Christians under Islamic Rule

The objective of the course is to provide an in-depth introduction to the history of Christian communities under Islamic rule from the time of the Prophet Muhammad to the end of the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century.

In its first part, the course examines the early history of Christians under Islamic rule from the eve of Islam to the end of the second Muslim century. It sheds light on teachings about Christians in the Quran and Islamic law and surveys the earliest Christian theological responses to the rise of Islam.

The second part of the course explores the history of Christianity under Islamic rule in the post-formative period of Islam. It studies the diversity of Christian communities in the Islamic world, their religious practices and theological writings, their contributions to the development of Arabic philosophy, and their relations with Muslim rulers.

The third part traces the history of Christian life under Islamic rule from the early modern period to the end of the Ottoman Empire. It pays special attention to the situation of major churches in the Middle East during this period and their interaction with European and American missionaries.

The student has by the end of the course gained the following learning outcome defined in knowledge, skills, and general competence:

Knowledge:

The student

• has an advanced general knowledge about the religions of Islam and Christianity
• has an in-depth knowledge about Christianity under Islamic rule and Christian-Muslims relations
• has a general knowledge about current debates in the academic study of Christianity under Islamic rule and Christian-Muslim relations.

Skills:

The student

• has the ability to analyse and explain complex religious concepts and phenomena
• has the ability to read primary and secondary literature about religious topics critically, summarize it, and evaluate its argumentative structure
• has the ability to explain and apply important methodological and theoretical approaches in the study of religions
• has the ability to make reasoned and structured statements about religious topics in writing in accordance with the relevant rules for academic writing
• has the ability to make clear and informed statements about religious topics in classroom discussions.

General competence:

The student

• has the ability to work with larger amounts of written material within a limited time period, to synthesize it, and to present it clearly orally and in writing
• has the ability to draw reasoned conclusions about newly introduced topics
• has the ability to explain and apply complex theoretical and methodological approaches.