HIS 295-02 - Special Topic: God, Empire, and the Birth of the Medieval World

4 credits (Fall)

Defining what is “medieval” has long played a crucial role in defining what is “modern,” so when and how did “the medieval world” begin? In this class, spanning from roughly the third through the end of the ninth centuries, students will track the end of the ancient Roman and Sasanian empires, and the rise of monotheist successors, including Justinian’s Byzantium, Charlemagne’s Franks, and Harun al-Rashid’s Abbasid caliphate, among others.

Prerequisite: HIS 100 with grade S, C, or better, or 2nd year standing.
Instructor: Palmer