KW
May 30, 2022
I learned so much in this course. I definitelyrecommend doing the extra readings and assignments in the honors track. The extra knowledge is worth the effort. I am delighted I found this course!
EN
Aug 6, 2024
I started to listen to this course out of curiosity but I have learned so much that I have never heard elsewhere before. The videos were great, the readings were very diverse and interesting.
By René V
•Jan 6, 2019
I learned much about the islamic world and the reasons for the rise of Islam as a word religion. Many of my stereotypes were shattered e.g. about harems and slavery. The many linked scientific texts helped me understand about core concepts of this hegemony.
One possible addendum could be a general outlook on the further fate of the Arabic world after the time period that was discussed in the course. As it stands, I found the course to end somewhat sudden.
By Radi R
•Mar 27, 2020
Even to an "Arab" who is well read about the "Medieval" part of this world, this course was interesting and quite informative.
If you want to understand more about the Islamic empire at its zenith, this is as good of a place as any to start
I owe gratitude for the Leiden University team for creating the lovely course content and the excellent reading material. Rarely have I seen an MOOC that is this well-researched and thought through. This is in addition to the excellent resources provided and the creative media. I finished the course and presently doing the honors-track.
I am a Bachelor of Civil Engineering from Ryerson Univeristy, Canada and this really felt like the 100-level electives I took in that it really is a university-level course.
i have bought a few books that I have read about in your course and that meant that I have something else to do in this corona-imposed hiatus. After
By Wafaa A
•Jan 1, 2019
Well structured course, elaborate in terms of areas covered and exercises. But, I think some of exercises needed more time (the two about Orientalism and Slavery) as both the topics were very important and required more research and reading. Instructors presented the materials in an eloquent and clear manner. What I liked the most was instructor's speaking at the right pace, and this was very convenient to me as a non-native English speaker. I learned a lot, so thank you very much! and I will definitely try to take future courses from your university.
By christine
•Aug 22, 2019
This course is very informative, showing the ancient Arab world from many angles.The teachers' way of giving lectures was lively and interesting, which made the course infinitely charming. I quickly finished all the courses.It's so interesting.This course has also increased my desire to know more about the Arab world, which I plan to explore further in the future.Thank you for teaching.
By Charles
•Jun 20, 2019
Excellent course, I greatly appreciate the unbiased viewpoint, I really can't thank you enough. I took this course as a means of knowing what questions to ask, rather than to answer preexisting questions. Thank you very much again, and I look forward to taking more courses.
By Miguel I
•Jan 31, 2019
Great course with a wide array of materials that allowed me to understand better the important of Arab influence in Europe and worldwide.
By Sophia M
•Jan 29, 2019
I love this class! It gives me easy access to a wealth of information I wasn't taught in school, and it's the perfect pacing for me.
By George H
•Feb 17, 2020
Fascinating and good structured course, in the tradition of the Great European Orientalists
By Joy S
•Feb 12, 2019
Enjoyable, unique, kind of fun.
By Romy E
•Feb 26, 2021
A really interesting topic! I learned a lot, although I missed some basic information at the beginning about the exact region and exact period of time which will be covered. The content in the modules is jumping between times and countries, so you can get lost, if you are not searching information on your own. At least, the quizzes are very easy, so no challenge to pass the class :-)
By Vladimir K
•May 10, 2020
The course is just rubbish. Very vague. Looks like a basic introduction. Not even a general timeline of main events is given. The student wouldn't understand what the medieval arabic world was geographycally, which peoples and countries comprised it, who were the main actors, what administration system looked like and so on. The lectures are too short. Many of them are devoted to side topics like orientalism or harem. The student is requested to read too many articles instead of listening to lectures. If I wanted to read about the arabic world I would read, but the precise purpose of subsribing to the course is to listen, not to read.
By Mohammed A R B
•Mar 27, 2020
It was one of the best Coursera courses I have ever taken I enjoyed and learned a lot.
The content was awesome even for the learner who is native Arabic and contain a lot of valuable information.
