Boston University offers over 70 courses under the broad heading of Muslim Studies. A current listing of those courses can be found below.
Anthropology | Archaeology | History | International Relations | Modern Lang. and Comp. Lit. | Political Science Religion | Sociology
CAS AN 307 – Turkey & Middle East Perspective
Social and cultural diversity of the modern Middle East with particular attention to Turkey. Focus on the interplay of tradition and socioeconomic changes that have occurred during the 20th century and their implications for the future.
CAS AN 317 – Power and Society in the Middle East
Peoples and cultures of the Middle East from Afghanistan to Morocco and from the Caucuses to Yemen. Focuses on social organization, family structure, the relationship between the sexes, and the development and maintenance of authority.
CAS AN 319 – Anthropology of Muslim Cultures and Politics
Muslim societies are today being buffeted by a struggle over the forms and meanings of Muslim culture and politics. This course examines this struggle, and its implications for religious authority, gender ideals, and new notions of citizenship, civil society, and democracy.
CAS AN 320 – Women in the Muslim World
A cross-cultural approach to the diversity and complexity of women's lives in the Muslim world, including the United States. Looks at issues such as gender equality, civil society and democracy, sex segregation and sexual politics, kinship and marriage, and veiling.
CAS AN 355 – Religious Fundamentalism in Anthropological Perspective
Anthropological study of the global phenomenon of religious fundamentalism. A product of the modern world, fundamentalism is perceived as counter-cultural and anti-nationalist. Cases drawn from North America and Islamic Middle East, with special attention to women's interpretation of religion.
CAS AN 360 – The Nomadic Alternative
Ethnographic and historical examination of nomads in Africa and Eurasia focusing on the ecology of pastoralism, nomadic social organization, political relations between nomads and states, the rise and fall of steppe empires, and the future of nomads.
CAS AN 371 – Political Anthropology of the Modern World
Examines the concepts of political anthropology and applies them to the analysis of the origins and development of the modern political world. Special attention to nations and nationalism, the state and modern development, comparative political culture, and urban and agrarian political change.
CAS AN 375 – Culture, Society, and Religion in South Asia
TBD
Ethnographic and historical introduction to the Indian subcontinent with a focus on the impact of religion on cultural practices and social institutions.
CAS AN 384 – Anthropological Study of Religion
TBD
Prereq: CAS AN101 or consent of instructor. An introduction to the anthropological study of myth, ritual, and religious experience across cultures. Special attention to the problem of religious symbolism and meaning, religious conversion and revitalization, contrasts between traditional and world religions, and the relation of religious knowledge to science, magic, and ideology.
CAS AN 525 – Ritual and Political Identity
Prereq: Senior standing or consent of instructor. Provides a conceptual foundation for interpreting and understanding ritual and its role in shaping political and social identity and worldview. Focus on cases drawn from the contemporary Muslim World.
CAS AN 547/548 – Topics: Muslim Societies and Islamic Civilizations
Instructor Varies
Prereq: Junior standing or consent of instructor. Selected current issues and debates in current anthropology focusing on contemporary Muslim societies and Islamic civilizations.
CAS AN 711 – Civil Society and the State in Global Perspective
The relationship between civil society and democracy is a subject of major debate, and many scholars contest the notion that the existence of civil society is a sufficient condition for democracy. At best there seems to be a necessary relationship between civil society and democracy, but even this claim is challenged, especially when it is applied to the developing world. (Cross listed as IR 711).
CAS AR 221 – Archaeology of the Islamic World
This course explores and highlights the significant features of Islamic material culture that flourished in North Africa, across Asia and parts of Europe and survives in the world of Islam today. This course will survey ancient Islamic cities including those revealed by excavations and architectural masterpieces surviving in different parts of the world from Europe to China and from Central Asia to India and Africa.
Examines key monuments of Islamic art and architecture within their historical and cultural context, and emphasizes the diversity within the visual cultures of the Islamic world.
CAS AH 428 – Seminar, Islamic Art: Kings, Heroes and Lovers: Islamic Painting and the Arts of the Book
This course will examine the manuscript traditions of the Islamic world, with particular attention to painting and calligraphy. A broad variety of manuscripts will be examined from the point of view of production, patronage, aesthetics and reception. Different genres such as religious, historical, and literary manuscripts will be explored. Concepts of artistic transmission, the development of an aesthetic tradition, and dynastic styles will be examined via specific examples.
