HIST2890: Early Islamic World 
Instructor:  Dr. Renée Worringer
e-mail: rworring@uoguelph.ca [2]

Method of Delivery: 

The class format will follow a BLENDED format: This course will have a mix of online lectures and in-class discussions, all delivered in a synchronous format. The in-person lectures and discussions will not be recorded for later viewing, so students are expected to attend all components.

Course Synopsis:  

Early Islamic World is an introductory survey of the themes, events, and issues that define pre-modern Islamic civilization, from its inception in Arabia as a minority religion among a small community of believers in the 7th century CE, to its development into a formidable political empire, and across continents and cultures to create a powerful if diverse world civilization that has endured.  This course will begin with the emergence of early Islamic society and the Muslim faith.  We will explore the challenges which arose as Islamic expansion and encounters with different peoples and traditions influenced the evolution of this far-reaching civilization.  Due to the constraints of time, subject matter in this course will proceed chronologically from this early Islamic era up to roughly the 15th century; other courses will examine later periods of Islamic history.

Methods of Evaluation and Weights:

20%        Midterm Exam    
10%        Topic abstract and list of sources for essay
10%        Discussion participation
25%        Review essay
35%        Final essay

Required Texts:

Vernon O. Egger, A History of the Muslim World to 1405: The Making of a Civilization (NJ: Pearson, 2004).
Reza Aslan, No God But God: the Origins, Development, and Future of Islam (NY: Random House, 2006).

**Please note:  This is a preliminary web course description only.  The department reserves the right to change without notice any information in this description.  The final, binding course outline will be distributed in the first class of the semester.**