ASIAN 2247 - Controversy and Debate in Islam

(crosslisted) NES 2649, RELST 2247
(GHB) (HA-AS)

Spring. 4 credits. Student option grading.

C. Formichi.

Whether it is politics, society, the law, sexuality, popular culture or minorities’ rights, the media are saturated with news on Islam. This course introduces topical issues in Islam as a religious, historical, cultural and political phenomenon. We will discuss this religion’s manifold interpretations and investigate its multiple manifestations across the globe, giving special attention to Asia (from Iran to China, Indonesia, Afghanistan, India, Thailand, etc.). Key themes include religious devotion, the arts, Islamic law, gender, statehood, jihad, and sectarianism. No previous knowledge of Islam is required as the course covers the fundamentals of Islam as a religious system as well as a historical phenomenon. (GE)