CAS AH 540 – Europe and the Islamic World: Medieval, Early Muslim Cultural Exchange
Cultural exchange between Europe and the Islamic world, and its impact on visual culture during the late medieval and early modern periods; the transmission of aesthetic concepts and visual traditions via specific patrons, artists, and works of art and architecture.
CAS HI 280 – The History of Israel: An Introduction.
Paula Kabalo
Beginning with Israel's creation in 1948, this course covers the political and military history of Israel, including the 1956 War with Egypt, the 1967 War, and the State's development to the present day. It also covers immigration and the Palestinian question.
CAS HI 291 – Reconstructing the African Past
Discusses the uses of archaeological evidence and oral tradition, as well as primary and secondary documentation, in the study of precolonial African history: early states and empires, kinship, cosmology and social order, slavery and the slave trade, origins of racial conflict in southern Africa.
CAS HI 327 – Early Medieval Spain
History of Spain from the fifth through thirteenth centuries: late Roman Spain, Visigoths, Islamic conquest, society and culture of Islamic Spain, rise of Christian kingdoms; conquest and settlement of Andalusia, social relations and cultural exchange among Christians, Muslims, and Jews.
CAS HI 392 - Introduction to the Middle East
General introduction to the history, culture, and current development in the Middle East. Objective is to introduce students to a specific geographical and historical experience as well as to acquaint them with some of the literature in the field.
CAS HI 484 – Revolutionary Change in North Africa and the Middle East
Analysis of problems of revolutionary change and development theories as they apply to North Africa and the Middle East. Reading colloquium.
CAS HI 485 – Selected Problems in the Modern Middle East
Major events in recent history of the Middle East: emergence of nationalism and intellectual awakening of the Ottoman Empire; impact of western economic penetration; effect of partition; seeds of conflict and Egyptian transformation under Nasser.
Examination of major historical forces that determined the growth and character of Islamic civilization from beginnings to modern times.
CAS HI 592 – The Birth of a State: Israel 1945-1955
Paula Kabalo
Establishment of the State of Israel, 1945-1955. Immediate context following World War II and the Holocaust, out of which the State of Israel was created. Will consider the War of Independence and relations with Israel’s Arab neighbors and internal political developments.
CAS IR 325 – The Great Powers and the Eastern Mediterranean
Looks at the Eastern Mediterranean as a center of Great Power confrontation, and considers its impact on wider international relations; the domestic political results; the role of sea power; and the origins, conduct, and resolution of wars.
CAS IR 328 – Turco-Persia in the Twentieth Century
The twentieth century history of the non-Arab Muslim Middle East, i.e., Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asia. Analysis of the constitutional revolutions in Turkey and Iran, Kemalism, the Islamic revolution in Iran, and communism in the Soviet Union and Afghanistan.
CAS IR 503 (PO 570) – United States Policy in the Middle East
Examines the historical development and present status of the United States' association with the Middle East: American commercial, economic, political, military, and humanitarian interests in the area and their interaction.
CAS IR 504 – The Persian Gulf/Arabian Peninsula
Prereq: Limited to juniors, seniors, and graduate students. The Persian Gulf/Arabian Peninsula system as a major focus of international concern. An in-depth examination of the political, economic and societal evolution and dynamics of these states: their interrelationships; superpowers', European, and Japanese policies toward them.
CAS IR 507 – The Muslim and Western Worlds – Prospects for a “Clash of Civilizations.”
This course explores the perennially troubled relationship between the Western and Muslim worlds. Its central aim is to shed light on the realities and mutual misperceptions, both past and present, that come together to give credence to Samuel Huntington's prediction of a clash across the cultural fault line he perceived between Muslims and Westerners. Armed with this understanding, students may be better able to judge the meaning of the September 11, 2001 catastrophe and to decide for themselves whether the questions being raised about the seemingly intractable hatred and scorn each side seems to harbor for the other are the right ones to ask.
CAS IR 508 – Islamic Political Movements and U.S. Policy
This course studies the origin and impact of Islamic political movements and their intersection with U.S. foreign policy. It examine the ideologies of various Islamic revivalist movements; their role during and after the cold war; their view of the U.S. and western civilization, and how the have contributed to the rise of terrorism.
