http://ocw.nd.edu The peoples of East Asia comprise one-quarter of the world's population and account for a similar proportion of its production and consumption. Knowledge of the diverse languages and cultures of East Asia is vital to developing an understanding of our global community. daily 1 2008-01-25T05:25:48Z http://ocw.nd.edu/east-asian-languages-and-literatures/islamic-societies-of-the-middle-east-and-north-africa-religion-history-and-culture This new course offers a panoramic survey of the Islamic societies of the Middle East and North Africa from their origins to the present day. It will deal with the history and expansion of Islam, both as a world religion and civilization, from its birth in the Arabian peninsula in the seventh century to its subsequent spread to other parts of western Asia and North Africa. Issues of religious practices, political governance and movements, gender, social relations and cultural norms will be explored in relation to a number of Islamic societies in the region. The course foregrounds the complexities and diversity present in a critical geographic area of what we call the Islamic world today. administrator Asma Afsaruddin Societies Literature Language East Asia Religion East Asian Languages and Literatures Asia Culture Middle East Islam North Africa History Asma Afsaruddin David Poell Stephen Vinson 2008-01-25T05:40:25Z Course text/html http://ocw.nd.edu/east-asian-languages-and-literatures/Cherry%20Blossoms%20III.gif administrator Literature Language East Asian Languages and Literatures East Asia University of Notre Dame 2008-01-26T22:27:29Z Image image/gif