World Islamic and Middle East Studies
WIMES Program Presentation
The undergraduate programs in World Islamic and Middle East Studies offer students language-based interdisciplinary training about the Islamic world. Combining humanities and social-science approaches, the programs introduce students to the textual traditions and social life of Muslims – and the non-Muslims interacting with them – in different times and places, including but not limited to the Middle East.
Students in the programs learn about the complexity and variety of Muslim societies and cultures across the world, paying attention to regional specificities but also becoming aware of past and present global links. With solid grounding in language training (Arabic, Persian, Turkish or Urdu), students take courses on history, law, sciences, philosophy, art, literature, political science, and anthropology, combining knowledge about the contemporary Islamic world and the traditions that are important for understanding it.
The Institute of Islamic Studies offers a Major and a Minor Concentration, an Honours and Joint Honours Program for students wishing to pursue more in-depth studies, and Language Minors in Arabic, Persian, Turkish and Urdu for students interested in language training.
To register for a WIMES program, you must have been offered admission into the Bachelor of Arts program at McGill. The Institute of Islamic Studies does not administer undergraduate admissions. Please refer to this link on Undergraduate Admissions for further information.
Major Concentration World Islamic & Middle East Studies (36 Credits)
Download the Audit Sheet to help you plan your courses.
Complementary Courses (36 Credits)
12-15 credits (2 levels) in one language: Arabic, Persian, Turkish, or Urdu. In the case of Arabic, the first two levels involve 15 credits. The extra 3 credits will be counted toward the remainder of the complementary courses requirement.
21-24 credits (21 if Introductory Arabic has been chosen), of complementary courses selected from the World Islamic and Middle East Studies course lists as follows:
3 credits of 100-/200-level non-language ISLA courses;
6 credits of 300-level non-language ISLA courses;
6 credits of 400-/500-level non-language ISLA courses;
6-9 credits at any level, including more language courses, but no more than 6 credits overall at the 100/200 level. Students might fulfill these credits by taking complementary courses from other departments listed as relevant to the program.
Languages (12-15 credits)
Arabic
ISLA 221D1
Introductory Arabic
4.5 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Introduction to Modern Standard Arabic, including pronunciation and reading and writing of the Arabic script; and speaking and comprehension of basic sentences, commands, statements in the present tense.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisites: Permission of the Institute required.
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ISLA521D1/D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 221D1 and ISLA 221D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- Students must register for both ISLA221D1 and ISLA 221D2.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 221D2
Introductory Arabic
4.5 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 221D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 221D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 221D1 and ISLA 221D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- Students must register for both ISLA221D1 and ISLA 221D2.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 322
Lower Intermediate Arabic
6 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Speech, comprehension, reading and writing of more complex grammatical structures, including the conditional sentence, case endings, and verbs and verbal constructions.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 221D1/D2 or ISLA 521D1/D2 or placement test or permission of the Institute.
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 522 or ISLA 522D1/D2.
- Students are expected to have knowledge of basic Arabic grammar and vocabulary.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 322D1
Lower Intermediate Arabic
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Speech, comprehension, reading and writing of more complex grammatical structures, including the conditional sentence, case endings, and verbs and verbal constructions.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 221D1/D2 or ISLA 521D1/D2 or placement test or permission of the Institute.
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 522 or ISLA 522D1/D2.
- Students must register for both ISLA322D1 and ISLA 322D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 322D1 and ISLA 322D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- ISLA 322D1 and ISLA 322D2 together are equivalent to ISLA 322
- Students are expected to have knowledge of basic Arabic grammar and vocabulary.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 322D2
Lower Intermediate Arabic
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 322D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 423D1
Higher Intermediate Arabic
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Introduction to advanced grammatical constructions and vocabulary through readings of longer texts in Arabic, as well as conversation, and exposure to video/audio cultural materials. Continued exposition of Arabic grammar, including active and passive participles, conjunction of irregular verbs, and active and passive voices.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 322D1/D2 or ISLA 322 or ISLA 522D1/D2 or ISLA 522 or placement test or permission of the instructor.
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 523D1/D2.
- Fall and Winter
- Students must register for both ISLA 423D1 and ISLA 423D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 423D1 and ISLA 423D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Students are expected to have knowledge of intermediate-level Arabic grammar and vocabulary.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 423D2
Higher Intermediate Arabic
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 423D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 423D1
- Fall and Winter
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 423D1 and ISLA 423D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Students are expected to have knowledge of intermediate-level Arabic grammar and vocabulary.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 524
Advanced Arabic 1
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Advanced level of the Arabic language study.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 423D1/D2 or ISLA 523D1/D2 or ISLA 623D1/D2 or placement test or permission of the instructor
- Note: Language of instruction is Arabic.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 525
Advanced Arabic 2
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Advanced level of the Arabic language study.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 524 or placement test or permission of the instructor.
- Note: Language of instruction is Arabic.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 526
Colloquial Arabic
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Dialectical vocabulary and grammar structures.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA322D1/D2 or equivalent, placement test, or permission of the instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
Persian
ISLA 241D1
Introductory Persian
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Introduction to the Persian language, beginning with pronouncing, reading and writing the Persian script, and moving to vocabulary and grammatical structures needed to communicate in simple dialogues, read simple texts, and write simple paragraphs.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: Placement test or permission of the instructor
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 541 D1/D2.
- Students must register for both ISLA 241D1 and ISLA 241D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 241D1 and ISLA 241D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 241D2
Introductory Persian
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 241D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 241D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 241D1 and ISLA 241D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 342D1
Lower Intermediate Persian
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Speech, comprehension, and reading and writing of more complex grammatical structures, embedded within a variety of short authentic Persian texts.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 241D1/D2 or ISLA 541 D1/D2, placement test, or permission of the instructor.
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 542D1/D2.
- Students must register for both ISLA 342D1 and ISLA 342D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 342D1 and ISLA 342D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- Students are expected to have knowledge of basic Persian grammar and vocabulary.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 342D2
Lower Intermediate Persian
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 342D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 443D1
Upper Intermediate Persian
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Introduction to authentic texts about Persian culture, history, geography, politics, arts, and other topics relevant to Iran, as well as canonical poems of various modern and classical poets, and selected Persian proverbs and their meanings and connotations.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Fall
- Prerequisite: ISLA 342D1/D2 or ISLA 542D1/D2 or placement test or permission of the instructor.
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 543 and ISLA 544.
- Note: Language of instruction is Persian.
- Students must register for both ISLA 443D1 and ISLA 443D2
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 443D1 and ISLA 443D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 443D2
Upper Intermediate Persian
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 443D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 443D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 443D1 and ISLA 443D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 545
Advanced Persian 1
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Advanced level of Persian language study.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 546
Advanced Persian 2
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Advanced level of Persian language study.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 545 or placement test or permission of the instructor.
- Note: Language of instruction is Persian.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
Turkish
ISLA 232D1
Introductory Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Introduction to speaking and comprehension of basic sentences, commands, statements in the present and future tenses. Introduction to simple daily conversations.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ISLA532 D1/D2.
- Students must register for both ISLA232D1 and ISLA 232D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 232D1 and ISLA 232D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 232D2
Introductory Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 232D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 232D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 232D1 and ISLA 232D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 333D1
Lower Intermediate Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Listening comprehension, reading, and writing of more complex grammatical structures, including the subjunctive, future, and past tenses.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 232D1/D2 or ISLA 532D1/D2 or permission of the Institute.
