Islam and the West

6 credits · Undergraduate

(3 hrs Lecture) This course examines the political, social, and cultural relations between the European and Islamic worlds from the seventh century to the present. Unlike many other non-Western societies, Islam developed in close and mutual contact with European Christendom. This relationship is discussed through several themes, including the transmission of scientific knowledge, the changing balance of military and economic power that paved the way for European empires to rise to world dominance, and the formation and legacy of cultural stereotypes on both sides.