I'm completely surprised that Leiden University could create wonderful course with nice team are specialist's in Arabic language, Islamic studies, Middle East civilization etc.
Which is unbelievable that Leiden University has Center for Islamic studies and society, special library and Leiden Islam blog all of these lead me to believe that Leiden University is one of the best universities around world.
By Leila B
•Mar 30, 2021
The course works on many levels. It is an introduction to the subject but also includes references and materials which make it possible to follow some topics at a much deeper level. The visual materials were well chosen and presented beautifully, with real scholarly enthusiasm. The course was a real pleasure
The English transcriptions of the lectures have a number of errors - they seem to be machine transcriptions. It would be quite quick to correct them
By Beatriz m d
•Sep 8, 2024
It has been a wonderful,excellent course.I have been able to do it without haste,due to the flexibility of Coursera.I recognize that you have known me a titlle.There are few courses in my country,I hope that one dayI will take a course on Al Ándalus.See you soon. Espero que entiendan el castellano,mis mas sinceras gracias a la profesora Petra,y a todos los que colaboraron para hacer este curso.
By Theresia B
•May 23, 2020
This course was inspiring! I wished it went on longer, I was fascinated by the readings and it shared a great amount of information. I have always loved the Arabic world and this course definitely help me understand better the influence it had during the medieval times and the incredible inheritance Europe has received form the Arabic world. I greatly appreciated it, thank you!
By Peter B
•Dec 30, 2018
A very nice introduction to the "islamic" civilization in the Middle Ages by prof. Petra Sijpesteijn and her team! It´s especially interesting to see how interconnected islamic and European societies were during that time period. And it makes you think how and why the islamic "Other" has been systematically marginalized by many European narratives in the last centuries...
By Abdelhadi S
•Jan 4, 2019
It is an excellent course. I wish some of the material were more diverse to cover a wider range of subjects such as the Islamic law, philosophy, social life, schools of thought. I recognize that the information presented in the course are more than enough for someone who had had just dim ideas about The Cosmopolitan Medieval Arabic World
By Anastasia K
•Feb 17, 2021
It is one of my favorite courses! It brings together in a very balanced way all the elements of adult education. Very interesting material, presented in an exceptional way. It motivated me to continue studying the Islamic world, even though I started out of a simple curiosity and search for new knowledge. I will miss the lessons!
By Deleted A
•Mar 28, 2020
I really enjoyed the course, it gave me a lot of insight and fun. I highly recommend it if you want to open your mind and appreciate the diverse human civilizations. It goes beyond shallow introduction and contains a lot of scholastic contents. Thank you very much for putting together this beautiful course.
By Daniel H
•May 26, 2020
A very interesting introduction to the study of the Medieval Arabic World, covering multiple subjects. The course approached complex issues with respect and depth, offering competing views on theses subjects, allowing the student to make their mind on them. Very recommended.
By Justine L
•Apr 15, 2021
Course was well organized and presented. Videos and reading supplemented each other. Speakers were easy to understand and had a good grasp of the material. I came to this course knowing little about the subject matter, and believe I now have a good overview of the period.
By Terry M
•Jan 18, 2021
The best Coursera course I have taken. I learned information and I learned how to be a more critical thinker; in other words a historian. Fabulous all around, and also very exciting the way the course linked to scholarly resources. I very highly recommend it.
By Krista W
•May 30, 2022
I learned so much in this course. I definitelyrecommend doing the extra readings and assignments in the honors track. The extra knowledge is worth the effort. I am delighted I found this course!
By Didier G
•Dec 11, 2019
Thank you for this beautiful course ! I learned a lot and most important, as a European, this course changed my vision of the Islamic world. This course opens my mind. Thank you !
By Leon B
•Sep 17, 2020
From this course, I gain more knowledge and insight about Medieval Arabic World. Also, to correct some Orientalists pictures of the Medieval Arabic World.
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work.
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and will not be able to monitor its performance.
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalization. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.