Courses

Summer 2024

Arabic Language Courses (MEAR)

MEAR 40033 Classical Arabic (online)

This course equips students with skills to understand and interpret classical Arabic texts-- Qur'an, Hadith, and other legal, theological, philosophical, mystical and literary texts. It also offers a foundational understanding of Islamic sources and guides students to proper venues for academic engagement with Islam. Level 1 Arabic is required. 

Spring 2024

Arabic Language Courses (MEAR)

MEAR 10001-10002 First-Year Arabic I and First-Year Arabic II

This two-semester sequence of courses is a basic introduction to all aspects of the Arabic language through a comprehensive and integrated method. The focus is on language proficiency in all areas of the language including speaking, reading, and writing. The course also introduces students to aspects of Arabic culture and everyday life in the Middle East.

MEAR 10001 is offered each fall semester and sometimes in the Spring. MEAR 10002 is offered each spring semester.

MEAR 10001/60001: First-Year Arabic I

Prof. C. Bronson, MW 11:30-12:20 & TR 11:00-12:15

MEAR 10002/60001 02: First-Year Arabic II

Prof. G. Bualuan, MW 10:30-11:20 & TR 10:30-11:45

MEAR 20004/60004 01: Second-Year Arabic II

Prof. C. Bronson, MTWTh 9:30-10:20
4 credit hours

MEAR 30006/60006 01: Third-Year Arabic II

Prof. C. Bronson, MWF 2:00-2:50

Middle Eastern Courses (MELC)

MELC 20033: The 1001 Nights

Prof. L. Guo, TTh 11:00-12:15

The Thousand and One Nights, also known as the Arabian Nights, is a collection of tales originated in the Arab lands that has become a masterpiece of world literature. These enchanting stories, framed by the tale of Scheherazade (or Shahrazad), have enjoyed a widespread and varied reputation over the centuries and across cultures. It is said that the Thousand and One Nights is the most read (or heard about) book in human history, second only to Bible. In this class, we will examine these stories from a variety of academic and cultural perspectives, taking advantage of the wealth of material available (both textual and audio-visual). We will examine issues of provenance: where did these stories originate and when? We will study the stories as literary texts as well as historical documents, asking what, if anything, they tell us about the cultures they reflect and the societies in which they are set. We will examine how these tales have been interpreted by later societies, both Arab and Western, and what those interpretations tell us about the interpreters. We will use this class and its content to introduce ourselves to the study of the Middle East, its languages, history, literature, and peoples. We will gain a better understanding of the analytical tools and techniques for the study and appreciation of literature in general.

MELC 20055: Formation of the Modern Middle East

Prof. H. Abdulsater, TTh 12:30-1:45

This course examines the history of the Middle East from the late eighteenth century to the Arab uprisings of 2011. We will approach cultural, social, political and intellectual transformations in the Middle East. We will pursue a number of themes including engagements with modernity; reactions to Western colonial expansion; religious and secular reform movements; nationalism and revolution; changes in gender and family experiences; the Arab-Israeli conflict; the impact of oil and the Cold War; postcolonial state-building; the rise of political Islam and piety movements; globalization and economic disparities; and movements for democracy and social justice.

