Islam

Catalog description

Followers of Islam, called Muslims, number at well over a billion and span the globe from California to Cairo to Kuala Lumpur. Because their languages, practices and geographical centers are diverse and complex we will approach a variety of texts (e.g., the Qur'an, prophetic reports, and prayer manuals), people (e.g., Muhammad, Rabi'a of Basra, and Malcolm X), and concepts (e.g., faith, afterlife, and violence), from multiple angles-a process that should prove both challenging and rewarding. The course will take a roughly chronological approach, beginning with the genesis of Islam in the 7th-century Arabian peninsula, but we will also examine themes such as gender, mysticism, and language. Given our 21st-century America context, moreover, we will also consider the implications of our subject on the modern world and America in particular throughout the entire semester. Therefore, this course will not only give attention to "Islam" per se, but also how to metacognitively study Islam. The course will press you to seriously entertain a multiplicity of worldviews--some of which may strike you as illogical, grotesque, and strange, and others beautiful, compelling, and natural.