This course addresses city formation, urban space, and the socio-religious structure in Islamic cities from early Islam to the modern period. The course approaches the Islamic city both as an urban phenomenon and as a modern analytical concept. Its content include some central themes in Islamic studies such as the place of religion in the […]
Jewish thought and culture are explored over a millennium (800-1800), focusing on transformations of the classical (biblical-rabbinic) legacy and interplay with the Islamic and Christian religio-cultural spheres in which they developed.
This course focuses on the Qur'an and its different interpretations. Historical, linguistic, literary, sectarian, Sufi, feminist, modernist and traditionalist approaches are considered in the discussion of selected readings from the Qur'an in English translation.
This course focuses on the Qur'an and its different interpretations. Historical, linguistic, literary, sectarian, Sufi, feminist, modernist and traditionalist approaches are considered in the discussion of selected readings from the Qur'an in English translation.
Provides the students with an opportunity to critically engage in analysis of the genesis of the myths claiming 'veracity' and 'historicity' of the selected tales from The Arabian Nights and a range of other sources that use themes from the Arabian Nights.
This course examines various biblical literary genres and themes within the context of literature from the ancient Near East.
This course attempts a nuanced reading of texts dealing with sexuality and/or violence in the Hebrew Bible. The discussion focuses both on a contextual and on a contemporaneous reading of these texts.
Examines the status, roles, and rights of Muslim women in the Quran, the Prophetic traditions, and the diverse Islamic laws. It explores the development of different schools of laws in diverse societies and examines the changes regarding Muslim women's identity.
Allows students to pursue a supervised program of research in the advanced study of religion. Topics can include focused projects in specific ancient religious texts; contemporary religious issues; or religion and literature, philosophy or psychology.
This is a research seminar focused on the cultural expressions of the Protestant and Catholic Reformations of the 16th century. Students will study a selection of relevant doctrinal points, relating them to their expression in the broader cultural context.