Courses on Islam and Muslims

Advancing the study of contemporary Islam and Muslims through innovative courses.

The center routinely offers two courses, Interrogating Islamophobia & Contemporary Islam & Muslims in the US, co-taught by Director Abiya Ahmed and our new undergraduate teaching fellow to expand campus discourse.

CCSRE 30: Interrogating Islamophobia

Course Description: Is there such a thing as “American Islam”? This is one of the many questions we will explore in this course on contemporary Islam and Muslims in a post-9/11, post-Trump United States. Following some brief grounding history in Week 1, we will use ethnographic studies and digital media content to understand the lived experience of Muslims in the US, how that interacts with theoretical and normative conceptions of Islam, and whether these interactions eventually create a distinctive “American Islam.” Together we will develop a critical perspective on the US Muslim experience, particularly as a case of how one diverse religious community negotiates religion in a complex sociopolitical setting. 

CSRE 135: Contemporary Islam and Muslims in the US

Course Description: Is there such a thing as “American Islam”? This is one of the many questions we will explore in this course on contemporary Islam and Muslims in a post-9/11, post-Trump United States. Following some brief grounding history in Week 1, we will use ethnographic studies and digital media content to understand the lived experience of Muslims in the US, how that interacts with theoretical and normative conceptions of Islam, and whether these interactions eventually create a distinctive “American Islam.” Together we will develop a critical perspective on the US Muslim experience, particularly as a case of how one diverse religious community negotiates religion in a complex sociopolitical setting.