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Common Errors in English Usage and More World Civ

Lecture 23: The Rise of Islam

(Duiker 182-194; Brians 210-217)

*Map Quiz on map 7.2 in Duiker, p. 190.

Questions about Duiker: What is the Ka’aba? What was Muhammad’s attitude toward Judaism and Christianity? Why is the significance of the Hegira to Medina in Muslim history? *What are the five pillars of Islam? *Compare the relationship of Muhammad to God in Islam with that of Jesus to God in traditional Christianity. What evidence supports the claim that Islam was not forced upon the people conquered by the Arabs? Why is Saladin famous?

Questions about the Qur’an: What quality of God is especially praised in “The Opening?” *What three duties are specifically given the believer at the end of the passage from “The Forenoon?” What does Sura 2 say is the fate of idol-worshippers? What blessings are promised the saved in Sura 38? *What restrictions are placed on polygamy in Sura 4? What defines “people of the book?” What are said to the be characteristics of good Jews? What aspects of traditional Christianity are accepted in the selection on p. 216? *What Christian belief is rejected? On what condition will God be merciful to those who fight against Muslims?

Lecture topics:
Muhammad
Founder of Islam
Contrast his role with Jesus’ in
Christianity
Teachings of Islam
The Five Pillars
Mecca & the Ka’aba
Ramadan
Women’s roles
Sequestration neither universal nor
particularly Islamic
Veiling not required, though modest
dress is
The Qur’an
Considered literally the word of God
Equal emphasis on Allah’s mercy and
authority
Importance of charity
Sunnis and Shi’ites
Major differences
Muslim art & architecture
Major features of mosques: Minbar, Mihrab
Abstraction in art
Persian miniatures

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Lecture 24: Muslim Culture

(Duiker 194-201; Brians 218-222)

Questions about Duiker: Describe slavery in the Islamic world. *What does the Qur’an have to say about proper dress for women? In what ways were women not treated as the equals of men? How well did the Muslims know the philosophy of ancient Greece during the period following the rise of the Arab empire? What fields of science and mathmatics were particularly developed by Muslims? Who was Ibn Sina? What is the theme of the poem by Rumi? What is Sufism? What is the Dome of the Rock? *What limitations were placed on art in Islam? What are the main kinds of traditional Islamic art?

 

Questions about the Sufi verse: *Which lines of Hafiz’ poem emphasize the shortness of life? What is at least one of the images that Rumi uses to express the idea that fasting is good for the soul? *What is the main message of “I was, on the day when the heavens were not?”

 

Question about Sa’di: What is the moral of this story?

 

Question about Nizami’s Layla and Majnun: In paragraph 5, Nizami writes “Layla was a lute, Majnun a viola.” Since these are common musical instruments, he means that the two of them belong together. Their love is being compared to harmonious music. *Choose another pair of metaphors (symbols) in paragraphs 6-8 and explain what they tell us about Layla and Majnun and their relationship. .

Lecture topics:
Muslim Science and Learning
Traditional Islamic education
Math, Astronomy, Medicine
Muslim culture
Poetry: Love, Mysticism
Nizami: Layla and Majnun
Painting: typical style, techniques, subjects
Sufism
Its expression in the arts

Supplementary materials:s

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Lecture 25: Muslim Spain & India

(Duiker 236-250; Brians 223-224)

Questions about Duiker: What are the main reasons suggested for the decline of Buddhism in India? *Describe the relationship between the Islamic rulers and the Hindu society they ruled. Which groups in India probably turned to the Muslim faith? *What are the major differences between Islam and Hinduism? What effect did the influence of Islam have on Hindu women?

Questions about Ibn Hazm: *Choose one of the lines and explain what it conveys about the poet’s feelings. What is one of the images which the woman in Ibn Hazm’s poem uses to depict her longing for the man she loves?

Question about Wallada: *What blessing does Wallada pray to come to her absent lover?

Lecture topics:
Muslim Spain
Literature
Science
Philosophy
Music in the Islamic World
Muslim conquest of India
Early contacts
Incursions in the Indus Delta
Northern India conquered in 13th century
The Kutub Minar
Babur, Founder of the Mughal Empire

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Lecture 26: Yuan & Ming Dynasties

(Duiker 275-278; Brians optional: 181-185, required: 186-189)

Questions about Duiker: *What people conquered China and founded the Yuan Dynasty? *What areas did they conquer besides China?

Question about The Secret History of the Mongols: What events does Chingis Khan interpret as showing that he is protected by Heaven? What in his experiences might have made Chingis Khan tough and ruthless in his later years?

Questions about The Travels of Marco Polo: *What aspects of Kubilai Khan’s court seem to have impressed Marco Polo the most? *What three marvels were represented by the Chinese invention of paper money?