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 533D1/D2.
- Students must register for both ISLA333D1 and ISLA 333D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 333D1 and ISLA 333D2 are successfully completed inconsecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 333D2
Lower Intermediate Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 333D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 434D1
Higher Intermediate Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Contemporary cultural texts in Turkish, including literature and media. Reading materials supported by audio visual media featuring modern spoken Turkish.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 434D2
Higher Intermediate Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 434D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 434D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 434D1 and ISLA 434D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 535D1
Advanced Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Language acquisition - advanced Turkish.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 535D2
Advanced Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 535D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 535D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 535D1 and ISLA 535D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
Urdu
ISLA 251D1
Introductory Urdu-Hindi
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Introduction to Urdu-Hindi language including pronunciation and reading and writing of either Urduor Hindi script, speaking and comprehension of basic sentences, commands, statements in the present tense.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken ISLA551D1/D2.
- Students must register for both ISLA251D1 and ISLA 251D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 251D1 and ISLA 251D2are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 251D2
Introductory Urdu-Hindi
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 251D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 251D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 251D1 and ISLA 251D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 352D1
Intermediate Urdu-Hindi
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Speech, comprehension, and reading and writing of more complex grammatical structures, including the subjunctive, future, and past tenses.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 251D1/D2 or ISLA 551D1/D2 or placement test or permission of the instructor.
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 552D1/D2.
- Students must register for both ISLA352D1 and ISLA 352D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 352D1 and ISLA 352D2 are successfully completed inconsecutive terms.
- Students are expected to have knowledge of basic Urdu-Hindi grammar and vocabulary.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 352D2
Intermediate Urdu-Hindi
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 352D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 352D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 352D1 and ISLA 352D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Students are expected to have knowledge of basic Urdu-Hindi grammar and vocabulary.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 553
Advanced Urdu-Hindi 1
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Builds upon Intermediate Urdu-Hindi to introduce students to advanced grammatical constructions through reading of longer texts in the Urdu or
Hindi script, conversation, and video/audio cultural materials.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 554
Advanced Urdu-Hindi 2
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Advanced study of grammatical constructions through reading long texts in the Urdu or Hindi script, conversation, and video/audio cultural materials.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 553 or permission of the instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 100-/200-Level
3 credits from:
ISLA 199
FYS: Narr of the Middle East
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: An introduction to competing narratives about crucial moments in the history and culture of the Middle East. Reading and discussion of texts drawn from a variety of perspectives and genres, including historical accounts, poetry, fiction, memoir and others.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Fall
- Restriction(s): Only open to newly-admitted students in U0 or U1, who may take only one FYS.
- Note: Enrollment limit 25. Students who register for more than one FYS will be obliged to withdraw from all but one of them.
- Note: Language of instruction is English.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 200
Islamic Civilization
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: An introduction to, and survey of, the religious, literary, artistic, legal, philosophical and scientific traditions that constituted Islamic civilization from the 7th Century until the mid-19th Century.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Fall
- Note: All readings are in English.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 210
Muslim Societies
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: An introduction to the different, often disparate, ways in which Muslims live and think in the modern world (19th-21st centuries). Muslim social contexts across the globe and cyberspace.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 300-Level
6 credits from:
ISLA 300
Special Topics 7
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Subject matter will vary year to year, according to the instructor. Topic will be made available in Minerva.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 305
Topics in Islamic History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Subject matter will vary year to year, according to the instructor. Topic will be made available in Minerva.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 310
Women in Islam
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The socio-legal status, conditions, and experiences of various groups of women in Middle Eastern societies. These features are explored within the framework of Islamic feminism and Western feminist discourses, and the tensions and conflicts between them. The dynamics of seclusion, veiling, and polygamy are explored in connection to Medieval Arab ruling elites as a background to some of the discussions and debates over the status of women in modern postcolonial Arab society. Socio-economic divisions, state policies, patriarchy, and colonialism are investigated as key factors in understanding the modern historical transformation of gendered relations and women's roles.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 315
Ottoman State&Society to 1839
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The emergence and development of the Ottoman Empire from its beginnings around 1300 until the Tanzimat Edict of Reform in 1839. A trajectory of Ottoman history from a small principality to a centralized empire, then to a decentralized governmental structure. In addition to chronological developments, questions of imperialideology and the management of ethnically and religiously diverse communities across a vast territory. Exploration of the place of the Ottomans in the early modern world, and their ideological and diplomatic rivalry with other major empires.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 325
Introduction to Shi'i Islam
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Developments in doctrines, legal school, rituals and political thought of Twelver Shi'ite Muslims during early and late medieval periods (centuries VII-XIII). The emergence of the earliest Shi'ite communities in Arabia, Yemen, Iraq and Iran stressing the relationship of the Shi'ite Imams and their religious scholars to the Sunnite Caliphates.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 330
Islamic Mysticism: Sufism
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The varieties of "mystical" thought in Islam, primarily as seen in Sufism, its historical development and its place in Islamic culture. Analytical study of major authors, their writings and their central problems.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA 200 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 340
Islamic Law and Human Rights
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The impact of modernity on Islamic legal discourse and practice, with particular focus on hermeneutical approaches devised to create an overlapping consensus with liberal democracy. The counter discourse – popularly known as Salafism -- to which Islamic modernism gave rise will also be examined.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 200 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 345
Science&Civilization in Islam
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: History of scientific traditions and ideas in Islamic civilization, from the origins of Islam to the early modern period. Emphasis is on the derivation, development and transmissions of Islamic science, as well as on the assimilation and influence of science within Islamic culture.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Winter
- Prerequisite: ISLA 200 or permission of the instructor.
- Note: All readings are in English.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 350
From Tribe to Dynasty
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The political and intellectual developments shaping Arab and Persian societies from the rise of Islam in the 7th century until the early mid 8th century, including the major social changes, political revolts, religious schisms, and the consolidation of lasting cultural institutions.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 355
Modern History: Middle East
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Assessment of the historical transformation of the modern Middle East concentrating on its internal socio-economic changes, as well as the colonial experience and encounters with the West since the early 19th century. Examination of the historical conditions that led to the rise of nationalism, the nation-state, the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 210 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 360
Islam and Politics
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Assessment of the relationship between Islam and politics in the contemporary Middle East and Africa through various analytic themes, including political economy, social movement and gendered analysis.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Fall
- Prerequisite: ISLA 210 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 365
Middle East Since the 1970's
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Changes that have occurred in the Middle East since the 1970's, viewed through the lens of themes such as migration, consumerism, war, communications, and ideology.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 210 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 370
The Qur’an: Hist & Interpret
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: It examines the history of the codification of the text, its form, and modes of interpretation in both the modern and pre-modern periods. Presentation of different schools of Qur’anic exegesis, including traditional hermeneutical approaches, and modern approaches such as feminist interpretations of the Qur’ān.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA 200 or permission of instructor
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 380
Islamic Philosophy & Theology
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: A survey of the most important philosophers and theologians in Islamic intellectual history, with a focus on the theories they articulated and the movements they engendered. The impact of European thought on 19th and 20th century Islamic intellectual history is also examined.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 200 or permission of instructor.
