Islam and Science: An Historical Perspective

Note: This 16-credit program will meet from 1-5 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays as well as from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on selected Saturdays (Apr. 10, 24, May 8, 29). Weather permitting, the program will take an overnight field trip to Pine Mountain Observatory in eastern Oregon on May 21 and 22.

For roughly 1,000 years, a vast series of Islamic empires stretched from the Atlantic coasts of Spain and northern Africa to India and western China, producing astounding achievements in the sciences and arts that were inextricably linked with religion. In this program, we will explore some of these accomplishments in their historical context from roughly the 7th-18th centuries C.E. and their echoes in the modern world. Specifically, what was the relationship between Islam and science? How were the two able to support each other’s development? How applicable is the notion of symmetry to the relationship between Islam and science? How did astronomy link secular and religious traditions and practices? What role did alchemy, a fertile blend of science and mysticism, play in the works of some of the great thinkers of that time? What role did geometrical constraints and religious requirements play in the stunning architectural structures created in classical Islamic societies? How did poetry and folktales link human nature, science and the spiritual? How did art and architecture fuse religion and science? How did the arts and sciences of the time spark the European Renaissance? What factors led to the decline of these Golden Ages and the rise of Europe and, ultimately, the U.S.?

Students will be expected to demonstrate understanding of classical Islamic science, basic mathematical, geometric and astronomical principles, artistic expressions throughout Islamic lands, the fundamentals of Islam, and the connections between these subjects. The class will write critically on program material, use quantitative and qualitative tools to analyze texts and ideas, create geometrically-grounded and Islamic-themed artistic tiles, and respond creatively to the topics covered.