Andrew Shiva / Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 4.0 INTRODUCTION TO ARAB AND ISLAMIC CIVILIZATIONS ARAB 1011 SYLLABUS Professor: Levi Thompson (thth5388@colorado.edu ) Classroom: HUMN 135 Class Schedule: MWF 2:00 – 2:50PM Office location and hours: Woodbury 306 – Mondays 10:00AM-12:00PM **If you are unable to meet with me during scheduled office hours, please e-mail me to set up an alternative time.** Course Description: This course provides an interdisciplinary overview of the cultures of the Arabic- speaking peoples of Southwest Asia and North Africa from the rise of Islam in the seventh century to the present. Readings include historical, religious, literary, and cultural texts from both the premodern and modern eras. Course taught in English. **This course has been approved for the A & S Core Curriculum requirement for Human Diversity** By the end of the course, students will be able to:  Name and describe key terms and understand some of the political, religious, and wider cultural context of Arab and Islamic civilization.  Critically evaluate religious, literary, historical, and other texts from and about Arab and Islamic civilization.  Write short, critical analysis of course materials and present them orally.  Demonstrate their knowledge of course materials in written evaluations (a midterm and a final). Required Texts*:  Daniel Brown, A New Introduction to Islam , 3 rd Edition (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Blackwell, 2017) – E-book: $35.99 / Paperback: $44.95  Articles, book chapters, other readings on Canvas. * A note on the required text: you should buy the book at the bookstore or order it online from your preferred retailer ASAP. You may use either the paperback or the digital E-book. ***If the prices will prohibit you from being able to acquire the book, please come see me so we can work out an alternative. I will be happy to assist students so that financial concerns will not bar anyone’s participation in the course.*** Grade Breakdown:  Attendance and active, thoughtful participation: 20%  Map quiz: 10%  Weekly discussion board posts: 15%  Midterm: 25%  Final exam: 30%