- Note: Reading and discussion in English.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 383
Central Questions-Islamic Law
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: An integrative view of Islamic law in the past and present, including landmarks in Islamic legal history (e.g., sources of law; early formation; intellectual make-up; the workings of court; legal change; legal effects of colonialism; modernity and legal reform) and a structured definition of what it was/is.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Winter
- Prerequisite: ISLA 200 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 385
Poetics & Politics in Arab Lit
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Major issues in classical and modern Arabic literature; how poetics and politics interact in classical and modern, popular folktales and high literature, novels and poetry. The politics of translation from Arabic into English.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 210 or permission of instructor.
- Note: Reading and discussion in English.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 388
Persian Literature
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Examination of literature produced in the Persian-speaking world from the mid 10th to the late 20th century C.E. A broad selection of texts (prose and poetry) will be studied in translation.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Fall
- Prerequisite: ISLA 200 or permission of instructor.
- Note: Readings in English.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 392
Arabic Lit as World Lit
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Consideration of Arabic literature as part of world literature, including exploration of tensions between reading Arabic literature as local, discrete and self-contained and as part of larger global phenomena.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Winter
- Prerequisite: ISLA 210 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 400-/500-Level
6 credits from:
ISLA 410
History:Middle-East 1798-1918
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: A study of the Middle East from Napoleon's invasion of Egypt to the end of WWI. Emphasis will be on the emergence of nationalisms in the context of European imperialism; political, social, and economic transformation; religion and ideology; and changing patterns of alliances.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 411
History:Middle-East 1918-1945
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The impact of WWI on Middle Eastern society and politics; the British and French mandates; the growth of nationalisms, revolutions and the formation of national states; WW II and the clash of political interests within the region.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 415
Modern Iran: Anthro Approach
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The modern history, social, and cultural anthropology of contemporary Iran.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 210 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 420
Indo-Islamic Civ: Medieval
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The rise of Islam in South Asia in the 8th Century and its subsequent expansion; evolution of Indo-Islamic civilization and its apogee during Mughal rule up to 1707. Themes include state and religion; ruling institutions; political theory, Sufism and the process of conversion, as well as the formation of a composite culture.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Winter
- Prerequisite: ISLA 200 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 421
Islamic Culture-Indian Subcont
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Survey of Islamic culture (faith systems, literature, music, art) on the Indian subcontinent from the early modern period to the present, with a focus on conflict and relations between Muslims and non-Muslims, and between majority and minority Muslim groups.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 430
Islamdom: Baghdad to Cordoba
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The course examines the major socio-political developments in Iraq, Persia, Syria, Egypt, North Africa and Spain from the 9th to the 13th Century. Emphasis is laid on the Umayyad Caliphate centered in Cordoba, and the 'Abbasid Caliphate centered in Baghdad, and the rise of important local dynasties leading up to the Mongol invasion. The course underscores the formation of Islamic cultures in distinct geographical settings and the transformation of religious life under new socio-economic conditions. It also explores shifting notions of civil society and orthodoxy.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 488
Tales of Wonder-Islamic World
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Reading of literary masterpieces of Islamic world focused on three collections of marvelous tales in Arabic, Persian and Urdu: The Arabian Nights, the Shahnameh, and the Adventures of Amir Hamza. May include film screenings, visual art, viewing of rare materials.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA 200, ISLA 210, or permission of instructor.
- Taught in translation.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
[Course medium ISLA 489]
ISLA 501
The Qur'an: Text and History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: A study of the Qur'an's teachings, structures, style, and history in the light of classical and modern scholarship.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 502
Art in the Age of Empires
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: This course offers a wide-ranging survey of visual culture under the three Muslim superpowers of the early modern period: the Mediterranean-based Ottomans, the Safavids of Iran, and the Mughals of India. The course will examine the nature of these states and their distinctive and vibrant artistic idiom on a comparative basis. Topics include the formation of imperial ideology and its visual articulation; palaces and court culture; artistic organization, authorship, and agency; patronage, gender, piety, as well as cross-cultural interaction.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA 320 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 505
Islam:Origin&Early Development
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The Qur'an, Hadith, the Shari'a and their major themes. The early development of law, theology and Sufism. The development and formation of an Islamic "orthodoxy", the development and nature of competing interpretations of Islam during the Classical Period. Topics: God, revelation, prophecy, the community and the individual and the meaning of history.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 506
Revolutions in the Arab World
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: How the basic elements of Islam have been understood in the course of later Islamic history up to the present day. The nature and development of Shi'ism, Sufi brotherhoods, major intellectual trends, Islam in a world of nation states, diaspora. The challenges of modernity and the contemporary world.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 511
Medieval Islam, 10th-12th Cent
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Socio-political, religious and intellectual developments in Muslim societies following the weakening of the Arab-Sunni Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad during the tenth century. Emphasis will be placed on the historical formation and features of the Seljuq and Buyid dynasties as well as the Fatimid Caliphate in Egypt.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisites: Isla 200
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have take ISLA 511D1/D2
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 512
Art of the Ottoman Empire
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: This course examines artistic production of the large and long-lived empire of the Ottomans. Focusing on key monuments of art and architecture, discussion will revolve around issues relating to imperial identity, patronage, court-culture, and cross-cultural exchange.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA 320 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 515
The Medieval School in Islam
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Schooling in medieval Islamic society particularly in Iraq, Greater Syria, Persia, and Egypt. Sheds light on the structure of learning, aims of education, the life of students including women, and their relationship to their teachers. Illuminates forms of academic evaluation, and looks closely at the "scholarly license" as an accrediting tool delineating its function and scope. Through a set of representative studies on the medieval school, it brings attention to the heated debates surrounding the academic rigor of this form of learning, and the place of scientific learning in it, as well as the historical connection between it and the early European college.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 516
Medieval Islam, 13th-15th Cent
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The historical circumstances surrounding the Crusades against Muslims in Greater Syria and Egypt. The socio-economic, political, and cultural transformation of Muslim society following the destruction of the Abbasid Caliphate, and the rise of the Ikl-Khanid Mongols in Iran and Iraq, as well as the Mamluks in Syria and Egypt. Emphasis will be placed on the integration of new Persian, Turkish, and Indian populations into Islamic imperial culture.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 555
Urdu Poetry
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Interpretation of Urdu poetry for students with intermediate to advanced-level knowledge of Urdu-Hindi language. Includes advanced grammar topics, cultural and historical background, and interpretation and analysis.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA 352D1/D2 or permission of the instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 581
Special Topics 1
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Selected topics in Islamic studies.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Fall and/or Winter
- Note: Subject matter will vary year to year, according to the instructor. Topic will be announced at the beginning of the term.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 582
Special Topics 2
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Selected topics in Islamic Studies.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Subject matter will vary from term to term, according to the instructor. Topic will be announced at the beginning of the term.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 585
Arab Women's Literature
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Explorations of writings by Arab women. Issues include: translation/reception, gender and genre, categories of knowledge about Arab women, feminist and post-colonial theories/methodologies.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 392 or permission of instructor.
- Note: Readings in English translation.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
Remainder
6-9 credits at any level, including
ISLA 499
WI&MES Internship
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Internship with an approved host institution or organization.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Restriction(s): Open to U2 and U3 students with a minimum CGPA of 2.7, and permission of the departmental Internship Adviser. This course will not normally fulfill program requirements for seminar or 400-level courses. A letter from a supervisor at the institution must attest to successful completion of the student's tenure (minimum 150 hours). Students attain credit by writing a research project based on and inspired by their internship experience. This research paper is written after the Internship is completed.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
or more language courses (from the
lists above), but no more than 6 credits overall at the 100/200 level. Students might also fulfill these credits by taking complementary courses from other departments (from the
list below).
