1) Why should Americans and/or those living in the US learn about the Middle East? What have you learned from this class so far and why is it important? What obstacles exist to learning about this region, its culture and history?

2) Why was Islamic(ate) civilization relatively advanced in scientific, philosophical, and technical knowledge? How did it build upon and advance the knowledge of the Greeks and other ancient civilizations? How did advances it made impact the development of the West? Why is this impact not commonly acknowledged?

3) In this course we have learned several non-traditional methods for studying Islam, from how to read the Qur’an as a historical document, to understanding the early history of Muhammad’s community, to taking Islamic philosophy and other non-orthodox understandings of Islam, seriously. Why is such an approach important? How does it advance understandings of Islam?