Department History
Department of Asian
Languages and Literatures
The
following courses are taught by the Department of History and the Department of
Asian Languages and Literatures
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Fall 2009 |
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Ancient
Iran |
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The Cultures of the Silk Road |
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Ancient Persia played a vital role in the
development of the cultures of the eastern Mediterranean Sea. In the north,
while fighting the Greeks, Persia contributed to the rise of a number of
intellectuals in the region of present-day southwestern Turkey. In the south,
for two hundred and ten years Persia expanded Egyptian trade as far as India.
In the center, Persia empowered the Phoenicians to control the Mediterranean
Sea routes all the way to Gibraltar. The course studies these developments in
the context of the growth of the empires of the Achaemenians and the
Sassanians.
The Islamic World has played a fundamental
role in the transfer of the knowledge of the ancients, especially the thought
of Plato and Aristotle, to the West. This course exams ancient western thought
and traces its further development in the works of medieval scholars like
Avicenna, Ibn Rushd, and St. Aquinas. The course shows why the eastern and
western scholars' treatment of philosophy has resulted in the divide that
plagues the Muslim world and the West, including the United States, today. The
course ends with an examination of the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood,
the Taliban, and the Al-Qaeda in the context of the dynamics of early medieval
thought and the more recent western colonialism.
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This course begins with an in-depth
discussion of Central Asian culture in the context of the region's ancient
religions: Zoroastrianism and Islam. That discussion is followed by an
examination of the clash of new ideologies, Communism and Democracy, with the
traditional tribal mores of the region, leading to repeated ethnic, social, and
political strife. The third part of the course examines the roots of conflict
in Central Asia through the contributions of major Central Asian authors like
Chingiz Aitmatov.
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This course examines the works of medieval Persian poets (Rudaki, Umar
Khayyam, Rumi, Firdowsi, Hafiz, and others) as well as those of contemporary
poets (Nima Yushij, Parvin E'tesami, Forugh Farrukhzad, Khosrow Golsorkhi, and
others). The medieval period deals with two major traditions: court poetry,
where the poet places his pen at the service of whimsical kings and mystical or
Sufic poetry, where the poet turns his attention away from royalty and
concentrates his efforts on becoming united with the Almighty. The last few
weeks of the course are devoted to an appreciation of contemporary or
"new" Persian poetry, an outgrowth of a union between Western and
eastern (Persian) poetic traditions. Distancing himself or herself from the
court and the Almighty, the poet ponders contemporary social problems and,
through this effective and vibrant medium, shares his feelings with his
audience.
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Prose fiction was
introduced to Iranian society in the early 1920s by Iranian intellectuals
returning from Europe. In the beginning it had a difficulty finding a place in
Persian literature, but finally it found a niche. Spearheaded by Muhammad Ali
Jamalzadeh and promoted by Sadeq Hedayat, prose fiction became Iran's most
prominent vehicle for self expression. Young authors, first in the urban
centers and later in the countryside, used this vehicle for familiarizing their
countrymen with the new world realities. Through the development of Persian
fiction In the context of Iran's ancient heritage, students become acquainted
with both the internal and external forces that bind contemporary Iranian
society to world civilization. The works of Jamalzadeh ("Persian Is
Sugar"), Hedayat ("The Blind Owl, The Stray Dog"), Al-i Ahmad
("The China Vase, Fascinated by the West"), Behrangi ("The
Little Black Fish"), and others are analyzed and discussed.
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Russia and Central Asia |
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The consequences of the rise of the Mongols
(13th century) and their creation of one of the largest empires in the world
are as important today as they were during the medieval times. These
relationsis become even more noteworthy, when it comes to an understanding of
the role of Russia in the affairs of present-day Central Asia. Before the
October Revolution, Russia dominated the political affairs of Bukhara, Khiva,
and Kokand. After the Revolution, the situation changed. The European Soviets
involved themselves in the economic affairs of the republics, employing the
native Central Asians for the menial tasks. As a result today, the Muslim
republics of the former Soviet Union find themselves even more in need of
military, economic and technological assistance. The course examines the
genesis and development of Russian-Central Asian relations as these relations
are perceived by the people of the region.
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Islam and Communism |
"Islam and Communism" deals with the development of medieval
Islamic culture in Transoxiana fromthe Arab invasion of the 8th century to the
present. The course begins with a
discussion of the rise of Islam and its expansion into Iran, Afghanistan, and
Central Asia, pointing out similarities and differences that result from the
subsequent cross-cultural developments between Islam and the region's ancient
Zoroastrian heritage. In this context, the principles, tenets, and beliefs of
Islam, including the pillars of the faith, the Shi'i/Sunni dichotomy, and the
Islamic schools of law are examined
In the 1920s,
Communism, an ideology originally devised for the proletariat of Europe, was
imposed on the peoples of Central Asia. This imposition created a clash between
the atheistic views of the Communists and the Islamic faith of the indigenous
population. The course examines the roots of western democracy leading to
capitalism and socialism and examines the Soviets' attempt at dismantling the
Islamic Shari'a law. The course ends with an assessment of the Muslim Central
Asians' response to Soviet efforts at destroying the fundamentals of their
faith