MELC 20101: Arab Society and Culture: Past and Present

Prof. L. Guo, TTh 2:00-3:15

This course aims at introducing students to the history of the Arab world. Through a panoramic view encompassing twelve centuries of Arab history and culture, we look at all sides of this rich and venerable civilization: the beauty of the Alhambra and the great mosques, the importance attached to education, the achievements of Arab science—but also internal conflicts, widespread poverty, the role of women, and the contemporary Palestinian question. We explore how the religion of Islam created a far-flung Arab Muslim world that embraced lands reaching from the shores of the Atlantic to Iraq and the Indian Ocean. Each has its own geographical features and historical traditions, yet certain themes and experiences are common to all: the rise and spread of Islam, the growth of the Ottoman Empire, the expansion of European trade and empire, and in the last decades, the challenge of Islamic resurgence and integration into a new kind of world. We attempt at a clear and comprehensive interpretation of the paths of the Muslim religion, its divisions, its authorities and traditions, its current contradictory powers to unite and to divide. Throughout, social institutions and culture are intertwined with politics and economics. The texts we read in this class are studded with famous names from the past—Ibn Khaldun, al-Ghazali, and Ibn Sina (Avicenna); Saladin and ‘Abd al-Nasir (Nasser)—as well as with those of the recent memory—Hafiz al-Asad and Saddam Husayn; the Nobel Prize winner Najib Mahfuz, the cultural critic Edward Said and popular singer Umm Kulthum.

MELC 30023: Bodies in the Islamic Tradition

Prof. C. Bronson,  MW 12:30-1:45

This interdisciplinary course offers a topical survey of the relationships between biological sex, culturally bound notions of “masculinity” and “femininity,” and the gendered body in the Islamic tradition. The primary aim of the course is to explore the intersection of religion and social constructions of gender and the body in a variety of historical and cultural contexts in the Muslim World. Students read and interpret religious texts and commentaries, literary and legal texts, women’s writings, and media in English translation. Coursework focuses on increasing students’ understanding of the diversity of scholarly views on women’s bodies as sites of piety and sites of political and social contestation (reproductive rights, public vs. private space, etc.).

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Fall 2023

Arabic Language Courses (MEAR)

MEAR 10001-10002 First-Year Arabic I and First-Year Arabic II

This two-semester sequence of courses is a basic introduction to all aspects of the Arabic language through a comprehensive and integrated method. The focus is on language proficiency in all areas of the language including speaking, reading, and writing. The course also introduces students to aspects of Arabic culture and everyday life in the Middle East.

MEAR 10001/60001 01: First-Year Arabic I

Prof. G. Bualuan, MW 9:30-10:45

MEAR 10001/60001 02: First-Year Arabic I

Prof. C. Bronson, MW 11:00-12:15

MEAR 20003/60003 01: Second-Year Arabic I

Prof. C. Bronson, MW 12:30-1:45; F 12:50-1:40
4 credit hours

MEAR 40040: Arabic Folk Literature

Prof. G. Bualuan, TTh 11:00-12:15

 

Middle Eastern Courses (MELC)

MELC 20052: Introduction to the Middle East

Prof. H. Abdulsater, MW 12:30-1:45

The gateway course will provide students with initial preparation and acquaint them with the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). More specifically, the course will introduce students to the historical milieu of MENA cultures and societies as well as the various dynamics that continue to shape them. It will survey the history of the region from the end of late antiquity to the present. Themes will include the rise of Islam; Muslim-Christian interactions; the caliphate; the age of gunpowder empires; engagements with modernity; encounters with European expansion; Islamic and secular reform movements; nationalism and revolution. 

MELC 20070: Introduction to Islamic Civilization

Prof. L. Guo, TTh 2:00-3:15

This course is designed to introduce students to Islamic civilization and Muslim culture and societies. The course will cover the foundations of Islamic belief, worship, and institutions, along with the evolution of sacred law (al-shari‘a) and theology, as well as various aspects of intellectual activities. The Koran and the life of the Prophet Muhammad will be examined in detail. Both Sunni and Shi‘i perspectives will be considered. Major Sufi personalities will be discussed to illuminate the mystical, and popular, tradition in Islam. Topics on arts, architecture, literary culture, and sciences will be covered. Although the course is concerned more with the history of ideas than with modern Islam as such, it has great relevance for understanding contemporary Muslim attitudes and political, social, and cultural trends in the Muslim world today. 

