GIS 280 CC: ISLAM'S GOLDEN AGE

We often consider the Liberal Arts to be a thoroughly “western” construct, with no thought to the role of other cultures in its development. This interdisciplinary course will explore the ways in which scholars, poets, scientists, and engineers from Islam’s Golden Age (ca. 800-1250 CE) helped to preserve knowledge from the classical world and make their own progress in STEM fields as well as philosophy, literature, and the arts, eventually transmitting this information to medieval Europe. Readings and discussions will uncover fascinating and unusual innovations, from pioneering cranial surgeries and astronomical observations, to the decimal system and the foundations of algebra, to the first ever robotic pleasure cruise, to the birth of the short story and the introduction of paper to Europe. Throughout the course, we will attempt to answer the following questions: how does postcolonial and Eurocentric bias skew our vision of Islam’s Golden Age, and Europe’s Dark Ages? How do we separate “East” and “West,” “Europe” and “the Islamic and worlds” during this time period? What role did Jewish scholars and scientists play in this pivotal era of innovation? How do the advances of Islam’s Golden Age influence the way we pursue our own Liberal Arts education today?