College of Arts & Sciences
Muslim Studies
Director Thomas Barfield (AN)
Anthropology Barfield, Barth, Haeri (WS), Hefner, Lindholm, Smith-Hefner, J. White
Art History Becker, Fetvaci
Core Curriculum Tabatabai
History Anderson, Glick, Payaslian, Wylie
International Relations Chehabi, Dunbar, Goldstein, Mughal, Norton (AN), Prodromou
Modern Languages & Comparative Literature Litvin, Micallef, Sharma
Political Science Gendzier
Religion Ali, Korom (AN)
Sociology Kibria
Ongoing world events have sparked an acute interest in the study of Muslim societies. The Institute for the Study of Muslim Societies & Civilizations 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. For complete descriptions of the courses listed below, refer to departmental sections or visit the Institute for the Study of Muslim Societies & Civilizations.
Minor in Muslim Cultures (2316)
Students must earn grades of C or better in six courses chosen from a combination of required and elective coursework. Required are one course in religion (CAS RN 214, 340, 345, or 347), one course in literature (CAS LY 281, 282, 283, LZ 280, RN 340, or pertinent versions of variable topics course WS 305), and one language course numbered 212 or higher in Arabic (LY), Persian (LZ), or Turkish (LT). Students choose three additional courses that reflect their interests and course of study. Two of these additional 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 courses, contact the Institute (617-358-4648); consult the minor advisor, Professor Betty Anderson; or visit the Institute for the Study of Muslim Societies & Civilizations.
Minor in Muslim Societies (2317)
Students must earn grades of C or better in six courses chosen from a combination of required and elective coursework. Required are one course in religion (CAS RN 214, 340, 345, or 347) and one social science course (CAS AN 317, AN 319, HI 392, or IR 328). Students choose four additional courses that reflect their interests and course of study. Three of these additional 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 approved courses, contact the Institute (617-358-4648); consult the minor advisor, Professor Betty Anderson; or visit the Institute for the Study of Muslim Societies & Civilizations. 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
CAS AH 220 Islamic Art and Architecture
CAS AH 317 Morocco to Timbuktu: Art and Architecture at the Saharan Crossroads
CAS AH 428 Seminar: Islamic Art
CAS AH 540 Europe and the Islamic World: Medieval and Early-Modern Cultural Exchange
CAS AN 307 Turkey and Middle East in Comparative Perspective
CAS AN 317 Power and Society in the Middle East
CAS AN 318 Southeast Asia: Tradition and Development
CAS AN 319 Anthropology of Muslim Cultures and Politics
CAS AN 320 Women in the Muslim World
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 525 Ritual and Political Identity
CAS AN 547/548 Topics in Muslim Societies and Islamic Civilizations
CAS AR 221 Archaeology of the Islamic World
CAS HI 276 Armenia from Antiquity to the Middle Ages
CAS HI 277 Modern Armenian History and Literature
CAS HI 280 History of Israel: An Introduction
CAS HI 291 Reconstructing the African Past
CAS HI 327 Early Medieval Spain
CAS HI 392 Introduction to the Middle East
CAS HI 393 Americans and the Middle East
CAS HI 484 Revolutionary Change in North Africa and the Middle East
CAS HI 485 Selected Problems in the Modern Middle East
CAS HI 592 The Birth of a State: Israel 1945–1955
CAS IR 328 Turko-Persia in the Twentieth Century (meets with CAS HI 398)
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 397)
CAS IR 503 U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East
CAS IR 504 Seminar: The Persian Gulf/Arabian Peninsula (meets with CAS PO 570)
CAS IR 507 The Muslim and Western Worlds—Prospects for a Clash of Civilizations
CAS IR 509 Islam in Middle East Politics (meets with CAS PO 573)
CAS IR 511 The Middle East Today
CAS IR 514 Major Themes in the Middle East Peace Process
CAS IR 586 Islam in South Asian Politics
CAS IR 587 Political Economy of the Middle East
CAS IR 591 The Making of the Modern Middle East (Meets with CAS HI 591)
CAS LT 111, 112 First-Year Turkish
CAS LT 211, 212 Second-Year Turkish
CAS LY 111, 112 Elementary Modern Arabic
CAS LY 139 Intensive First-Year Arabic for Heritage Learners
CAS LY 211, 212 Second-Year Modern Arabic
CAS LY 303, 304 Third-Year Modern Arabic
CAS LY 403 Advanced Arabic 1
CAS LY 441 1001 Nights in the World Literary Imagination
CAS LZ 111, 112 First-Year Modern Persian
CAS LZ 211, 212 Second-Year Modern Persian
CAS LZ 280 Persian Epic and Romance (in English translation)
CAS PO 560 Politics and Society in North Africa and the Middle East
CAS PO 588 Turkey and the European Union: The History and Contemporary Aspects of Turkey’s European Path
CAS RN 214 Islam
CAS RN 340 The Quran
CAS RN 344 Islam and the West
CAS RN 345 Islamic Law
CAS RN 347 Islamic Philosophy and Theology
CAS RN 375 Culture, Society, and Religion in South Asia (meets with CAS AN 375)
CAS RN 435 Women, Gender, and Islam
CAS RN 475, 476 Directed Study in Islamic Studies
CAS RN 493, 494 Directed Study in Classic Arabic
CAS SO 328 Contemporary South Asian Societies
CAS SO 438 Seminar on International Migration
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16 October 2009
Boston University
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