Inaugural College of Arts & Sciences Alumni Lunch Lecture, Friday

From Bob Dylan to Bill Gates: Islam and the Origins of Western Culture

What do rock 'n' roll, chess, and computers have to do with Islam? In recent years, many of us have come to think of Islamic culture as antithetic to that of "the West," its values and its dynamism. However, few of us are aware that many of the hallmarks of this western civilization are derived from, or came to us, through Muslims. Furthermore, that this interaction with Islamic culture, specifically in medieval Spain and the Mediterranean, was what wrenched Europe out of the Middle Ages and put on on a path to modernity.

Presentation by Brian Catlos, Professor of Religious Studies, CU-Boulder

Free, but registration is required by 4:30 pm on March 8, if you would like a lunch provided.