Non-ISLA Courses
ANTH 209
Anthropology of Religion
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Anthropology: Nature and function of religion in culture. Systems of belief; the interpretation of ritual. Religion and symbolism. The relation of religion to social organization. Religious change and social movements.
Offered by: Anthropology
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ANTH 318
Globalization and Religion
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Anthropology: The interactions between religion and the economic, social and cultural transformations of globalization: relations between globalization and contemporary religious practice, meaning, and influence at personal and collective levels.
Offered by: Anthropology
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ANTH 327
Anthropology of South Asia
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Anthropology: An introduction to anthropological research in India and greater South Asia. Topics include politics, caste, class, religion, gender and sexuality, development and globalization.
Offered by: Anthropology
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
HIST 209
Intro to South Asian History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
History: Charts the making of South Asian civilization, 2500 BCE- 1707 CE, through a selection of key themes and major trends. Focus on the transformation of local kinship ties into regional kingdoms and empires, the evolution of religion and the legacy of the expansion of Islam and consequent rise of Turkish, Afghan and Mughal empires in this area.
Offered by: History and Classical Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
HIST 240
Mod Hist of Islamic Movements
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
History: Islamic revival in the Middle East which led to the rise of different versions of Islamic traditions and beliefs. Emphasis on the nature and character of leading nationalist and Islamic movements and their ideologues since the late 19th century.
Offered by: History and Classical Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
HIST 340
History of Modern Egypt
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
History: Explores the history of Egypt from the 18th Century to today. Topics include: Ottoman Egypt, the impact of French and British Colonialism, Nasserism, Camp David and economic liberalization, and the Egyptian Revolution of 2011.
Offered by: History and Classical Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
HIST 341
Themes in South Asian History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
History: Exploration of a theme in the history of South Asia.
Offered by: History and Classical Studies
- Prerequisite: HIST 209 recommended.
- Themes may vary from year to year.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
HIST 435
Topics in South Asian History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
History: In-depth discussion and research on a topic in the history of South Asia.
Offered by: History and Classical Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
HIST 446
Topics in Middle East History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
History: Examination of a selected topic in the history of the modern Middle East from the late 19th century to the present.
Offered by: History and Classical Studies
- Prerequisite(s): Any class on the history of the Middle East or permission of the instructor
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
HIST 591D1
Modern Middle East History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
History: Topics in the history of the modern Middle East.
Offered by: History and Classical Studies
- Prerequisite(s): HIST 240 or HIST 339 or HIST 340 or HIST 448 or permission of instructor.
- Students must register for both HIST 591D1 and HIST 591D2. No credit will be given for this course unless both HIST 591D1 and HIST 591D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Restriction(s): Open only to history honours and graduate students or advanced students who have permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
HIST 591D2
Modern Middle East History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
History: Topics in the history of the modern Middle East.
Offered by: History and Classical Studies
- Prerequisite(s): HIST 240 or HIST 339 or HIST 340 or HIST 448 or permission of instructor.
- Students must register for both HIST 591D1 and HIST 591D2. No credit will be given for this course unless both HIST 591D1 and HIST 591D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Restriction(s): Open only to history honours and graduate students or advanced students who have permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 220D1
Introductory Hebrew
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: Language acquisition - introductory Hebrew.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 220D2
Introductory Hebrew
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: See JWST 220D1 for course description.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 245
Jewish Life - Islamic World
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: Until the early modern period, most of the world’s Jews spoke Arabic and called the Islamic world home. This course explores the Jewish experience among Muslims from the seventh century until the present. Through close readings of primary sources and historical scholarship, students will learn how Jews under Islam shaped modern Judaism, how engagement with Arabic in Islamic Spain
led to the revival of Hebrew, and how the Jewish-Muslim relationship fared in the twentieth century. The course also probes themes of history and memory in light of the departure of Jews from the Islamic world in the 1950s and 1960s.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 261
Hist of Jewish Phil & Thought
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: An introduction to Jewish philosophy and thought from the Hellenistic period (Philo) to the beginning of the modern era (Spinoza) focusing on topics such as prophecy and philosophy, God and the world; the Law as a canon of ethical rules and as a political constitution. Survey of the treatment of such issues by Jewish thinkers from Philo to Maimonides.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 312
Modern Jewish History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: Exploration of major transformations to Jewish society and identity in the modern period. Topics include nationalism, emancipation, acculturation, modernity,
relations with non-Jews, popular culture, and literature.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 320D1
Intermediate Hebrew
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: This course is designed to integrate students at various levels into one group with the aim of improving their basic language skills and preparing them for advanced Hebrew.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 320D2
Intermediate Hebrew
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: See JWST 320D1 for course description.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 323
The Israeli Novel
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: In-depth examination of selected Israeli novels written during the past fifty years of national formation and consolidation. Authors may include Agnon, Yehoshua, Oz, Shabtai, Shalev and others.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 334
Jew&Muslims: A Modern History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: This course examines the modern history of Jewish-Muslim relations beyond just conflict. We will look at the experience of Jews and Muslims -- as individuals and communities -- who charted new cultural territory while navigating colonialism, nationalism, war, and decolonization, through close readings of a wide variety of primary sources (including letters, memoirs, fiction, music, film, and photography) and historical scholarship.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 338
Jewish Philosophy & Thought 2
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: Focuses on either a period, a current of thought or the work of a thinker in the history of Jewish thought from the Middle Ages to Modern Times, paying particular attention to the relationship of Jewish thinkers to intellectual trends in their respective cultural contexts. themes and concerns of Jewish theology and on Jewish responses to contemporary trends in European thought.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 340D1
Advanced Hebrew
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: Language acquisition - advanced Hebrew.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 340D2
Advanced Hebrew
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: See JWST 340D1 for course description.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 348
Modern Jewish Studies
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: Topics in Jewish Studies. Semesters will be devoted to specific issues and periods of the Jewish Experience since 1500 and the literature produced by Jews during this period.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 366
History of Zionism
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: An examination of the development of the Zionist idea, the most influential expression of modern Jewish nationalism, which led to the creation of the Jewish state. The transformation of elements of traditional Jewish messianism into a modern political ideology. Hibbat Zion, Political Zionism, Cultural and Synthetic Zionism will be discussed.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 367
Hebrew through Israeli Cinema
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: An opportunity to analyze Israeli cinema from different periods, spanning 1948 to the present. While participating primarily in Hebrew with some assignments in English, students in this course will be invited to engage actively with the social, political, psychological and aesthetic dimensions of these films.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- For detailed course content go to www.mcgill.ca/jewishstudies/undergraduates.
- Fall
- Prerequisite: JWST 340 or permission of instructor
- This course is conducted at an advanced level of Hebrew. Please contact the instructor to assess your language proficiency.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 368
A Taste of Hebrew Literature
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: An introduction to short literary forms in Hebrew from the mid-20th Century to the present. Short stories and poems will be discussed in terms of their literary qualities, as well as in relation to their cultural, social, political and historical contexts with the ultimate aim of fostering an improved ability to read, write and speak in Hebrew.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- For detailed course content go to www.mcgill.ca/jewishstudies/undergraduates.
