Islam is one of the most important members of the family of world religions with 1.8 billion adherents. This course allows students to explore Islam as a civilization, its historical development, challenging common, and, at times, distorted, vision of Islam in the West through a close look at and analysis of the genesis, precepts, and history of Islam, with a particular focus on modern debates concerning Muslim civilization. Topics of learning and discussion include the emergence and expansion of Muslim civilization, the history of Islam with its manifestations across time and space, Islamic sciences or scientific discoveries and inventions of Muslim scientists, derivations, development and transmissions of Islamic sciences, fundamental beliefs and practices of Muslims, and their influence in defining Muslim civilization, the transformations of aspects of Muslim civilization with the impact of modernization, colonialism, and globalization.
