MEST

In this course we will examine a number of issues of particular interest and relevance to Muslims today. We’ll place contemporary considerations and debates within historical context, and highlight the ways in which the Qur’an and the Sunna or Tradition of the prophet Muhammad continue to shape and animate Muslim responses to contemporary questions and challenges. We will highlight the stakes of these issues and debates within Muslim communities in order to gain an appreciation for the wide range of commitments, interpretations, and perspectives that are included under the tent of “Islam.” Moreover, we will use a self-reflective and critical approach in order to maintain awareness of our own commitments and biases - as well as those of the authors we read - and the ways in which these shape and are shaped by our study. The first part of the course will be devoted to foundational concepts and discourses. Next, we will consider issues of politics and the state, followed by gender and feminist hermeneutics. We’ll have a segment at the end about alternative sub-cultures as well as skepticism and atheism.