History 321 - Shi'i Islam Hist Approach

You hear about the Shi?i-Sunni rivalry or sectarian opposition in Islam a lot in the news lately. But how did Shi?ism (and Sunnism) emerge? In this course we focus on the earliest period of Islamic History and the development of Shi?ism as a distinct Islamic sect, and how it took shape under the early Islamic Caliphate. This course is widely accessible and open to all levels.