CAS IR 509 – Islam in Middle East Politics
There is little question that the major opposition forces in the contemporary Middle East are populist Islamist movements. In this seminar we shall attempt to understand the roots, the motives and the significance of these movements.
Proceeding from an introduction to Islam-- the religion of about one billion people worldwide--a number of key questions will give shape to the seminar. Informed observers, and even informed scholars, are prone to take as given a number of generalities about Islam and politics, although at least some of the "givens" do not stand up to scrutiny. These generalities, in turn, reflect a political ideology that bears reflection and study, especially since the wide social base of the Islamists precludes either ignoring or successfully isolating them. There is no mistaking the fact that many of the leaders of the Islamic movements are preparing to posit themselves as the new rulers. Thus, there is not only relevance in examining the Islamists' critique of the present governments, but also in investigating the theory of government that would under gird Islamist rule.
CAS IR 511 – The Middle East Today (Summer Term)
Wilfrid Rollman
A critical survey of the rise and development of modern nations, states, and economies in the Middle East and North Africa since 1900 that provides context and perspective essential for understanding contemporary issues (e.g., peace process, gender relations, religion's roles, democracy).
CAS IR 514 – Major Themes in Middle East Peace Process
Examines the opposing parties’ positions in the Arab-Israeli conflict and efforts by the U.S. and the United Nations to try to resolve them. Analyzes the Camp David negotiations leading to the peace treaty of 1979, the Palestinian uprising in the West Bank and Gaza since 1987 and proposes solutions for a comprehensive peace treaty.
CAS IR 539 – State-Building and Nation-Formation in Southeastern Europe
Prerequisite: Junios, Seniors, and Graduate Students. Course examines the politics of Southeastern Europe in terms of the twin processes of state-formation and nation-building. The course covers the following countries—Bosnia, Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Romania, Albania, Greece, and Turkey. The basic aim of this course is to provide students with an introduction to the region's unity and diversity as this relates to internal development of Southeastern Europe and to region's relationship with Europe as whole. Students will leave the course with the foundational knowledge and critical analytic tools necessary for continuing or advanced study of Southeastern Europe.
CAS IR 586 – Islam in South Asian Politics
Prereq: limited to seniors and graduate students except by consent of instructor. Examines the relations among state, politics, and Islam in South Asia, with particular focus on the unsolved conflicts over Kashmir and Afghanistan.
CAS IR 587 – The Political Economy of the Middle East
Eurocentric students of 19th Century history thought of the Ottoman Empire as "the sick man" of Europe. The modern Middle East, with its wars, its wealthy few and impoverished millions, its stagnant economies and authoritarian politics seems to many to have inherited that title on the world scene. The purposes of this course are to: 1) seek an understanding of the issues and problems facing the societies, economies and states of the region; 2) assess the successes and failures of public policy aimed at dealing with those concerns and difficulties; and 3) examine scenarios for the future. While the course is centered primarily on what is going within in the region, rather than on the Middle East’s place in the international politics and the world economy, it is not possible to think coherently about subjects such as oil and political Islam without reference to region’s complex interaction with the outside world.
CAS IR 591 – The Great Powers in the Middle East 1798-1922
David Fromkin
Seminar focuses on the rivalry between the Great Powers of Europe in the Middle East, commencing in 1798; and on the resolution of these conflicts in the First World War and its immediate aftermath. The focus is on 1914-1922, the formative years of the modern Middle East. In the age of imperialism, the big decisions in world politics were made by the European Powers; so this seminar is mainly about the Europeans and the conflicts among them, even though it answers, in the end, the question of how the modern Middle East, with its new countries and frontiers, emerged from the wreckage of the Ottoman Empire and the other Muslim regimes that had held sway in the past. The arena of conflict between the Great Powers was the Middle East as defined, not in a geographic, but in a geopolitical sense: it was the road to British-ruled India, a road that England was defending and that England’s rivals were attempting to sever. As so defined the Middle East included northern Africa, Afghanistan, Central Asia, and Persia (Iran), as well as Turkish and Arabic speaking western Asia.
CAS IR 705 - Modernization in Turkey, Iran, and Afghanistan
Studies the various aspects of modernization of the Northern Tier. The three countries are ideally suited for comparative analysis, as they were the only Muslim states that survived the era of European imperialism as independent states.
