| 1. |
Focus Question:What
common elements united Islam and what forces pulled it apart? |
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What was the nature of centralized caliphal power by the mid-tenth
century? What elements were stressed by Sufism? After the tenth
century, which language became most dominant in the Islamic world?
How was the madrasadifferent from European universities? In
what sense was Islam an orthopraxy rather than an orthodoxy? What
factors tended to narrow the scope for creative doctrinal change?
Why did the ulama become increasingly conservative? What elements
did Sufism stress? What were the "contributions" of the Sufi orders?
When did the Shi'ite traditions crystallize? What prevented a united
Shi'ism? What areas developed a substantial Shi'ite populace?
The "Seveners" and the "Twelvers" were parts of which Islamic sect?
How did they differ? Which group became the more dominant?
Where did strong Shi'ite states develop? In which modern country
is Shi'ite thought strongest? |
| 2. |
Focus Question: How
did "regional" Islamic kingdoms in Egypt and the Eastern Mediterranean
reflect the divisions within Islam? |
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What was the most important center of Islamic Spain?
According to Maimonides, when is a man's conversion to Islam not legally
valid? How did the Almoravids treat the Mozarabs and Moorish Jews?
What cultural innovations were introduced into Spain under the Almohads?
When and where did the Fatimids rule? What claim did they make about
their descent from the prophet? What two splinter groups stem from
the Fatimids? How were Christians and Jews generally treated by the
Fatimids? Who defeated the Fatimids, when? In 1260, the Mamluk's
blocked the expansion of what empire? From whom did the Mamluk sultans
descend? On what system was the Mamluk state based? What
was the only true empire to occupy the central Islamic lands between the
time of the early Abbasids and the later Ottomans? What was the most
magnificent bequest to posterity of the Mamluks? After 1517, within
whose empire did the Mamluks rule? |
| 3. |
Focus Question: What developments
in the Islamic East mark a shift in military power? What is
the fate of Islam in this area? |
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What two dynasties were the major eastern usurpers of the previously
unified Abbasid dynasty? For what are the Ghaznavids most notable?
What was the first major Turkish dynasty of Islam? How were they
greeted by the caliphate when they took Baghdad in 1055? When were
the Saljuqs replaced in Anatolia (Asia Minor) and by whom? Who was
the most notable figure of Saljuq rule? For what is Umar Khayyam
most famous in the West? Into how many parts was the empire of Genghis
Khan divided after his death? The Mongols destroyed which great Islamic
city in 1258? How many people were killed and why were the Christians
spared? What alliance helped the Mamluks turn back the Mongols?
What was Tamerlane's one contribution to civilization? What was the
impact of his conquests? Why was this the last great steppe horsemen's
empire? Who ruled after Tamerlane and with what people did they contest
for power? |
| 4. |
Focus Question: What was the nature of Muslim-Hindu Relations in India? How and when did Islam spread to Southeast Asia? |
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What three areas beyond the heartlands became major spheres of Islam between 1000 and 1500? How could the interaction of Muslim and Hindu peoples be described? When did the first Arab conquerers appear in India and how did they treat the native Hindus? What was the chief object to Islamic expansion in India? Which group was the first Turkish-Afghan rulers of Northern India? How "effective" was the control of the Delhi Sultanate over its provincial governors? How did Islam arrive in the areas of Southeast Asia? What encouraged rulers to adopt a more stringent version of Islam? How did Muslims relate to the ideas of Islam as practiced in the Islamic heartlands? What was the nature of Urdu-Hindi? How were they similar and how did they differ? |