MELC 30071/60071: Islamic Theology: From Classical Origins to Modern Challenges

Prof. H. Abdulsater, TTh 3:30-4:45

This course studies the major themes of Islamic theology. It starts from the early debates concerned with Muslim views of God, the nature of the Qurʾan, the prophethood of Muhammad and ends with current debates about the status of Islamic law (shariʿa). It also discusses divine vs. human will, the role of politics in Muslim view of salvation and the limits of rationality. It traces how these topics moved from simple formulae to complex concepts due to sociopolitical controversies and conditions, whether they were sectarian or interreligious conflicts, crises of legitimacy, colonialism or modernity. The arguments of various schools are presented, and translated excerpts from prominent theologians are studied. As we read these texts we ask ourselves a number of questions. For example, what alternatives were possible for theologians other than what later became standard Muslim doctrines? What is the importance of imagination in the creation of these theological systems? Did modern Muslim theologians have better options to handle ancient traditions that most of them ended up adopting? Do some modern Muslim theologians have an alternative view to offer? The course is meant to help students see the problems of theology from an Islamic viewpoint that may deepen their understanding of wider religious questions.

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Spring 2023

Arabic Language Courses (MEAR)

MEAR 10001/60001 First-Year Arabic I

Prof. G. Bualuan, MW 9:25-10:15 and TTh 9:30-10:45
5 credit hours

MEAR 10002/60002 First-Year Arabic II

Prof. C. Bronson, MW 11:00-12:15; Th 11:00-11:50; F 11:30-12:20
5 credit hours

MEAR 20004 01 Second Year Arabic II

Prof. G. Bualuan, MW 10:30-11:20 and TTh 11:00-11:50
4 credit hours

MEAR 20004 02 Second Year Arabic II

Prof. C. Bronson, MW 12:30-1:45 and F 12:50-1:40
4 credit hours

MEAR 30006 01 Third Year Arabic II

Prof. C. Bronson, MWF 9:25-10:15
3 credit hours

 

Middle Eastern Courses (MELC)

MELC 13184 History University Seminar: Introduction to Islamic Culture

Prof. H. Abdulsater, TTh 12:30-1:45
3 credit hours

This course examines the advent of Islam from the career of the Prophet Muhammad to the modern period. We first approach Islam in relation to the late antique Near Eastern context from which it emerged, becoming heir, with Christianity, to the twin legacies of prophetic monotheism and philosophical rationalism. We then turn to the process whereby Muhammad’s apocalyptic message was turned into a high imperial project—that is, Islam’s transformation from religion to civilization. We then trace the emergence of Islam as a world culture during the 10th-16th centuries. In this period, Islam offered increasingly flexible and open-source models of knowledge, government and spirituality. Following that, we examine the great early modern Islamic empires—Ottoman, Safavid and Mughal—, which dominated and mediated much of the cultural, political, intellectual and economic life of Afro-Eurasia until the 18th century.  This chronological progression aside, we will pursue a number of thematic digressions along the way: ethnic identity, cosmology, climate, theories of history, travel and trade, military slavery and pilgrimage. All these played a historically crucial role in creating and sustaining global Islamic culture from the 12th century to the present.

MELC 20033 The 1001 Nights

Prof. L. Guo, MW 2:00-3:15
3 credit hours

The Thousand and One Nights, also known as the Arabian Nights, is a collection of tales originated in the Arab lands that has become a masterpiece of world literature. These enchanting stories, framed by the tale of Scheherazade (or Shahrazad), have enjoyed a widespread and varied reputation over the centuries and across cultures. It is said that the Thousand and One Nights is the most read (or heard about) book in human history, second only to Bible. In this class, we will examine these stories from a variety of academic and cultural perspectives, taking advantage of the wealth of material available (both textual and audio-visual). We will examine issues of provenance: where did these stories originate and when? We will study the stories as literary texts as well as historical documents, asking what, if anything, they tell us about the cultures they reflect and the societies in which they are set. We will examine how these tales have been interpreted by later societies, both Arab and Western, and what those interpretations tell us about the interpreters. We will use this class and its content to introduce ourselves to the study of the Middle East, its languages, history, literature, and peoples. We will gain a better understanding of the analytical tools and techniques for the study and appreciation of literature in general.
 