- Winter
- Prerequisite: JWST 340 or permission of instructor
- This class is conducted at an advanced level of Hebrew. Please contact the instructor to assess your language proficiency.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 369
History of the Hebrew Language
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: An exploration of the evolution of the Hebrew language from Biblical texts to contemporary Israeli slang, including Rabbinical commentary, Medieval hymns, poetry by Jewish authors of the Islamic world, Haskalah literature in the modern Jewish Enlightenment, and contemporary texts to showcase the revival of a spoken Hebrew after 2000 years in exile. Linguistic patterns, literary structures and vocabulary.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- For detailed course content go to www.mcgill.ca/jewishstudies/undergraduates.
- Fall
- Prerequisite: JWST 340 or permission of instructor
- This course is conducted at an advanced level of Hebrew. Please contact the instructor to assess your language proficiency.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 370
Israeli Popular Culture
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: Israel's multifaceted contemporary culture including music, theatre and the visual arts, as well as stand-up comedy, dance, film and TV series, and contemporary Israeli society.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- For detailed course content go to www.mcgill.ca/jewishstudies/undergraduates.
- Winter
- Prerequisite: JWST 340 or permission of instructor
- This course is conducted at an advanced level of Hebrew. Please contact the instructor to assess your language proficiency.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
PHIL 356
Early Medieval Philosophy
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: An examination of selected works in the Christian, Islamic and Jewish traditions. Topics in moral and political philosophy, logic and metaphysics, philosophical psychology and epistemology, philosophy of science, and philosophical theology may be discussed.
Offered by: Philosophy
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
POLI 340
Developing Areas/Middle East
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Political Science: An examination of the societies, political forces and regimes of selected countries of the Eastern Arab world (Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia).
Offered by: Political Science
- Prerequisite: A basic course in Comparative Politics or a course on the region or written permission of the instructor
- Note: The area in the field of Comparative Politics is Developing Areas.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
POLI 341
Foreign Policy:The Middle East
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Political Science: An examination of the changing regional security environment and the evolving foreign policies and relationships of Arab states in three areas - relations with non-Arab regional powers (Israel, Iran), inter-Arab relations, Great Power relations. The course will focus particularly on Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
Offered by: Political Science
- Prerequisite: A 200- or 300- level course in International Relations or Middle East politics or permission of the instructor
- Note: The field is International Politics.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
POLI 347
Arab-Israel Confl,Crisis,Peace
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Political Science: Concepts - protracted conflict, crisis, war, peace; system, subsystem; Conflict-levels of analysis; historical context; images and issues; attitudes, policies, role of major powers; Crises-Wars - configuration of power; crisis models; decision-making in 1956, 1967, 1973, 1982 crisis-wars; conflict- crisis management; Peace-Making - pre-1977; Egypt-Israel peace treaty; Madrid, Oslo, Israel-Jordan peace; prospects for conflict resolution.
Offered by: Political Science
- Prerequisite: 160-243 prior to 1997-98; or POLI 244
- Note: The field is International Politics.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
RELG 204
Judaism, Christianity&Islam
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Religious Studies: An introduction to the beliefs, practices, and religious institutions of these three world religions.
Offered by: Religious Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
RELG 307
Bible, Quran & Interpretations
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Religious Studies: Jewish, Christian and Muslim scriptures as responses to earlier sacred texts and in the light of post-scriptural interpretations. The debates, polemics, interpretative strategies, and intellectual and spiritual sharing produced by these three religions in accepting, explaining, amplifying, modifying, and selectively rejecting their and other sacred scriptures.
Offered by: Religious Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
RELG 309
World Rel&Cultures They Create
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Religious Studies: The constitution and mutual entanglements of selected religions and cultures originating and thriving in varied regional contexts. Focus on highlighting the symbolic (visual, aural) expressivity of religions via ritual, myth, and rational speculation and its impact on high and popular cultures.
Offered by: Religious Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
RELG 440
Global Islam
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Religious Studies: Western scholarship has oscillated between orientalizing Islam and co-opting it into the Western (Abrahamic) fold of religious traditions. The course will challenge both perspectives by exploring Islam’s dynamic unfolding across a variety of civilizational regions and during subsequent epochs. Its patterns of premodern globalization are nowadays retrieved, sometimes by fitting Islamic cultures into neoliberal patterns of globalization, more often by sidelining or overlaying the Westphalian system of sovereign nation-states. The course will show how Islamic traditions have, both in history and in the present, developed unique intellectual tools and practical resources to interface both with ‘radical’ (Abrahamic) and ‘dialogic’ (non-Abrahamic) religious traditions: from the West (also via labor-based migration), through Central and South Asia, to East and Southeast Asia.
Offered by: Religious Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
RELG 573
Religions in Global Society
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Religious Studies: This seminar is devoted to the study of a plurality of often intersecting religious traditions in a globalizing world, based on interdisciplinary scholarship drawing from history, sociology, anthropology and archaeology. It starts from locating religious phenomena within intersecting social, cultural and political fabrics around the world. It articulates the relation between a multi-faith appreciation of the role of religions in a variety of societies and the emergence of diverse patterns of secularity in them. It facilitates a rich understanding of a complex past to shed light on the new challenges of globalization, including the opening of horizons of postsecular understandings and arrangements.
Offered by: Religious Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
Honours World Islamic & Middle East Studies (60 Credits)
Download the Audit Sheet to help you plan your courses.
Honours students must maintain a program GPA of 3.30 in their World Islamic and Middle East Studies courses and, according to Faculty regulations, a minimum CGPA of 3.00 in general.
Required Courses (6 Credits)
ISLA 495
WI&MES Research Seminar
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Research seminar on topics in world Islamic and Middle East studies.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Restriction(s): Open to final year WI&MES Joint Honours and Honours students and to others by permission of the Program Coordinator.
- Not open to students who have taken MEST 495.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
- to be taken in winter in terminal year. If you graduate in fall of U3 or will be studying away in winter of U3, please register for the course for winter of U2.
ISLA 496
Independent Reading & Research
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Supervised independent reading and research on an approved topic.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Restriction(s): Open to WI&MES Honours students and to others by permission of the Program Coordinator.
- Not open to students who have taken MEST 496.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
Complementary Courses (54 Credits)
54 credits of complementary courses selected from the World Islamic and Middle East Studies course lists as follows:
18-21 credits (3 levels) in one language: Arabic, Persian, Turkish, or Urdu.
33-36 credits (33 if Introductory Arabic has been chosen), distributed as follows:
3 credits of 100-/200-level non-language ISLA courses;
12 credits of 300-level non-language ISLA courses;
9 credits of 400-/500-level non-language ISLA courses;
9-12 credits at any level, including more language courses, but no more than 9 credits overall at the 100-/200-level. Students might fulfill these credits by taking complementary courses from other departments listed as relevant to the program.
Languages (18-21 credits)
Arabic
ISLA 221D1
Introductory Arabic
4.5 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Introduction to Modern Standard Arabic, including pronunciation and reading and writing of the Arabic script; and speaking and comprehension of basic sentences, commands, statements in the present tense.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisites: Permission of the Institute required.
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ISLA521D1/D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 221D1 and ISLA 221D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- Students must register for both ISLA221D1 and ISLA 221D2.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 221D2
Introductory Arabic
4.5 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 221D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 221D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 221D1 and ISLA 221D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- Students must register for both ISLA221D1 and ISLA 221D2.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 322
Lower Intermediate Arabic
6 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Speech, comprehension, reading and writing of more complex grammatical structures, including the conditional sentence, case endings, and verbs and verbal constructions.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 221D1/D2 or ISLA 521D1/D2 or placement test or permission of the Institute.
