COURSES IN ISLAMIC STUDIES

 

 

Religion 202 Introduction to Islam

 

 

*Religion 201 Introduction to the Qur'an

Fall semester meeting times: TUTH 2:35-3:50

This course examines the history, structure, and themes of the Qur'an and analyzes the place of the Qur'an in Islamic religious thought. It emphasizes the contribution of the Qur'an to questions of universal import. Topics include Qur'anic doctrines of God, humanity, freedom and determinism, and the problem of evil.

Ms. Katz

2 meetings (75 minutes); 4 credits

 

Religion 207f Women and Gender in Islam

(Same as Asian Studies 207f)This course will examine a range of ways in which Islam has constructed women and women have constructed Islam. We will study concepts of gender as they are reflected in classical Islamic texts, as well as different aspects of the social, economic, political, and ritual lives of women in various Islamic societies.

Ms. Katz

2 meetings (75 minutes); 4 credits

 

Art 271s Arts of Islam: Book, Mosque, and Palace

Through investigation of major works produced in the Moslem world between the seventh and seventeenth centuries from Spain to India, this course explores the ways in which art and architecture were used to embody the faith, accommodate its particular needs, and express the power of its rulers. Topics include the calligraphy of the Qur'an, illustrated literature, the architecture of the mosque, and the aristocratic palace.

Mr. Davis

Prereq. soph, jr, sr; fy with permission of instructor; 2 meetings (75 minutes); 4 credits

 

International Relations *333f Just War and Jihad: Comparative Ethics of War and Peace

(Same as Politics 337f) Why do we moralize about war? When is war justified, if ever? What restraints should soldiers accept? This course examines these issues within the context of Western and Islamic thought. Study of the origins and evolution of both traditions is combined with consideration of important topics of current concern, such as intervention, weapons of mass destruction, and women and war.

Mr. Hashmi

Prereq. 8 credits in politics including 116 or permission of instructor; 1 meeting (2 hours); 4 credits

 

International Relations *341f Political Islam

Fall semester meeting times: M 3-5:50

(Same as Asian Studies 341f and Politics 341f) This course covers Islamic responses to European imperialism in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, particularly the emergence of Islamic modernism; the growth of Islamic movements in the Arab world and South Asia and their responses to secular nationalism and socialism; and a survey of the ends to which religion is applied in three types of regimes: patrimonial Saudi Arabia, revolutionary Iran, and military-authoritarian Pakistan.

Mr. Hashmi

Prereq. Politics 116; 1 meeting (2 hours); 4 credits

 

 

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Wallpaper created from a motif in a set of Ottoman period calligraphy panels in the collection of Mount Holyoke College