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Lecture 29a: Early Japanese History

(Duiker 290-301; Brians 199-203; optional: 189-193)

 

Questions about Duiker: What country ruled Vietnam for a thousand years? What is the significance of the myth of Iazanagi and Izanami? *Why is Shotoku Taishi important in Japanese history? What aspects of the selections from the “Seventeen-Article-Constitution” stress obedience and hierarchy? *What are the main characteristics of Shinto?

Question about Japanese Creation Myth: How does this story reflect the sense of its creators that Japan is the most important place in the world?

Questions about The Tale of Genji: *How is it possible for Genji to make love with a woman whose identity he does not know? What characteristics do the selection from The Tale of Genji in Duiker on p. 307 and the one in your reader have in common?

Lecture notes:
Background
Geography & Agriculture
The Ainu
Jomon culture
Dates and major accomplishments
Chinese influence
Religion, law, language, arts
Shinto
Major themes, influence on architecture
Buddhism
Nara Period
Heian Era
Lady Murasaki: The Tale of Genji

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Lecture 33: Byzantium

(Duiker 201-208)

 

Questions about Duiker: *What was Justinian’s most important contribution to civilization? *What was the language of the later Byzantine Empire? *What was the relationship between church and state in Byzantium? *What is the importance of the windows in Hagia Sophia? *What sorts of entertainment were presented in the Hippodrome? What wonders did Liudprand of Cremona encounter at the court in Constantinople?

Lecture topics:
Dominance of Christianity
Constantine establishes the church
Byzantium
Splitting the Roman Empire
Persistence of pagan ways
Themes and techniques in Byzantine
art & architecture
The spread of Greek orthodoxy

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Lecture 34: The Early Middle Ages

(Duiker 314-323; Brians 237-241)

Questions about Duiker: How did a deacon prove that the Arians were wrong in their beliefs, according to the account of Gregory of Tours? *What was the ideal of the early Christian monks? What sort of ideal did Benedict’s rule create for monks? *What were the most important achievements of Charlemagne? *What did a vassal gain from his lord, and a lord from his vassal?

Question about “The Will of Wulfgyth:” *In what ways does this will illustrate the power of women in Anglo-Saxon society?

Question about The Song of Roland: Why does Roland try to destroy his sword? *With what gesture does he symbolize his feudal obedience to God?

Lecture topics:
The Fall of Rome & the Rise of
Christianity
Major figures
The Dark Ages: definition and causes
Monastic system: major influences
Charlemagne
Major accomplishments, influence on the arts
The Norman Invasion
Significance for English history
Feudal System
Basic structure and themes
Cult of the Saints
Quasi-polytheistic beliefs
Emphasis on the miraculous
Influence on art
The Romanesque Style
Basic characteristics

Supplementary Materials

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Lecture 35: The Crusades

(Duiker 192-193, 207-208, 336-338; Brians 242-245, 227-230)

Film: Timeline: The Crusades–October 2, 1187

Questions about Duiker: *What was the role of Alexius I in causing the crusades? *Why is Saladin famous? What role did Pope Urban II play in causing the crusades? *How did the Fourth Crusade damage the Byzantine Empire?

Questions about Usamah: What does Usamah think are the main virtues of the Franks? *What does he think are some of their faults? What is his opinion of Western medicine?

 

Question about Anna Comnena’s The Alexiad: *According to Anna, what were the main faults of the crusaders?

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Lecture 36: High Middle Ages, Part I

(Duiker 327-335; Brians 250-254)

 

Questions about Duiker: *What were the main obligations of serfs toward their lords? What was the staple of the peasant diet? What was their most common drink? *How were medieval cities governed? What were the functions of the craft guilds? *Give an example of the power of the Pope over secular rulers. *What was the function of the Holy Office? *What were the main characteristics of Romanesque churches?

 

Questions about The Inferno: *According to Virgil, what sort of sin is being punished in this passage? In what symbolic way are they punished?

Lecture topics:
The Catholic Church asserts its power
Importance of afterlife
Wealth & reaction (St. Francis)
Jeanne d’Arc: her significance
Rise of cities
Role of mercantilism
Italian communes
Dante: The Divine Comedy
The Black Death: immediate &
long-range impacts

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Lecture 37: High Middle Ages, Part II

(Duiker 336, 338-344; Brians 231-232, 258-265)

Questions about Duiker & Brians: *What are the main differences between Romanesque and Gothic cathedrals? *What were the main results of the Black Death? *Why is Joan of Arc famous?

Question about Hildegard of Bingen: *What are the main reasons that Hildegard is famous? *Explain the meaning of one of the images in Hildegard’s “Hymn to the Virgin.”

Question about “The Black Death:” *In what ways does the pious Jean de Venette feel that the plague years were actually better than those which followed?

Lecture topics:
Chivalry (Très riches heures du Duc de Berry)
Major themes
Influence on religion (Cult of Mary)
Hildegard of Bingen
Women at work (variety of occupations)
The Gothic Cathedrals
Major stylistic traits

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