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 522 or ISLA 522D1/D2.
- Students are expected to have knowledge of basic Arabic grammar and vocabulary.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 322D1
Lower Intermediate Arabic
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Speech, comprehension, reading and writing of more complex grammatical structures, including the conditional sentence, case endings, and verbs and verbal constructions.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 221D1/D2 or ISLA 521D1/D2 or placement test or permission of the Institute.
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 522 or ISLA 522D1/D2.
- Students must register for both ISLA322D1 and ISLA 322D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 322D1 and ISLA 322D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- ISLA 322D1 and ISLA 322D2 together are equivalent to ISLA 322
- Students are expected to have knowledge of basic Arabic grammar and vocabulary.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 322D2
Lower Intermediate Arabic
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 322D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 423D1
Higher Intermediate Arabic
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Introduction to advanced grammatical constructions and vocabulary through readings of longer texts in Arabic, as well as conversation, and exposure to video/audio cultural materials. Continued exposition of Arabic grammar, including active and passive participles, conjunction of irregular verbs, and active and passive voices.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 322D1/D2 or ISLA 322 or ISLA 522D1/D2 or ISLA 522 or placement test or permission of the instructor.
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 523D1/D2.
- Fall and Winter
- Students must register for both ISLA 423D1 and ISLA 423D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 423D1 and ISLA 423D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Students are expected to have knowledge of intermediate-level Arabic grammar and vocabulary.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 423D2
Higher Intermediate Arabic
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 423D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 423D1
- Fall and Winter
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 423D1 and ISLA 423D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Students are expected to have knowledge of intermediate-level Arabic grammar and vocabulary.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 524
Advanced Arabic 1
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Advanced level of the Arabic language study.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 423D1/D2 or ISLA 523D1/D2 or ISLA 623D1/D2 or placement test or permission of the instructor
- Note: Language of instruction is Arabic.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 525
Advanced Arabic 2
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Advanced level of the Arabic language study.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 524 or placement test or permission of the instructor.
- Note: Language of instruction is Arabic.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 526
Colloquial Arabic
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Dialectical vocabulary and grammar structures.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA322D1/D2 or equivalent, placement test, or permission of the instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
Persian
ISLA 241D1
Introductory Persian
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Introduction to the Persian language, beginning with pronouncing, reading and writing the Persian script, and moving to vocabulary and grammatical structures needed to communicate in simple dialogues, read simple texts, and write simple paragraphs.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: Placement test or permission of the instructor
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 541 D1/D2.
- Students must register for both ISLA 241D1 and ISLA 241D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 241D1 and ISLA 241D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 241D2
Introductory Persian
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 241D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 241D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 241D1 and ISLA 241D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 342D1
Lower Intermediate Persian
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Speech, comprehension, and reading and writing of more complex grammatical structures, embedded within a variety of short authentic Persian texts.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 241D1/D2 or ISLA 541 D1/D2, placement test, or permission of the instructor.
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 542D1/D2.
- Students must register for both ISLA 342D1 and ISLA 342D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 342D1 and ISLA 342D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- Students are expected to have knowledge of basic Persian grammar and vocabulary.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 342D2
Lower Intermediate Persian
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 342D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 443D1
Upper Intermediate Persian
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Introduction to authentic texts about Persian culture, history, geography, politics, arts, and other topics relevant to Iran, as well as canonical poems of various modern and classical poets, and selected Persian proverbs and their meanings and connotations.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Fall
- Prerequisite: ISLA 342D1/D2 or ISLA 542D1/D2 or placement test or permission of the instructor.
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 543 and ISLA 544.
- Note: Language of instruction is Persian.
- Students must register for both ISLA 443D1 and ISLA 443D2
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 443D1 and ISLA 443D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 443D2
Upper Intermediate Persian
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 443D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 443D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 443D1 and ISLA 443D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 545
Advanced Persian 1
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Advanced level of Persian language study.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 546
Advanced Persian 2
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Advanced level of Persian language study.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 545 or placement test or permission of the instructor.
- Note: Language of instruction is Persian.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
Turkish
ISLA 232D1
Introductory Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Introduction to speaking and comprehension of basic sentences, commands, statements in the present and future tenses. Introduction to simple daily conversations.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ISLA532 D1/D2.
- Students must register for both ISLA232D1 and ISLA 232D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 232D1 and ISLA 232D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 232D2
Introductory Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 232D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 232D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 232D1 and ISLA 232D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 333D1
Lower Intermediate Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Listening comprehension, reading, and writing of more complex grammatical structures, including the subjunctive, future, and past tenses.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 232D1/D2 or ISLA 532D1/D2 or permission of the Institute.
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 533D1/D2.
- Students must register for both ISLA333D1 and ISLA 333D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 333D1 and ISLA 333D2 are successfully completed inconsecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 333D2
Lower Intermediate Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 333D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 434D1
Higher Intermediate Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Contemporary cultural texts in Turkish, including literature and media. Reading materials supported by audio visual media featuring modern spoken Turkish.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 434D2
Higher Intermediate Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 434D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 434D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 434D1 and ISLA 434D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 535D1
Advanced Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Language acquisition - advanced Turkish.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 535D2
Advanced Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 535D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 535D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 535D1 and ISLA 535D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
Urdu
ISLA 251D1
Introductory Urdu-Hindi
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Introduction to Urdu-Hindi language including pronunciation and reading and writing of either Urduor Hindi script, speaking and comprehension of basic sentences, commands, statements in the present tense.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken ISLA551D1/D2.
- Students must register for both ISLA251D1 and ISLA 251D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 251D1 and ISLA 251D2are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 251D2
Introductory Urdu-Hindi
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 251D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 251D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 251D1 and ISLA 251D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 352D1
Intermediate Urdu-Hindi
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Speech, comprehension, and reading and writing of more complex grammatical structures, including the subjunctive, future, and past tenses.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 251D1/D2 or ISLA 551D1/D2 or placement test or permission of the instructor.
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 552D1/D2.
- Students must register for both ISLA352D1 and ISLA 352D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 352D1 and ISLA 352D2 are successfully completed inconsecutive terms.
- Students are expected to have knowledge of basic Urdu-Hindi grammar and vocabulary.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 352D2
Intermediate Urdu-Hindi
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 352D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 352D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 352D1 and ISLA 352D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Students are expected to have knowledge of basic Urdu-Hindi grammar and vocabulary.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 553
Advanced Urdu-Hindi 1
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Builds upon Intermediate Urdu-Hindi to introduce students to advanced grammatical constructions through reading of longer texts in the Urdu or
Hindi script, conversation, and video/audio cultural materials.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 554
Advanced Urdu-Hindi 2
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Advanced study of grammatical constructions through reading long texts in the Urdu or Hindi script, conversation, and video/audio cultural materials.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 553 or permission of the instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 100-/200-Level
3 credits from:
ISLA 199
FYS: Narr of the Middle East
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: An introduction to competing narratives about crucial moments in the history and culture of the Middle East. Reading and discussion of texts drawn from a variety of perspectives and genres, including historical accounts, poetry, fiction, memoir and others.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Fall
- Restriction(s): Only open to newly-admitted students in U0 or U1, who may take only one FYS.
- Note: Enrollment limit 25. Students who register for more than one FYS will be obliged to withdraw from all but one of them.
