HIS 101: ISLAMIC CIVILIZATION AND

MEDIEVAL EUROPE

Alfaisal University/Department of Humanities and

Social Sciences
Spring 2015
*
Joseph Richard Preville, Ph.D.
Contact Information:
jpreville@alfaisal.edu
SG-14/Ext. #7872
Course Description: HIS 100 is a thematic survey course
on the History of Medieval Islam. This course will
introduce students to the outstanding highlights of
Islamic civilization in the Middle Ages in art, science,
education, philosophy, literature, architecture,
technology, sociology, and many other fields.
Course Objective: HIS 100 will help students to
understand the indelible imprint Muslims left on the
world through the knowledge revolution they sparked
in the Middle Ages.
Textbook: Salim T. S. Al-Hassani, 1001 Inventions: The
Enduring Legacy of Muslim Civilization (National
Geographic Society, 2012, Third Edition). Available
from Jarir Bookstore, Riyadh.
Films: “Empire of Faith, Part 2” (PBS)
“An Islamic History of Europe” (BBC)
Class Times and Classroom:
Sundays: 4:00-5:30/S1.004 – S2.003
Mondays: 4:00-5:30/B1.027- B2.022
Assessment:
 Participation: 10%
 Assignments: 10%
 Mid-Term: 20%
  Research Paper/Presentation: 30%
 Final Exam: 30%

WEEKLY SCHEDULE BY TOPIC

Week 1 January 25-29

Overview of the Course
Week 2 February 1-5
Universities and the House of Wisdom
Week 3 February 8-12
Paper and Islamic Civilization
Week 4 February 15-19
Geniuses of Math and Science
Week 5 February 22-26
Art and Architecture
Week 6 March 1-5
MID-TERM TEST
Week 7 March 8-12
The Glory of Cordoba, Andalusia
Week 8 March 15-19
Travelers and Explorers
*
March 22-26 Spring Break
Week 9 March 29-April 2
Giants of Medicine
Week 10 April 5-9
Ibn Khaldun and Social Science
Week 11 April 12-16
Literature of the Golden Age
Week 12 April 19-23
Religious/Cultural Coexistence
Week 13 April 26-30
Lessons of Medieval Islam
Week 14 May 3-7
Why Medieval Islam Matters Today
Week 15 May 10-14
Class Presentations/Research Papers
Due
Week 16 May 17-21
 Last Week of Classes: Review
*
Exam Week: May 24-28

Important Dates:
February 8: Last day to register or to add classes.
February 22: Last day to drop classes (with no grade
reported on transcript)

____________________________________________

Alfaisal University Grading Scale

 Alfaisal University Grading Scale
Numeric
Grade Equivalent
Value
95 - 100 A
90 - 94 A-
86 - 89 B+
83 - 85 B
80 - 82 B-
76 - 79 C+
73 - 75 C
70 - 72 C-
66 - 69 D+
60 - 65 D

Student Absence Policy

You are allowed to miss a maximum of 15% of the class

time without automatically failing the class; this 15% is
to accommodate for the medical emergencies* and
cases of bereavement of immediate family.** Only in
these cases will you be allowed to make up missed class
work or missed exams. For any other absences, you will
not be allowed to make up missed class work nor to
take the missed exams.
*Medical emergency counts for only verifiable
communicable disease and unforeseen, beyond the
student’s control, hospitalization. It needs to be
documented by the hospital (not a clinic) and will be
verified.
**Bereavement document from the Ministry of Health
will be required in case of a death in your immediate
family (parents, grandparents, siblings and children).
You will be excused for three days.

Homework, Late Work, Quizzes and Exams:

Late assignments will not be accepted. Homework must
be completed on the day it is due to receive credit.
There is no provision for make-up assignments,
midterm or final assessment.

Academic Dishonesty:
All members of the Alfaisal University academic
community are expected to maintain complete honesty
and trust in their academic experiences, both in and out
of the classroom. It is the responsibility of the student
to maintain academic integrity at all times and to seek
assistance from the instructor when uncertain. Students
who engage in activities which misrepresent their
academic work through plagiarism or cheating will be
subject to penalties that are assessed by their
instructors or other designated officials.

Plagiarism is the unacknowledged use of another

person’s work, in the form of original ideas, strategies,
and research as well as another person’s writing, in the
form of sentences, phrases, and innovative terminology
(Spatt, B., 1983, Writing from Sources).

What does plagiarism include?

 This includes e-plagiarism when you take
comments, ideas and text from a blog or a website
and submit it as your own online or in a written
assignment.
 Automatic translation from Arabic into English is
also plagiarism. Translating an article from one
language and using it as your own is also
plagiarism.

Cell Phone Policy:

There is a no cell phone policy in force for this class.
Cell phones are to be turned off and put away during
class. On breaks cell phones are allowed. Breaking of
this rule will first result in a verbal warning, then either
removal of the phone or the student from class. If the
student is asked to leave the class because of this policy
they will be marked absent for that class day.