CAS IR 706 – The Iranian Revolution and its Impact on the Middle East
This course examines the Islamic Revolution in Iran and its impact on the Middle East. The first third of the seminar focuses on Iran, and subsequently the Iran/Iraq war, Lebanon, the Persian Gulf and Israel will be studied as they are affected by Iran’s upheavals.
CAS IR 707 – Political Reform in the Middle East
Seminar analyzes and rethinks Middle East politics. Authoritarian governments rule most of the Middle east, but internal and external pressures for change are mounting. Given the tenuousness of the status quo, political reform will be hard to avoid.
CAS IR 762 – Turkey and the EU: The History and Contemporary Aspects of Turkey’s European Path
Prereq: Advanced Graduate Standing. Examines the relationship between Turkey and the European Union (EU). Interaction of two data sets is considered: key concepts, actors, concerns and issues of European integration; historical and contemporary hallmarks of Turkey's political, economic, cultural, and military development.
CAS IR 757 – Transnational Shi'ism
Begins with the original split in Islam that generated Twelver Shi'ism, discusses key features of the religion, such as Muharram rituals and the existence of a quasi-clergy, and ends with a discussion of individual Shi'ite countries and relations between them.
LT 111 - First-Semester Turkish
Introduction to spoken and written Turkish and fundamentals of Turkish grammar, with oral drills and written exercises.
LT 112 - Second-Semester Turkish
Prereq: CAS LT 111 or equivalent. Completes introduction to modern Turkish grammar, with emphasis on development of aural and written comprehension, as well as writing and speaking abilities.
LT 211 - Third-Semester Turkish
Prereq: CAS LT 112 or equivalent. Further, intermediate-level, development of Turkish language skills through textbooks, authentic readings including literary works, internet-based exercises, and the use of Turkish audio and visual materials.
LT 212 - Fourth-Semester Turkish
Prereq: CAS LT211 or consent of instructor. Completes presentation of structures of Turkish, to "intermediate-high" levels of proficiency in reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
CAS LY 111 - Elementary Modern Arabic I
The essentials of standard Arabic, the idiom used in public communications throughout the Arab world. Listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Lab required.
CAS LY 112 - Elementary Modern Arabic II
Continuing the essentials of standard Arabic, the idiom used in public communications throughout the Arab world. Listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Lab required.
CAS LY 211 - Second-Year Modern Arabic I
Prereq: CAS LY 112. Completes the process of presenting the basic structures of modern formal Arabic, concentrating on weak verb forms, more complicated sentence formation, and more sophisticated expression in speech and writing. Vocabulary expansion and better root-pattern identification skills are also stressed. Lab required.
CAS LY 212 - Second-Year Modern Arabic II
Prereq: CAS LY 211. Completes the process of presenting the basic structures of modern formal Arabic, concentrating on weak verb forms, more complicated sentence formation, and more sophisticated expression in speech and writing. Vocabulary expansion and better root-pattern identification skills are also stressed. Lab required.
CAS LY 282 – Qur'anic Negotiations: Contemporary Muslim Writers and the Holy Book
CAS LY 283 – Contemporary Arab Women Writers – in English.
Introduction to the literature of Arab feminism, highlighting important recent developments in women's self-expression. Themes include family ties, expressions of female sexuality, women and ethnicity, and writing in exile about Arab culture.
CAS LY 303 – Third Year Arabic I
Advanced reading, composition, grammar review, listening skills, and conversation in Modern Standard Arabic as well as major dialects such as the Cairine or the Gulf dialect. Prerequisite: (CASLY212).
CAS LY 304 – Third Year Modern Arabic II
Kheireddine Bekkai
Continuing advanced reading, advanced composition; grammar review, listening skills, and conversation in Modern Standard Arabic as well as major dialects such as the Cairine or the Gulf dialect. Prereq: (CASLY303).
CAS LY 491/492 - Directed Study in Arabic
Instructor Varies
Prereq: consent of department and CAS Room 105. Application form available in department. Variable cr, 1st and 2nd sem.
CAS LZ 111 - First-Year Modern Persian I
Introduction to spoken and written Persian and to fundamentals of Persian grammar, with oral drills and written exercises.
CAS LZ 112 - First-Year Modern Persian II
Introduction to spoken and written Persian and to fundamentals of Persian grammar, with oral drills and written exercises.
CAS LZ 211 - Second-Year Modern Persian I
Development of communicative skills acquired in the first year.