- Note: Language of instruction is English.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 200
Islamic Civilization
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: An introduction to, and survey of, the religious, literary, artistic, legal, philosophical and scientific traditions that constituted Islamic civilization from the 7th Century until the mid-19th Century.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Fall
- Note: All readings are in English.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 210
Muslim Societies
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: An introduction to the different, often disparate, ways in which Muslims live and think in the modern world (19th-21st centuries). Muslim social contexts across the globe and cyberspace.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 300-Level
12 credits from:
ISLA 300
Special Topics 7
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Subject matter will vary year to year, according to the instructor. Topic will be made available in Minerva.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 305
Topics in Islamic History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Subject matter will vary year to year, according to the instructor. Topic will be made available in Minerva.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 310
Women in Islam
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The socio-legal status, conditions, and experiences of various groups of women in Middle Eastern societies. These features are explored within the framework of Islamic feminism and Western feminist discourses, and the tensions and conflicts between them. The dynamics of seclusion, veiling, and polygamy are explored in connection to Medieval Arab ruling elites as a background to some of the discussions and debates over the status of women in modern postcolonial Arab society. Socio-economic divisions, state policies, patriarchy, and colonialism are investigated as key factors in understanding the modern historical transformation of gendered relations and women's roles.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 315
Ottoman State&Society to 1839
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The emergence and development of the Ottoman Empire from its beginnings around 1300 until the Tanzimat Edict of Reform in 1839. A trajectory of Ottoman history from a small principality to a centralized empire, then to a decentralized governmental structure. In addition to chronological developments, questions of imperialideology and the management of ethnically and religiously diverse communities across a vast territory. Exploration of the place of the Ottomans in the early modern world, and their ideological and diplomatic rivalry with other major empires.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 325
Introduction to Shi'i Islam
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Developments in doctrines, legal school, rituals and political thought of Twelver Shi'ite Muslims during early and late medieval periods (centuries VII-XIII). The emergence of the earliest Shi'ite communities in Arabia, Yemen, Iraq and Iran stressing the relationship of the Shi'ite Imams and their religious scholars to the Sunnite Caliphates.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 330
Islamic Mysticism: Sufism
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The varieties of "mystical" thought in Islam, primarily as seen in Sufism, its historical development and its place in Islamic culture. Analytical study of major authors, their writings and their central problems.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA 200 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 340
Islamic Law and Human Rights
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The impact of modernity on Islamic legal discourse and practice, with particular focus on hermeneutical approaches devised to create an overlapping consensus with liberal democracy. The counter discourse – popularly known as Salafism -- to which Islamic modernism gave rise will also be examined.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 200 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 345
Science&Civilization in Islam
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: History of scientific traditions and ideas in Islamic civilization, from the origins of Islam to the early modern period. Emphasis is on the derivation, development and transmissions of Islamic science, as well as on the assimilation and influence of science within Islamic culture.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Winter
- Prerequisite: ISLA 200 or permission of the instructor.
- Note: All readings are in English.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 350
From Tribe to Dynasty
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The political and intellectual developments shaping Arab and Persian societies from the rise of Islam in the 7th century until the early mid 8th century, including the major social changes, political revolts, religious schisms, and the consolidation of lasting cultural institutions.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 355
Modern History: Middle East
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Assessment of the historical transformation of the modern Middle East concentrating on its internal socio-economic changes, as well as the colonial experience and encounters with the West since the early 19th century. Examination of the historical conditions that led to the rise of nationalism, the nation-state, the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 210 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 360
Islam and Politics
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Assessment of the relationship between Islam and politics in the contemporary Middle East and Africa through various analytic themes, including political economy, social movement and gendered analysis.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Fall
- Prerequisite: ISLA 210 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 365
Middle East Since the 1970's
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Changes that have occurred in the Middle East since the 1970's, viewed through the lens of themes such as migration, consumerism, war, communications, and ideology.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 210 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 370
The Qur’an: Hist & Interpret
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: It examines the history of the codification of the text, its form, and modes of interpretation in both the modern and pre-modern periods. Presentation of different schools of Qur’anic exegesis, including traditional hermeneutical approaches, and modern approaches such as feminist interpretations of the Qur’ān.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA 200 or permission of instructor
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 380
Islamic Philosophy & Theology
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: A survey of the most important philosophers and theologians in Islamic intellectual history, with a focus on the theories they articulated and the movements they engendered. The impact of European thought on 19th and 20th century Islamic intellectual history is also examined.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 200 or permission of instructor.
- Note: Reading and discussion in English.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 383
Central Questions-Islamic Law
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: An integrative view of Islamic law in the past and present, including landmarks in Islamic legal history (e.g., sources of law; early formation; intellectual make-up; the workings of court; legal change; legal effects of colonialism; modernity and legal reform) and a structured definition of what it was/is.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Winter
- Prerequisite: ISLA 200 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 385
Poetics & Politics in Arab Lit
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Major issues in classical and modern Arabic literature; how poetics and politics interact in classical and modern, popular folktales and high literature, novels and poetry. The politics of translation from Arabic into English.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 210 or permission of instructor.
- Note: Reading and discussion in English.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 388
Persian Literature
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Examination of literature produced in the Persian-speaking world from the mid 10th to the late 20th century C.E. A broad selection of texts (prose and poetry) will be studied in translation.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Fall
- Prerequisite: ISLA 200 or permission of instructor.
- Note: Readings in English.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 392
Arabic Lit as World Lit
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Consideration of Arabic literature as part of world literature, including exploration of tensions between reading Arabic literature as local, discrete and self-contained and as part of larger global phenomena.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Winter
- Prerequisite: ISLA 210 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 400-/500-Level
9 credits from:
ISLA 410
History:Middle-East 1798-1918
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: A study of the Middle East from Napoleon's invasion of Egypt to the end of WWI. Emphasis will be on the emergence of nationalisms in the context of European imperialism; political, social, and economic transformation; religion and ideology; and changing patterns of alliances.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 411
History:Middle-East 1918-1945
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The impact of WWI on Middle Eastern society and politics; the British and French mandates; the growth of nationalisms, revolutions and the formation of national states; WW II and the clash of political interests within the region.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 415
Modern Iran: Anthro Approach
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The modern history, social, and cultural anthropology of contemporary Iran.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 210 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 420
Indo-Islamic Civ: Medieval
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The rise of Islam in South Asia in the 8th Century and its subsequent expansion; evolution of Indo-Islamic civilization and its apogee during Mughal rule up to 1707. Themes include state and religion; ruling institutions; political theory, Sufism and the process of conversion, as well as the formation of a composite culture.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Winter
- Prerequisite: ISLA 200 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 421
Islamic Culture-Indian Subcont
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Survey of Islamic culture (faith systems, literature, music, art) on the Indian subcontinent from the early modern period to the present, with a focus on conflict and relations between Muslims and non-Muslims, and between majority and minority Muslim groups.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 430
Islamdom: Baghdad to Cordoba
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The course examines the major socio-political developments in Iraq, Persia, Syria, Egypt, North Africa and Spain from the 9th to the 13th Century. Emphasis is laid on the Umayyad Caliphate centered in Cordoba, and the 'Abbasid Caliphate centered in Baghdad, and the rise of important local dynasties leading up to the Mongol invasion. The course underscores the formation of Islamic cultures in distinct geographical settings and the transformation of religious life under new socio-economic conditions. It also explores shifting notions of civil society and orthodoxy.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 488
Tales of Wonder-Islamic World
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Reading of literary masterpieces of Islamic world focused on three collections of marvelous tales in Arabic, Persian and Urdu: The Arabian Nights, the Shahnameh, and the Adventures of Amir Hamza. May include film screenings, visual art, viewing of rare materials.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA 200, ISLA 210, or permission of instructor.
