Resources
A 1997 course by Glenn Yocum at Whittier College introduces students to "the basic norms of Muslim belief and practice . . . (and) the history of Islam" in diverse settings with special attention to gender roles.
A 1998 course by James Morris at the University of Exeter offers "a broad introduction to the recurrent religious themes (in myth and ritual, belief and practice) and alternative paradigms of religious interpretation and authority that underlie the manifold expressions of Islam in the most diverse historical and cultural domains."
A course by Barbara von Schlegell at the University of Pennsylvania the origins, theology, practices, and traditions of Islam. Islam in America is treated as well.
A 1998 course by Amir Hussain at California State University-Northridge examines "some of the relationships between 'Islam' and 'the Modern World'" with special attention to major reformers, Feminism, radicalism, and Islam in the U.S. and Canada.
A 2011 course by Shalahudin Kafrawi at Hobart and William Smith Colleges "discusses Qurâanic views regarding the meaning of Islam and Qurâanic treatment of various forms of peace including liberation, justice, equality, submission, freedom, and tolerance, as well as those of violence including war, self-defense, killing, suicide, sacrifice, and punishment" with attention to historical origins of teachings and contemporary issues.
A course by Lance Laird at Boston University aimed at cultivating "a critical and empathetic understanding of how Muslims practice healing informed by and in conversations" with Islam.
A 2008 course by Nasser Rabbat at MIT "introduces the history of Islamic cultures through architecture. Religious, commemorative, and educational structures are surveyed from the beginning of Islam in 7th-century Arabia up to the present."
A course by Gisela Webb at Seton Hall University looks "will look at Islam from the point of view of Muslims' own self understanding as it has developed since the religion's origin in 7th century Arabia. We will begin the course with the study of the basic practices, beliefs, and values of Islam-including its concept of God, the universe, revelation, prophet-hood, ethics, and the afterlife. We will look at how religious devotion is expressed through art, poetry, and mysticism." Contemporary issues in American Islam will also be studied.
Wabash Center Staff Contact
Sarah Farmer, Ph.D
Associate Director
Wabash Center
farmers@wabash.edu