CAS LZ 212 - Second-Year Modern Persian II
Development of communicative skills acquired in the first year.
CAS LZ 280 – Persian Epic and Romance – in English
Introduction to classical Persian narrative literature in poetry and prose. Readings include: story cycles from the tenth-century Persian national epic, Shahnameh (“The Epic of Kings”); the Persian Alexander romance; Nezami’s romance, Layla and Majnun; Jami’s Sufi allegory, Yusuf and Zulaykha. The endurance of Persian myths and tales in world literature and film today will also be discussed. May also be taken to fulfill CAS WR 150 requirement.
CAS PO 560 – Politics and Society in North Africa and the Middle East
An investigation of contemporary North Africa and the Middle East, with emphasis on current socioeconomic and political trends and tensions.
CAS PO 588 – Turkey and the EU: The History and Contemporary Aspects of Turkey’s European Path
TBD
Prereq: Junior standing. Examines the relationship between Turkey and the European Union (EU). Interaction of two data sets is considered: key concepts, actors, concerns and issues of European integration; historical and contemporary hallmarks of Turkey's political, economic, cultural, and military development.
The rise and spread of Islam from the seventh century to the present; introduction to its central beliefs, institutions, and practices, and its impact on the religious and cultural history of Asia and Africa. Continuity and change in the modern period.
Focuses on key thinkers and intellectual movements since the nineteenth century, emphasizing Egypt. How have modernists (Afghani, Abduh, Rida), Islamists (Qutb, Mawdudi), feminists (Sha'rawi, Bint al-Shati), and contemporary scholars (Abu Zayd, Arkoun, Soroush) negotiated the encounter between tradition and modernity?
The emergence of the Quran as a major religious text, its structure and literary features, and its principal themes and places within the religious and intellectual life of the Muslim community.
CAS RN 341 – Islamic Mysticism: Sufism
Rise and development of the mystical movement in early Islam; analysis of the thought of leading Sufi brotherhoods, their organization, liturgy, and religious life; the impact of Sufism on classical and postclassical Islam.
CAS RN 343 – Islam in Global Perspective
A Historical and comparative study of Islam's spread from the Arabian Peninsula in the 7th century into the major cultural zones of Asia, Africa and the West; reasons for Islam's expansion; its ability to adapt itself to regional cultures and to function simultaneously as a catalyst for religious and cultural change.
CAS RN 344 – Islam and the West
Examination of religious and intellectual interaction of Islam and the West during the Middle Ages: philosophy, theology, jurisprudence, mystical thought, and ethical theory. Literary and scientific influences also considered.
TBA. To be offered in AY 2007/2008.
CAS RN 347 – Islamic Theology and Philosophy
An introduction to the most important philosophers and theologians in Islamic intellectual history, with a focus on the concepts they articulated and the movements they engendered.
CAS RN 375 – Culture, Society, and Religion in South Asia
Ethnographic and historical introduction to the Indian subcontinent with a focus on the impact of religion on cultural practices and social institutions.
CAS RN 425 – Topics in S. Asian Religions
Instructor Varies
Specific aspects of South Asian religions within a historical or comparative/ phenomenological framework. Topic varies per semester (as does relevancy with this proposed minor).
CAS RN 435 - Women, Gender, and Islam
TBA - Offered begining AY 2007/2008.
CAS SO 328 – Contemporary South Asian Societies
The course offers a broad introduction to contemporary South Asian societies. With a focus on the conceptual themes of modernity and identity, selected topics are explored, including South Asian ethnic and political conflicts, women's movements, popular culture, and diaspora communities.
CAS SO 438 – Seminar on International Migration
The movement of people across borders is certainly not something that is new. But international migration has arguably become more prominent and significant in the contemporary era of globalization. Reflecting these developments, in sociology as well as other social science disciplines, the topic of international migration is increasingly recognized as an important subfield of study. This seminar course on international migration will provide graduate students and advanced level undergraduate students with an overview of the major conceptual themes and perspectives that mark the study of international migration within sociology, ranging from theories of transnationalism to ongoing debates about the impact of migrant labor flows on sending societies. The course includes several "case-studies" of specific trends or phenomena such as the experience of women migrant domestic workers as well as the rise of revivalist Islam among migrant Muslim youth in Western societies.
Anthropology | Archaeology | History | International Relations | Modern Lang. and Comp. Lit. | Political Science Religion | Sociology