Islamic Social and Religious Thought

Catalog description

Sophomore standing or permission of instructor. This course serves as a basic introduction to Islamic intellectual life and thought. It begins with an introduction to the Qur’an, the hadith, and traditional forms of Islamic jurisprudence. Most of the course will focus on political, social, and religious thought during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, as Muslim thinkers in the Middle East confronted the challenges of modernization, secularization, and rapid social, political, and social change. Topics include views of Western imperialism and cultural influence, the development of modern nationalism, Islamic reform and revival movements, Islamic perspectives on democracy, and the problem of terrorism.