Professor Arnold Franklin HIS 311 Office: Powdermaker 352W Spring 2020 Phone: (718) 997-4597 Powdermaker 157 Email: [email protected] Mon & Wed 1:40-2:55 Office hours: Weds 10-12 and by appointment
Jewish Society in Islamic Lands, 632-1517
Course Description This course will explore the political, cultural and religious history of Jews in the Islamic world from the rise of Islam to the 16th century. Topics to be covered include the historical relationship between Judaism and Islam, the organization and structure of the Jewish community, and developments in Jewish law, philosophy, religious writing and literature. Particular attention will be given to points of contact between the two societies and the ways in which the Jewish experience was shaped by the surrounding Islamic environment.
Assigned Reading We will be using the following books in this course: Vernon O. Egger, A History of the Muslim World to 1405: The Making of a Civilization (Pearson, 2003). [ISBN: 978-0130983893]. Norman Stillman, The Jews of Arab Lands: A History and Source Book (Jewish Publication Society, 1998) [ISBN: 978-0827601987]. A course packet available for purchase at Queens Copy Center (65-01 Kissena Blvd at 65th Ave, just east of campus and beneath Gino’s restaurant).
Assignments and Percentages of Final Grade In order to pass you must satisfy all of the following course components: Attendance and Participation (10%). You are expected to arrive to class on time, having completed the assigned reading listed under that day’s heading and ready to participate in class discussions. Primary sources are to be brought to class on the day for which they are assigned; failure to do so will reduce your grade. Homework (20%). You are to complete ten (and only ten!) homework assignments. These can be submitted in one of two ways: by email, in which case they must be in my inbox by 10 pm the night before they are due; or in hardcopy, in which case they are to be typed and turned in at the end of class on the day they’re due. In either case, be sure to include the homework number for each assignment you turn in. While we may fall behind in lectures, these assignments are still due on the calendar date under which they’re listed. In other words, keep up with the reading! Midterm (20%). In-class exam on material from both readings and lectures. Assignment (20%). Details to be announced. Final (30%). Two-hour exam on material in the second half of the course.
Objectives and Learning Outcomes This course will introduce students to the process of cultural exchanges by way of a careful study of the interactions between Jewish and Islamic societies in the Middle Ages. Students will learn to identify such interactions and will develop ways of conceptualizing their significance. A question on the final exam will assess progress towards achieving this curricular goal.
Policies and Expectations Laptops, iPads and other electronic devices are not to be used during lecture.
On-time attendance and active participation in class are mandatory and constitute a significant component of your grade. During class please refrain from disruptive behavior such as talking to other students, text-messaging, etc.
Readings are to be completed before the date under which they are listed.
Queens College regards acts of academic dishonesty (e.g., plagiarism, cheating on examinations, obtaining unfair advantage, and falsification of records and official documents) as serious offenses against the values of intellectual honesty. The college is committed to enforcing the CUNY Policy on Academic Integrity and will pursue cases of academic dishonesty.
Planning Ahead If you’re having a problem completing an assignment you should let me know ahead of time. I am lenient about extensions arranged in advance; much less so about assignments turned in late.
And if you’re having trouble with the course, please come and see me before you jeopardize your grade. I’m here to help but I can’t do anything for you unless you take the initiative.
Schedule of Classes Class 1: Monday, January 27 Introduction
Class 2: Wednesday, January 29 The World of Late Antiquity Egger, 1-20 (on Blackboard under “Readings”)
Homework 1 The textbook discusses the significance of the Byzantine coastline. What body of water is it referring to, and why was it so valuable for the Empire? What religious issue became a focus of political dissent in the Byzantine Empire? What were the two main positions embraced by Christians in the Middle East? How was the population of the Sasanian Empire different from that of the Byzantine Empire? And what was the impact of that? What was the religious tradition of most of the Arabs in the pre-Islamic period? What other religions were present in Arabia?
Class 3: Monday, February 3 Muhammad and his Message Egger, 20-31 (on Blackboard under “Readings”) Stillman, 3-21 (on Blackboard under “Readings”) The Flood Story (course packet, 1-4; on Blackboard under “Readings”)
Homework 2 What is hadith and why is it important? In what year did Muhammad and his followers move from Mecca to Medina, and what prompted that move? Where and for what reasons did relations between Muhammad and the Jews deteriorate?
Class 4: Wednesday, February 5 New Approaches and their Implications Patricia Crone, “What Do We Actually Know about Mohammed” (course packet, 14-21)
Class 5: Monday, February 10 Jewish Reactions to the Conquests Egger, 44-54 Stillman, 22-29, 152-155 “The Prayer of Rabbi Simon” (course packet, 22-24)
Homework 3 Explain the difference between the titles khalifat rasul Allah and khalifat Allah? Identify two functions served by the garrison towns established by ‘Umar. What changes did ‘Abd al-Malik introduce? And why were they significant?
Wednesday, February 12 – College Closed
Monday, February 17 – College Closed
Class 6: Wednesday, February 19 Dhimmi Status and the Pact of Umar Egger, 54-60 Stillman, 157-161 Mark Cohen, “Islamic Policy toward Jews” (Blackboard)
Homework 4 What was the cause of the Umayyads’ financial problems? Why didn’t the garrison cities succeed in segregating the populations? Umar II’s reforms would have replaced the social distinction between Arab and non-Arab with what alternative form of social distinction? How?
