RELS 150 Islam on the Move
This course offers a broad introduction to Islam by examining its foundational sources, doctrines, people, and practices across time and space. Students will learn about the historical evolution of major intellectual, legal, theological, and spiritual movements within Islam. Challenging monolithic understandings of Islam, students will explore Islam as a diverse, "lived religion" through its historical trajectories and transformations from 7th century Arabia to European colonialism and the modern nation-state. We will examine material and embodied dimensions of Islam such as practices of worship, devotional piety, ritual purity, food, and dress, as well as Islam’s systemic and societal formations through institutions of marriage, slavery, war, and the Islamic state. The latter half of the course will approach Islam from the lens of race and minoritization in the age of democracy and global capitalism. Students will acquire critical tools to evaluate media and scholarly portrayals of Islam in relation to human rights, gender equality, terrorism, and climate change.
Core Requirements Met
- Pre-1800
- Global Connections