Age of Sultans 1100-1500

Catalog description

In this course, we will examine the social and political history of the Islamic Middle East in its medieval centuries, from the coming of the Saljuq Turks to the rise of the Ottoman and Safavid Empires. Special topics include: the Eleventh-Century Transformation; Crusades and Jihads, the Mamluk Institution; Knowledge and Power; The Mongol Invasions; Timur and His Legacy; Gunpowder Empires. This course requires basic prior knowledge of Islam and the Middle East, such as prior enrollment in MELC 0002 or equivalent. Note that undergraduates must register for the course as MELC 3410 ; graduate students must register for the course as MELC 6410. Undergraduates are not permitted to register under the graduate number.