Class 7: Monday, February 24 The Abbasid Empire Egger, 62-84 Stillman, 30-39
Homework 5 How did ‘Uthman alienate the old Muslim guard? What are the two large factions that made up the opposition to ‘Ali? What were their respective positions/concerns? How did Karbala set the stage for the ‘Abbasid revolution?
Class 8: Wednesday, February 26 Jewish Culture in an Arabic Context Barnavi, “In the Abbasid Empire” (on Blackboard under “Readings”)
Homework 6 What were the responsibilities of the gaon? Identify the two institutions that the Babylonian geonim (plural of gaon) competed with and eventually overcame. Identify the two disputes that the gaon Saadiah ben Joseph was involved in.
Class 9: Monday, March 2 Jewish Leadership Egger, 114-122, 219-223 Stillman, 171-179, 181-182 Barnavi, “The Period of the Geonim” (on Blackboard under “Readings”)
Homework 7 On what legal sources did qadis initially rely when issuing rulings? Who were the ulama, when did they appear, and how did they change the legal system that was in place? What is a madrasa? When did the institution emerge, and how was it financially supported?
Class 10: Wednesday, March 4 A Radical Traditionalist: Saadiah ben Joseph Selections from The Book of Beliefs and Opinions (course packet, 55-60)
Monday, March 9 – Class Canceled
Class 11: Wednesday, March 11 Karaite Challenge and Rabbanite Response Daniel Lasker, “Karaism” (Blackboard) Selections from Salmon ben Yeruham (course packet, 52) Letter of Sahl ben Masliah (course packet, 53)
Class 12: Monday, March 16 **In-Class Midterm**
Class 13: Wednesday, March 18 Muslim Spain and Hebrew Poetry Egger, 85-93, 98-112 Stillman, 40-63, 183-185, 210-213
Homework 8 Why were the Turks an important asset in the Abbasid army? Why were they a liability? What is significant about the Samanid dynasty in Bukhara? What step did ‘Abd al-Rahman III take in 929?
Class 14: Monday, March 23 Judah Halevi Masha Yitzhaki, “Arabic Ars Poetica” (Blackboard) Barnavi, “Men of Letters in Medieval Spain” (Blackboard) Selections of Poetry (course packet, 61-72)
Class 15: Wednesday, March 25 Philosophy Egger 199-204 Stillman, 226-228 Herbert Davidson, “The Study of Philosophy as a Religious Obligation” (course packet, 97-105)
Homework 9 According to Davidson, why did medieval scholars feel it was a religious duty to study philosophy?
Class 16: Monday, March 30 Moses Maimonides Excerpts from the Guide of the Perplexed (course packet, 108-11)
Class 17: Wednesday, April 1 Guest Lecture with Professor Elissa Bemporad, location TBA
Class 18: Monday, April 6 Opposition to Philosophy Al-Ghazali, excerpts (course packet, 112) Judah Halevi, Kuzari, excerpts (course packet, 113)
Class 19: Tuesday, April 7 Daily Life Marina Rustow, “The Cairo Geniza” (on Blackboard)
Homework 10 Explain the difference between the literary texts and the documents from the Cairo Geniza. What period is best illuminated by the Geniza records? Why is that (the time period covered) fortunate for historians?
Wednesday, April 8 – Spring Break
Monday, April 13 – Spring Break
Wednesday, April 15 – Spring Break
Class 20: Monday, April 20 Economic Life Mark Cohen, Maimonides and the Merchants (on Blackboard)
Homework 11 What was early Islam’s attitude towards commercial activity? What new challenges did the “commercial revolution” pose for Jewish law? Explain what a suftaja is and how its acceptance as valid in Jewish courts reflects the efforts of the geonim to “update” Talmudic law.
Class 21: Wednesday, April 22 Women and Gender Eve Krakowski, Coming of Age in Medieval Egypt (on Blackboard)
Homework 12 According to Krakowski, what unexpected information do medieval sources reveal about girls’ premarital sexual activity? Male efforts to control women’s mobility are most commonly found in what sorts of documents? According to Krakowski, what would have motivated Ester to seclude herself without her husband compelling her to do so?
Class 22: Monday, April 27 Jewish Mysticism Paul Fenton, “Judaism and Sufism” (on Blackboard)
Class 22: Wednesday, April 29 Persecution and Polemic Mark R. Cohen, “Persecution, Response, and Collective Memory” (on Blackboard) Poem of Abu Ishaq of Elvira (course packet, 73-4)
Class 24: Monday, May 4 History and Politics Mark Cohen, Under Crescent and Cross, chapter 1 (on Blackboard)
Homework 13 Who “invented” the view that Jews and Muslims lived harmoniously in the Middle Ages? Why did those historians adopt that view? What circumstances led to the spread of the opposite view?
Class 25: Wednesday, May 6 Screening of “Jews and Muslims: Intimate Strangers”
Class 26: Monday, May 11 Screening of “Jews and Muslims: Intimate Strangers”
Class 27: Wednesday, May 13 Conclusion
Final Exam: Wednesday, May 20 at 1:45 PM