Muslim Studies Minors

Ongoing world events have sparked an acute interest in the study of Muslim societies. The Institute on Culture, Religion & World Affairs (CURA) within the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies desires to foster a better understanding of those societies and to preserve their diverse heritage through an interdisciplinary approach that exposes students to Muslim societies’ historical, religious, anthropological, political, linguistic, and cultural characteristics.

Members of the College of Arts & Sciences humanities and social science faculty offer a broad range of courses focusing on the Muslim societies and civilizations of the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. In addition, they offer two undergraduate minors under Pardee School auspices: Muslim Cultures (HU) and Muslim Societies (SS).

Available to students in any of BU’s four-year undergraduate schools and colleges, both minors can prepare students to work in a variety of careers, including anthropology, archaeology, history, art and literature, health, education, government, and international affairs. For complete descriptions of the courses listed below, refer to the Courses portion of this Bulletin or visit the Institute on Culture, Religion & World Affairs.

Minor in Muslim Cultures

Requirements

Students must earn grades of C or better in six 4-credit courses chosen from a combination of required and elective coursework.

Required are:

• One course in religion (CAS RN 214, 338/638, 340, 341, 345, 346 E)
• One course in the humanities (CAS AH 220, 313, 314, LY 284, 350, 441, 470, LT 218, LZ 281, XL 223, WS 305 B1)
• One language course numbered 212 or higher in Arabic (LY), Persian (LZ), or Turkish (LT)

Additionally, students choose three elective courses that reflect their interests and course of study. These three elective courses must include:

• Two courses must be taken from an approved list of humanities (HU) electives
• One course must be taken from an approved list of social science (SS) electives

For a current list of approved humanities and social sciences courses, consult the CURA website or its director, Professor Tim Longman.

Minor in Muslim Societies

Requirements

Students must earn grades of C or better in six 4-credit courses chosen from a combination of required and elective coursework.

Required are:

• One course in religion (CAS RN 214, 338/638, 340, 341, 345, 346 E [also offered as CAS HI 354 E])
• One social science course (CAS AN 317, 319, 320, 360, HI 387, 389, or IR 328, 382, 383, 503, 507, or 587)

Additionally, students choose four elective courses that reflect their interests and course of study. These four elective courses must include:

• Three courses must be taken from an approved list of social sciences (SS) electives
• One course must be taken from an approved list of humanities (HU) electives

For a current list of humanities and social sciences approved courses, consult the CURA website or its director, Professor Tim Longman. Students pursuing the minor in Muslim Societies are strongly encouraged to begin or continue the study of Arabic, Persian, or Turkish. A course in one of these languages numbered 212 or higher can be used as the humanities elective for this minor.

Courses

All courses are 4-credit hours.

Anthropology

• CAS AN 307 Turkey and Middle East in Comparative Perspective
• CAS AN 317 Power and Society in the Middle East
• CAS AN 319 Anthropology of Muslim Cultures and Politics
• CAS AN 320 Women in the Muslim World
• CAS AN 327 Islam in Africa
• CAS AN 347 Afghanistan
• CAS AN 355 Religious Fundamentalism in Anthropological Perspective
• CAS AN 360 The Nomadic Alternative
• CAS AN 375 Culture, Society, and Religion in South Asia
• CAS AN 384 Anthropological Study of Religion
• CAS AN 524 Language and Culture Contacts in Africa
• CAS AN 525 Ritual and Political Identity
• CAS AN 532 Literacy and Islam in Africa
• CAS AN 547, 548 Topics in Muslim Societies and Islamic Civilizations
• CAS AN 563 Religion and Politics across Cultures
• CAS AN 593 Topics in Cultural Anthropology

Archaeology

• CAS AR 221 Archaeology of the Islamic World
• CAS AR 342 Archaeology in the Holy Land
• CAS AR 532 Studies in Near and Middle Eastern Archaeology

History

• CAS HI 213 Sacred and Secular Power in Christianity and Islam
• CAS HI 229 The Great Powers and the Eastern Mediterranean
• CAS HI 234 Introduction to India and South Asia
• CAS HI 320 Understanding Revolution: France and Algeria
• CAS HI 349 History of Religion in Pre-Colonial Africa
• CAS HI 354 History of Religion: North Africa Studies
• CAS HI 381 History of Modern Iran, 1900–Present
• CAS HI 382 Turko-Persia in the Twentieth Century
• CAS HI 383 Modern History and Geopolitics of the Caucasus
• CAS HI 385 History of Premodern Iran
• CAS HI 387 Introduction to the Middle East
• CAS HI 389 Americans and the Middle East
• CAS HI 390 Mecca to Dubai: Cities in the Middle East
• CAS HI 391 Media Revolutions in the Modern Middle East
• CAS HI 392 The History of Israel: An Introduction
• CAS HI 393 Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
• CAS HI 410 Religion, Community, and Culture in Medieval Spain
• CAS HI 484 Revolutionary Change in North Africa and the Middle East
• CAS HI 485 Selected Problems in the Modern Middle East
• CAS HI 486 Islamic History
• CAS HI 592 The Birth of a State: Israel 1945–1955
• CAS HI 595 Morocco: History on the Cusp of Three Continents
• CAS HI 596 Muslim Societies: An Interdisciplinary History

