Introduction

This course is designed to be a self-study, online course for those interested in learning about Islam. The course takes a long perspecitive from the outset of Islam to its current manifestation in world affairs. It begins with the origins of Islam and its leader, the prophet Muhammad and a glimpse inside the holy city of Mecca. The course provides an overview of the development of the Islamic Empire, the impact of Islam on Europe and European culture, and the resistance to Islam during the middle ages and through the crusades. Pariticipants will also look at contemporary Islam and Islamic radicalism.

The text for this course is Islam: Faith and HIstory (2013) by Mahmoud Ayoub. This book can also be purchased from Amazon as a Kindle e-book or through Barnes & Noble. The book looks at the origins of Islam in context, by looking at the history of the region where Islam arose: Arabia, the Levant, Asia Minor, Mesopotamia and Persia.

Course Enrollment & Participation

You can register for this class by contacting Dr. Terry Wimberley at etwimber@hotmail.com. The course schedule involves eleven sessions and all of the assigned videos are free on Youtube. After having completed each course session participants may choose - on a purely optional basis - to answer the session study questions and submit them at etwimber@hotmail.com or to contact Dr. Wimberley by phone or email to request a time for dialogue about what you have learned. You may do so by phone or dialogue via Skype or Facetime. Dr. Wimberley's phone number is 239.405.4164. There may also be efforts to convene group meetings of the class using the Zoom application on our computers. If you are unfamiliar with how to use Zoom, this online tutorial link should be useful: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362193-Joining-a-Meeting .

Enrollment: You can enroll in this course by emailing etwimber@hotmail.com or by texting Dr. Wimberley at 239.405.4164.