MELC 20055 Formation of the Modern Middle East

Prof. H. Abdulsater, TTh 3:30-4:45
3 credit hours

This course examines the history of the Middle East from the late eighteenth century to the Arab uprisings of 2011. We will approach cultural, social, political and intellectual transformations in the Middle East. We will pursue a number of themes including engagements with modernity; reactions to Western colonial expansion; religious and secular reform movements; nationalism and revolution; changes in gender and family experiences; the Arab-Israeli conflict; the impact of oil and the Cold War; postcolonial state-building; the rise of political Islam and piety movements; globalization and economic disparities; and movements for democracy and social justice.

Fall 2022

Arabic Language Courses (MEAR)

MEAR 10001-10002 First-Year Arabic I and First-Year Arabic II

This two-semester sequence of courses is a basic introduction to all aspects of the Arabic language through a comprehensive and integrated method. The focus is on language proficiency in all areas of the language including speaking, reading, and writing. The course also introduces students to aspects of Arabic culture and everyday life in the Middle East.

MEAR 10001 01: First-Year Arabic I

Prof. G. Bualuan, MW 9:25-10:15; TR 9:30-10:45
5 credit hours

MEAR 10001 02: First-Year Arabic I

Prof. C. Bronson, MW 11:00-12:15; RF 11:30-12:20
5 credit hours

MEAR 10001 03: First-Year Arabic I

Instructor: tba, MW 2:00-2:50; TR 2:00-3:15
5 credit hours

MEAR 20003 01: Second-Year Arabic I

Prof. C. Bronson, MW 12:30-1:45; F 12:50-1:40
4 credit hours

MEAR 30005: Third-Year Arabic I

Instructor: tba, MWF 8:20-9:10

MEAR 40040: Arabic Folk Literature

Prof. G. Bualuan, TR 11:00-12:15

Middle Eastern Courses (MELC)

MELC 10101: Intro to Arabic Culture and Civilization

Instructor: tba, TR 12:30-1:45

This course is an introductory survey of Arabic culture and civilization. The course will trace the origins of the Arab people and their distinctive culture and literature. The revelation of the Qur'an to the Prophet Muhammad and subsequent development of Islam will be treated in detail. Following this, the course will focus on the spread of Islamic civilization, its interactions with other cultures, and its contributions to scholarship in the areas of philosophy, science, literature, art, and architecture.

MELC 13184: History University Seminar

Prof. H. Abdulsater; TR 12:30-1:45

MELC 20070: Introduction to Islamic Civilization

Prof. L. Guo, TR 11:00-12:15

This course is designed to introduce students to Islamic civilization and Muslim culture and societies. The course will cover the foundations of Islamic belief, worship, and institutions, along with the evolution of sacred law (al-shari‘a) and theology, as well as various aspects of intellectual activities. The Koran and the life of the Prophet Muhammad will be examined in detail. Both Sunni and Shi‘i perspectives will be considered. Major Sufi personalities will be discussed to illuminate the mystical, and popular, tradition in Islam. Topics on arts, architecture, literary culture, and sciences will be covered. Although the course is concerned more with the history of ideas than with modern Islam as such, it has great relevance for understanding contemporary Muslim attitudes and political, social, and cultural trends in the Muslim world today. 

MELC 30023: Bodies in the Islamic Tradition

Prof. C. Bronson, MW 2:00-3:15

This interdisciplinary course offers a topical survey of the relationships between biological sex, culturally bound notions of “masculinity” and “femininity,” and the gendered body in the Islamic tradition. The primary aim of the course is to explore the intersection of religion and social constructions of gender and the body in a variety of historical and cultural contexts in the Muslim World. Students read and interpret religious texts and commentaries, literary and legal texts, women’s writings, and media in English translation. Coursework focuses on increasing students’ understanding of the diversity of scholarly views on women’s bodies as sites of piety and sites of political and social contestation (reproductive rights, public vs. private space, etc.).