History of Art & Architecture

• CAS AH 220 Islamic Art and Architecture
• CAS AH 313 Imperial Reflections: Early Modern Islamic Art and Architecture
• CAS AH 314 After Genghis Khan: Art and Architecture in Central Asia and Iran
• CAS AH 317 From Morocco to Timbuktu: Art and Architecture at the Saharan Crossroads
• CAS AH 540 Europe and the Islamic World: Medieval and Early-Modern Cultural Exchange

International Relations

• CAS IR 307 Introduction to Middle East Politics
• CAS IR 325 Great Powers of the Eastern Mediterranean
• CAS IR 328 Turko-Persia in the Twentieth Century (meets with CAS HI 382)
• CAS IR 369 Southeast Asia in World Politics (meets with CAS PO 355)
• CAS IR 382 Understanding the Middle East (meets with CAS GE 382)
• CAS IR 397 History of Modern Iran 1900–Present (meets with CAS HI 381)
• CAS IR 503 The U.S. in the Middle East (meets with CAS PO 503)
• CAS IR 504 Seminar: The Persian Gulf/Arabian Peninsula (meets with CAS PO 577)
• CAS IR 507 Islam & Politics
• CAS IR 509 Islam in Middle East Politics (meets with CAS PO 556)
• CAS IR 511 The Middle East Today
• CAS IR 533 Contentious Politics and the Arab Spring the Middle East
• CAS IR 561 Religion and International Relations
• CAS IR 563 Religion and Politics Across Cultures
• CAS IR 586 Islam in South Asian Politics

Religion

• CAS RN 105 Introduction to the World’s Religions
• CAS RN 214 Islam
• CAS RN 220 Holy City: Jerusalem in Time, Space, and Imagination
• CAS RN 249 Islamophobia and Anti-Semitism
• CAS RN 316 Modern Islam
• CAS RN 322 History of Judaism
• CAS RN 338 Mysticism and Philosophy: Medieval Jewish Perspectives
• CAS RN 340 The Quran
• CAS RN 341 Sufism
• CAS RN 344 Islam and the West
• CAS RN 345 Shariah Law
• CAS RN 346 History, Islam, and Politics in the MENA
• CAS RN 348 Rumi and Persian Sufi Poetry
• CAS RN 349 Islam in Africa
• CAS RN 355 Religion and Violence
• CAS RN 375 Culture, Society, and Religion in South Asia (meets with CAS AN 375)
• CAS RN 382 History of Religion in Pre-Colonial Africa
• CAS RN 390 Archeology in the Holy Land
• CAS RN 410 Religion, Community, and Culture in Medieval Spain
• CAS RN 434 Representations of Muhammad
• CAS RN 435 Women, Gender, and Islam
• CAS RN 475 Directed Study in Islamic Studies
• CAS RN 493 Directed Study in Classic Arabic
• CAS RN 532 Islamic Africa: Islam and Literacy in Africa
• CAS RN 563 Muslim Societies: An Interdisciplinary History

Sociology

• CAS SO 438 Seminar on International Migration

Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies

• CAS WS 380 Gender and Identity in Contemporary Middle Eastern Film

World Languages & Literatures

• CAS LT 281 Istanbul at Crossroads
• CAS LT 304 Turkey in the Middle East
• CAS LT 388 World Cities: Istanbul
• CAS LY 283 Arab Women Writers
• CAS LY 411 Arabic Society through Hip Hop and Cartoons
• CAS LY 420 Media Arabic
• CAS LY 441 1001 Nights in the World Literary Imagination
• CAS LY 471 Topics in Arab Culture and Arabic Literature (meets with CAS XL 470, 471)
• CAS LY 491 Directed Study in Arabic and Islamic Studies
• CAS LZ 211, 212 Second-Year Modern Persian
• CAS LZ 380 Persian Epic and Romance (in English translation)
• CAS LZ 381 Rumi and Persian Sufi Poetry
• CAS LZ 492 Directed Study in Persian
• CAS XL 223 Introduction to Middle Eastern Literatures
• CAS XL 315 Tradition and Modernity in Iranian Film and Literature
• CAS XL 380 Gender and Sexuality in Middle Eastern Film
• CAS XL 381 Middle Eastern Women Write (meets with CAS WS 305)