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Studying history is about diving into the past. Why do we care about it? What kind of questions can we ask about it? How should we read and understand sources of written history?

But let’s not forget about the most critical aspect of history — the people. By learning who the people were, what they believed, and why, we can discover their modern relevance. In the process of exploring the past this way, we can gain a better understanding of what it means to write history, says Senior Lecturer Elias Saba. In History 100 – The Prophet Muhammad (HIS 100), you will read essays that explore various approaches to understanding “history” and what it means to write history.

The Modern Relevance of the Life of the Prophet Muhammad  

HIS 100 students learn history by doing history, focusing on one of history’s most influential figures — the Prophet Muhammad. You’ll read about his life and career and learn how his contemporaries viewed him. What were his political and religious messages? What did he accomplish? What do we know about his life?

These are essential questions to understand how the people of the Eastern Mediterranean understood Muhammad during the 8th century. To answer these questions, you will work with various historical sources and different approaches to “doing history,” Saba says. As you work to discover the answers, you will also learn to read textual sources analytically. Later in the semester, you will have the opportunity to use materials in the special collections of the 51���app Museum.

You will read and interpret the texts themselves and then compare their own analyses to those by other scholars in the field. Saba says, “I am very excited to steep students in the critical thinking and reading skills that are a hallmark of history, while also getting them to engage deeply with difficult primary sources.”

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