MELC 30071: Islamic Theology: From Classical Origins to Modern Challenges

Prof. H. Abdulsater, TR 3:30-4:45

This course studies the major themes of Islamic theology. It starts from the early debates concerned with Muslim views of God, the nature of the Qurʾan, the prophethood of Muhammad and ends with current debates about the status of Islamic law (shariʿa). It also discusses divine vs. human will, the role of politics in Muslim view of salvation and the limits of rationality. It traces how these topics moved from simple formulae to complex concepts due to sociopolitical controversies and conditions, whether they were sectarian or interreligious conflicts, crises of legitimacy, colonialism or modernity. The arguments of various schools are presented, and translated excerpts from prominent theologians are studied. As we read these texts we ask ourselves a number of questions. For example, what alternatives were possible for theologians other than what later became standard Muslim doctrines? What is the importance of imagination in the creation of these theological systems? Did modern Muslim theologians have better options to handle ancient traditions that most of them ended up adopting? Do some modern Muslim theologians have an alternative view to offer? The course is meant to help students see the problems of theology from an Islamic viewpoint that may deepen their understanding of wider religious questions.

Spring 2022

Arabic Language Courses (MEAR)

MEAR 10001-10002 First-Year Arabic I and First-Year Arabic II

This two-semester sequence of courses is a basic introduction to all aspects of the Arabic language through a comprehensive and integrated method. The focus is on language proficiency in all areas of the language including speaking, reading, and writing. The course also introduces students to aspects of Arabic culture and everyday life in the Middle East.

MEAR 10002 01: First-Year Arabic II

Prof. G. Bualuan, MW 9:25-10:15; TR 9:30-10:45
5 credit hours

MEAR 10002 02: First-Year Arabic II

Prof. C. Bronson, MW 11:00-12:15; RF 11:30-12:20
5 credit hours

MEAR 20004: Second-Year Arabic II

Prof. G. Bualuan, MW 10:30-11:20; TR 11:00-11:50
4 credit hours

MEAR 30006: Third-Year Arabic II

Prof. C. Bronson, MWF 9:25-10:15
3 credit hours

Middle Eastern Courses (MELC)

MELC 20055: Formation of the Modern Middle East

Prof. H. Abdulsater, MW 3:30-4:45
3 credit hours

This course examines the history of the Middle East from the late eighteenth century to the Arab uprisings of 2011. We will approach cultural, social, political, and intellectual transformations in the Middle East. We will pursue a number of themes including engagements with modernity; reactions to Western colonial expansion; religious and secular reform movements; nationalism and revolution; changes in gender and family experiences; the Arab-Israeli conflict; the impact of oil and the Cold War; postcolonial state-building; the rise of political Islam and piety movements; globalization and economic disparities; and movements for democracy and social justice.

MELC 20101: Arab Society and Culture: Past and Present

Prof. L. Guo, TR 2:00-3:15
3 credit hours

This course aims at introducing students to the history of the Arab world. Through a panoramic view encompassing twelve centuries of Arab history and culture, we look at all sides of this rich and venerable civilization: the beauty of the Alhambra and the great mosques, the importance attached to education, the achievements of Arab science—but also internal conflicts, widespread poverty, the role of women, and the contemporary Palestinian question. We explore how the religion of Islam created a far-flung Arab Muslim world that embraced lands reaching from the shores of the Atlantic to Iraq and the Indian Ocean. Each has its own geographical features and historical traditions, yet certain themes and experiences are common to all: the rise and spread of Islam, the growth of the Ottoman Empire, the expansion of European trade and empire, and in the last decades, the challenge of Islamic resurgence and integration into a new kind of world. We attempt at a clear and comprehensive interpretation of the paths of the Muslim religion, its divisions, its authorities and traditions, its current contradictory powers to unite and to divide. Throughout, social institutions and culture are intertwined with politics and economics. The texts we read in this class are studded with famous names from the past—Ibn Khaldun, al-Ghazali, and Ibn Sina (Avicenna); Saladin and ‘Abd al-Nasir (Nasser)—as well as with those of the recent memory—Hafiz al-Asad and Saddam Husayn; the Nobel Prize winner Najib Mahfuz, the cultural critic Edward Said and popular singer Umm Kulthum.

