Muslim Studies Minors

Ongoing world events have sparked an acute interest in the study of Muslim societies. The Institute on Culture, Religion & World Affairs (CURA) within the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies desires to foster a better understanding of those societies and to preserve their diverse heritage through an interdisciplinary approach that exposes students to Muslim societies’ historical, religious, anthropological, political, linguistic, and cultural characteristics.

Members of the College of Arts & Sciences humanities and social science faculty offer a broad range of courses focusing on the Muslim societies and civilizations of the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. In addition, they offer two undergraduate minors under Pardee School auspices: Muslim Cultures (HU) and Muslim Societies (SS).

Available to students in any of BU’s four-year undergraduate schools and colleges, both minors can prepare students to work in a variety of careers, including anthropology, archaeology, history, art and literature, health, education, government, and international affairs. For complete descriptions of the courses listed below, refer to the Courses portion of this Bulletin or visit the Institute on Culture, Religion & World Affairs.

Minor in Muslim Cultures

Requirements

Students must earn grades of C or better in six 4-unit courses chosen from a combination of required and elective coursework.

Required are:

• One course in religion (CAS RN 214, 338/638, 340, 341, 344, 345, 346E, or 347, or another course with the approval of the CURA Director)
• One course in the humanities (CAS AH 220, 313, 314, LY 284, 350, 441, 470, LT 218, LZ 281, XL 223, WS 305 B1, or another course with the approval of the CURA Director)
• One language course numbered 212 or higher in Arabic (LY), Persian (LZ), or Turkish (LT)

Additionally, students choose three elective courses that reflect their interests and course of study. These three elective courses must include:

• Two courses must be taken from an approved list of humanities (HU) electives
• One course must be taken from an approved list of social science (SS) electives

For a current list of approved humanities and social sciences courses, consult the CURA website. Students may also contact the Director of CURA for permission to count courses toward the minor.

Minor in Muslim Societies

Requirements

Students must earn grades of C or better in six 4-unit courses chosen from a combination of required and elective coursework.

Required are:

• One course in religion (CAS RN 214, 338/638, 340, 341, 344, 345, 346E, or 347, or another course with the approval of the CURA Director)
• One social science course (CAS AN 317, 319, 320, 360, HI 387, 389, or IR 328, 382, 383, 503, 507, 587, or another course with the approval of the CURA Director)

Additionally, students choose four elective courses that reflect their interests and course of study. These four elective courses must include:

• Three courses must be taken from an approved list of social sciences (SS) electives
• One course must be taken from an approved list of humanities (HU) electives

For a current list of humanities and social sciences approved courses, consult the CURA website. Students may also contact the Director of CURA for permission to count courses toward the minor. Students pursuing the minor in Muslim Societies are strongly encouraged to begin or continue the study of Arabic, Persian, or Turkish. A course in one of these languages numbered 212 or higher can be used as the humanities elective for this minor.

Courses

All courses are 4 unit hours.

Anthropology

• CAS AN 307 Turkey and Middle East in Comparative Perspective
• CAS AN 317 Power and Society in the Middle East
• CAS AN 319 Anthropology of Muslim Cultures and Politics
• CAS AN 320 Women in the Muslim World
• CAS AN 327 Islam in Africa
• CAS AN 347 Afghanistan
• CAS AN 355 Religious Fundamentalism in Anthropological Perspective
• CAS AN 375 Culture, Society, and Religion in South Asia
• CAS AN 384 Anthropology of Religion
• CAS AN 524 Seminar: Language and Culture Contact in Africa
• CAS AN 532 Literacy and Islam in Africa
• CAS AN 563 Religion and Politics across Cultures
• CAS AN 593 Topics in Cultural Anthropology

History

• CAS HI 229 The Great Powers and the Eastern Mediterranean
• CAS HI 234 Introduction to India and South Asia
• CAS HI 349 History of Religion in Pre-Colonial Africa
• CAS HI 381 History of Modern Iran, 1900–Present
• CAS HI 383 Modern History and Geopolitics of the Caucasus
• CAS HI 385 History of Premodern Iran
• CAS HI 389 Americans and the Middle East
• CAS HI 390 Mecca to Dubai: Cities in the Middle East
• CAS HI 392 Israel: History, Politics, Culture, Identity
• CAS HI 393 Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
• CAS HI 410 Religion, Community, and Culture in Medieval Spain
• CAS HI 595 Morocco: History on the Cusp of Three Continents

History of Art & Architecture

• CAS AH 232 Archaeology of Ancient Egypt
• CAS AH 317 From Morocco to Timbuktu: Art and Architecture at the Saharan Crossroads

International Relations

• CAS IR 307 Introduction to Middle East Politics
• CAS IR 325 Great Powers of the Eastern Mediterranean
• CAS IR 369 Southeast Asia in World Politics (meets with CAS PO 355)
• CAS IR 382 Understanding the Middle East
• CAS IR 397 History of Modern Iran 1900–Present (meets with CAS HI 381)
• CAS IR 503 The U.S. in the Middle East (meets with CAS PO 503)
• CAS IR 504 Politics of the Arabian Peninsula and Persian Gulf
• CAS IR 507 Islam & Politics
• CAS IR 511 The Middle East Today
• CAS IR 533 Contentious Politics and the Arab Spring the Middle East
• CAS IR 561 Religion and International Relations
• CAS IR 563 Religion and Politics Across Cultures

Religion

• CAS RN 104 Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
• CAS RN 105 Introduction to the World’s Religions
• CAS RN 214 Islam
• CAS RN 220 Holy City: Jerusalem in Time, Space, and Imagination
• CAS RN 249 Islamophobia and Anti-Semitism
• CAS RN 322 History of Judaism
• CAS RN 338 Philosophy and Mysticism: Jewish and Islamic Perspectives
• CAS RN 345 Shariah Law
• CAS RN 348 Rumi and Persian Sufi Poetry
• CAS RN 355 Religion and Violence
• CAS RN 375 Culture, Society, and Religion in South Asia (meets with CAS AN 375)
• CAS RN 382 History of Religion in Pre-Colonial Africa
• CAS RN 410 Religion, Community, and Culture in Medieval Spain
• CAS RN 435 Women, Gender, and Islam
• CAS RN 532 Literacy and Islam in Africa

Sociology

• CAS SO 438 Seminar on International Migration

Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies

• CAS WS 380 Gender and Identity in Contemporary Middle Eastern Film

World Languages & Literatures

• CAS LT 281 Istanbul at Crossroads
• CAS LT 304 Turkey in the Middle East
• CAS LT 388 World Cities: Istanbul
• CAS LY 283 Arab Cultures Through Film
• CAS LY 411 Arabic Society through Hip Hop and Cartoons
• CAS LY 420 Arabic Media
• CAS LY 441 1001 Nights in the World Literary Imagination
• CAS LY 470 Topics in Arabic Literature
• CAS LY 471 Topics in Arab Culture and Arabic Language
• CAS LY 491 Directed Study in Arabic
• CAS LZ 211, 212 Second-Year Modern Persian
• CAS LZ 380 Persian Epic and Romance (in English translation)
• CAS LZ 381 Rumi and Persian Sufi Poetry
• CAS LZ 491/492 Directed Study in Persian
• CAS XL 223 Introduction to Middle Eastern Literatures
• CAS XL 315 Tradition and Modernity in Iranian Film and Literature
• CAS XL 342 Travel Writing and the Muslim World
• CAS XL 380 Gender and Identity in Contemporary Middle Eastern Film
• CAS XL 381 Middle Eastern Women Write (meets with CAS WS 305)