Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.B6641E90
• The Cambridge History of Iran. (1968). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/chol9780521069359

Recommended Additional Bibliography

• Peacock, A. C. S., & Tor, D. G. (2015). Medieval Central Asia and the Persianate World : Iranian Tradition and Islamic Civilisation. I.B. Tauris.

Authors

• KHOMCHENKOVA VARVARA VALENTINOVNA
• VOLKOV DENIS VLADIMIROVICH