Cross and the Crescent

Catalog description

This course traces the history of Christian-Muslim relations over the last fourteen centuries, from the rise of Islam in the early AD 7th century to the confrontations between Islamists and the secular West in the AD 21st century. The course surveys several primary and key secondary texts for understanding Islam and the varied relations between Islamic- and Christian-oriented societies over time. Topics examined in greater detail include Muhammad and the beginnings and rise of Islam, Jesus and other Biblical figures in the Qur'an (Koran), cooperation and competition during the Middle Ages, the Crusades, and modern radical elements in Islam and Christianity.