MELC 30023: Gendered Bodies in the Islamic Tradition

Prof. C. Bronson, MW 2:00-3:15
3 credit hours

This interdisciplinary course offers a topical survey of the relationships between biological sex, culturally bound notions of "masculinity" and "femininity," and the gendered body in the Islamic tradition. The primary aim of the course is to explore the intersection of religion and social constructions of gender and the body in a variety of historical and cultural contexts in the Muslim World. Students read and interpret religious texts and commentaries, literary and legal texts, women's writings, and media in English translation. Coursework focuses on increasing students' understanding of the diversity of scholarly views on women's bodies as sites of piety and sites of political and social contestation (reproductive rights, public vs. private space, etc.).

MELC 30525: Islam and the Abrahamic Faiths (Crosslist THEO 40726)

Prof. M. Sirry, MW 11:00-12:15
3 credit hours

In 1965, the Second Vatican Council issued a “Declaration on the Relationship of the Church to Non-Christian Religions”, which contains a statement that Muslims “submit wholeheartedly to even His inscrutable decrees, just as Abraham, with whom the faith of Islam takes pleasure in linking itself, submitted to God.” While the Declaration can be understood as recognizing the possible validity of Islam’s claim to Abrahamic status, some scholars have introduced the notion of “Abrahamic religions” as a way of associating Judaism, Christianity and Islam as related faiths. This course will explore the defining features of the Abrahamic religions that tie them closely together as well as their particularities and differences. As the youngest of the three Abrahamic religions, Islam has a lot of things to say about Abraham which largely correspond to the Biblical story although the Qur’an also contains some novel features, including the claim that Abraham, together with Ishmael, built the Ka‘bah. This course will discuss how the scriptures of the three religions emerged within the same cultural milieu, and explore their intertwined histories and the ways in which Jews, Christians, and Muslims developed their own independent religious identities from their early encounters to the present. Students will also be introduced to some basic teachings of Islam. No prior knowledge of Islam is required.

Fall 2021

Arabic Language Courses (MEAR)

MEAR 10001-10002 First-Year Arabic I and First-Year Arabic II

This two-semester sequence of courses is a basic introduction to all aspects of the Arabic language through a comprehensive and integrated method. The focus is on language proficiency in all areas of the language including speaking, reading, and writing. The course also introduces students to aspects of Arabic culture and everyday life in the Middle East.

MEAR 10001 01

Prof. G. Bualuan
5 credit hours

MEAR 10001 02

Prof. C. Bronson
5 credit hours

Second-Year Arabic I

MEAR 20003 01

Prof. C. Bualuan
4 credit hours

This second-year Arabic course builds on the previous two semesters. The emphasis is on speaking and writing for self-expression with continued study of the basic grammatical structures. Proficiency remains the focus through readings and conversations in the language.  Students develop skill in the use of the Arabic dictionary.

Second-Year Arabic II

MEAR 20004 01

Prof. C. Bronson
4 credit hours

This course is geared to consolidating skills gained in the previous three semesters while enhancing the ability to converse and conduct oneself in Arabic. Reading skills are enhanced by exposure to more sophisticated examples of literature. Original written expression is encouraged through the composition of short essays.

Third Year Arabic I

MEAR 30005/60005

Prof. C. Bronson
3 credit hours

Prerequisite MEAR 20004, 60004 or equivalent.

This third-year Arabic course emphasizes developing listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in interactive settings. Vocabulary building will be the focus of drills; we will cover basic vocabulary in various authentic uses of the language. Special attention will also be given to media Arabic. Basic Arabic grammar should be completed by the end of the year. We will continue with Part 2 of the Kitaab sequence. Supplementary materials, mainly from Arabic media (BBC Arabic News, newspapers, magazines), will be provided. Tests, both oral and written, will cover the textbook material, in addition to the basic grammar and the cumulative vocabulary.

Middle Eastern Courses (MELC)

History University Seminar: Struggle in the Heart of Islam

MELC 13184 01
Prof. H. Abdulsater
3 credit hours

This course is an introduction to the main conflict in Arabic and Islamic culture. It examines sectarianism in the Arab and Islamic world from the sixth century to our present time. Relying on different media (texts, movies, arts, archeological remains…), it studies the formation of the different versions of Shiʿi and Sunni Islam. We will learn about the background of sectarianism and how it shaped identity formation and modern states. We will trace—chronologically and geographically—religious propaganda, mass and individual conversions, confessionalization, and episodes of war and peace. No prior knowledge of Arabic culture, the Middle East, or Islam is required.

The 1001 Nights

MELC 20033
Prof. L. Guo
3 credit hours

The Thousand and One Nights, also known as the Arabian Nights, is a collection of tales originated in the Arab lands that has become a masterpiece of world literature. These enchanting stories, framed by the tale of Scheherazade (or Shahrazad), have enjoyed a widespread and varied reputation over the centuries and across cultures. It is said that the Thousand and One Nights is the most read (or heard about) book in human history, second only to Bible. In this class, we will examine these stories from a variety of academic and cultural perspectives, taking advantage of the wealth of material available (both textual and audio-visual). We will examine issues of provenance: where did these stories originate and when? We will study the stories as literary texts as well as historical documents, asking what, if anything, they tell us about the cultures they reflect and the societies in which they are set. We will examine how these tales have been interpreted by later societies, both Arab and Western, and what those interpretations tell us about the interpreters. We will use this class and its content to introduce ourselves to the study of the Middle East, its languages, history, literature, and peoples. We will gain a better understanding of the analytical tools and techniques for the study and appreciation of literature in general.

Introduction to Islamic Civilization

MELC 20070
Prof. L. Guo
3 credit hours

This course is designed to introduce students to Islamic civilization and Muslim culture and societies. The course will cover the foundations of Islamic belief, worship, and institutions, along with the evolution of sacred law (al-shari`a) and theology, as well as various aspects of intellectual activities. The Koran and the life of the Prophet Muhammad will be examined in detail. Both Sunni and Shi`i perspectives will be considered. Major Sufi personalities will be discussed to illuminate the mystical, and popular, tradition in Islam. Topics on arts, architecture, literary culture, and sciences will be covered. Although the course is concerned more with the history of ideas than with modern Islam as such, it has great relevance for understanding contemporary Muslim attitudes and political, social, and cultural trends in the Muslim world today. MMME minors will need to secure an override from the Department office to register.

Islamic Theology

MELC 30071
Prof. H. Abdulsater
3 credit hours

This course studies the major themes of Islamic theology. It starts from the early debates concerned with Muslim views of God, the nature of the Qur'an, the prophethood of Muhammad and ends with current debates about the status of Islamic law (shari'a). It also discusses divine vs. human will, the role of politics in Muslim view of salvation, and the limits of rationality. It traces how these topics moved from simple formulae to complex concepts due to socio-political controversies and conditions, whether they were sectarian or interreligious conflicts, crises of legitimacy, colonialism, or modernity. The arguments of various schools are presented, and translated excerpts from prominent theologians are studied. As we read these texts we ask ourselves a number of questions. For example, what alternatives were possible for theologians other than what later became standard Muslim doctrines? What is the importance of imagination in the creation of these theological systems? Did modern Muslim theologians have better options to handle ancient traditions that most of them ended up adopting? Do some modern Muslim theologians have an alternative view to offer? The course is meant to help students see the problems of theology from an Islamic viewpoint that may deepen their understanding of wider religious questions.