- Taught in translation.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 489
Special Topics 6
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Selected topics in Islamic and Middle East studies. Subject matter will vary year to year, according to the instructor. Topic will be made available in Minerva.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Fall and/or Winter
- Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 501
The Qur'an: Text and History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: A study of the Qur'an's teachings, structures, style, and history in the light of classical and modern scholarship.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 502
Art in the Age of Empires
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: This course offers a wide-ranging survey of visual culture under the three Muslim superpowers of the early modern period: the Mediterranean-based Ottomans, the Safavids of Iran, and the Mughals of India. The course will examine the nature of these states and their distinctive and vibrant artistic idiom on a comparative basis. Topics include the formation of imperial ideology and its visual articulation; palaces and court culture; artistic organization, authorship, and agency; patronage, gender, piety, as well as cross-cultural interaction.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA 320 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 505
Islam:Origin&Early Development
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The Qur'an, Hadith, the Shari'a and their major themes. The early development of law, theology and Sufism. The development and formation of an Islamic "orthodoxy", the development and nature of competing interpretations of Islam during the Classical Period. Topics: God, revelation, prophecy, the community and the individual and the meaning of history.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 506
Revolutions in the Arab World
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: How the basic elements of Islam have been understood in the course of later Islamic history up to the present day. The nature and development of Shi'ism, Sufi brotherhoods, major intellectual trends, Islam in a world of nation states, diaspora. The challenges of modernity and the contemporary world.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 511
Medieval Islam, 10th-12th Cent
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Socio-political, religious and intellectual developments in Muslim societies following the weakening of the Arab-Sunni Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad during the tenth century. Emphasis will be placed on the historical formation and features of the Seljuq and Buyid dynasties as well as the Fatimid Caliphate in Egypt.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisites: Isla 200
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have take ISLA 511D1/D2
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 512
Art of the Ottoman Empire
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: This course examines artistic production of the large and long-lived empire of the Ottomans. Focusing on key monuments of art and architecture, discussion will revolve around issues relating to imperial identity, patronage, court-culture, and cross-cultural exchange.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA 320 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 515
The Medieval School in Islam
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Schooling in medieval Islamic society particularly in Iraq, Greater Syria, Persia, and Egypt. Sheds light on the structure of learning, aims of education, the life of students including women, and their relationship to their teachers. Illuminates forms of academic evaluation, and looks closely at the "scholarly license" as an accrediting tool delineating its function and scope. Through a set of representative studies on the medieval school, it brings attention to the heated debates surrounding the academic rigor of this form of learning, and the place of scientific learning in it, as well as the historical connection between it and the early European college.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 516
Medieval Islam, 13th-15th Cent
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The historical circumstances surrounding the Crusades against Muslims in Greater Syria and Egypt. The socio-economic, political, and cultural transformation of Muslim society following the destruction of the Abbasid Caliphate, and the rise of the Ikl-Khanid Mongols in Iran and Iraq, as well as the Mamluks in Syria and Egypt. Emphasis will be placed on the integration of new Persian, Turkish, and Indian populations into Islamic imperial culture.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 526
Colloquial Arabic
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Dialectical vocabulary and grammar structures.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA322D1/D2 or equivalent, placement test, or permission of the instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 555
Urdu Poetry
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Interpretation of Urdu poetry for students with intermediate to advanced-level knowledge of Urdu-Hindi language. Includes advanced grammar topics, cultural and historical background, and interpretation and analysis.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA 352D1/D2 or permission of the instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 581
Special Topics 1
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Selected topics in Islamic studies.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Fall and/or Winter
- Note: Subject matter will vary year to year, according to the instructor. Topic will be announced at the beginning of the term.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 582
Special Topics 2
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Selected topics in Islamic Studies.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Subject matter will vary from term to term, according to the instructor. Topic will be announced at the beginning of the term.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 585
Arab Women's Literature
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Explorations of writings by Arab women. Issues include: translation/reception, gender and genre, categories of knowledge about Arab women, feminist and post-colonial theories/methodologies.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 392 or permission of instructor.
- Note: Readings in English translation.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
Remainder
9-12 credits at any level, including
ISLA 499
WI&MES Internship
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Internship with an approved host institution or organization.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Restriction(s): Open to U2 and U3 students with a minimum CGPA of 2.7, and permission of the departmental Internship Adviser. This course will not normally fulfill program requirements for seminar or 400-level courses. A letter from a supervisor at the institution must attest to successful completion of the student's tenure (minimum 150 hours). Students attain credit by writing a research project based on and inspired by their internship experience. This research paper is written after the Internship is completed.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
or more language courses (from the
lists above), but no more than 9 credits overall at the 100-/200- level. Students might also fulfill these credits by taking complementary courses from other departments listed as relevant to the program (from the
list below).
Non-ISLA Courses
ANTH 209
Anthropology of Religion
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Anthropology: Nature and function of religion in culture. Systems of belief; the interpretation of ritual. Religion and symbolism. The relation of religion to social organization. Religious change and social movements.
Offered by: Anthropology
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ANTH 318
Globalization and Religion
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Anthropology: The interactions between religion and the economic, social and cultural transformations of globalization: relations between globalization and contemporary religious practice, meaning, and influence at personal and collective levels.
Offered by: Anthropology
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ANTH 327
Anthropology of South Asia
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Anthropology: An introduction to anthropological research in India and greater South Asia. Topics include politics, caste, class, religion, gender and sexuality, development and globalization.
Offered by: Anthropology
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
HIST 209
Intro to South Asian History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
History: Charts the making of South Asian civilization, 2500 BCE- 1707 CE, through a selection of key themes and major trends. Focus on the transformation of local kinship ties into regional kingdoms and empires, the evolution of religion and the legacy of the expansion of Islam and consequent rise of Turkish, Afghan and Mughal empires in this area.
Offered by: History and Classical Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
HIST 240
Mod Hist of Islamic Movements
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
History: Islamic revival in the Middle East which led to the rise of different versions of Islamic traditions and beliefs. Emphasis on the nature and character of leading nationalist and Islamic movements and their ideologues since the late 19th century.
Offered by: History and Classical Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
HIST 340
History of Modern Egypt
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
History: Explores the history of Egypt from the 18th Century to today. Topics include: Ottoman Egypt, the impact of French and British Colonialism, Nasserism, Camp David and economic liberalization, and the Egyptian Revolution of 2011.
Offered by: History and Classical Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
HIST 341
Themes in South Asian History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
History: Exploration of a theme in the history of South Asia.
Offered by: History and Classical Studies
- Prerequisite: HIST 209 recommended.
- Themes may vary from year to year.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
HIST 435
Topics in South Asian History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
History: In-depth discussion and research on a topic in the history of South Asia.
Offered by: History and Classical Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
HIST 446
Topics in Middle East History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
History: Examination of a selected topic in the history of the modern Middle East from the late 19th century to the present.
Offered by: History and Classical Studies
- Prerequisite(s): Any class on the history of the Middle East or permission of the instructor
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
HIST 591D1
Modern Middle East History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
History: Topics in the history of the modern Middle East.
Offered by: History and Classical Studies
- Prerequisite(s): HIST 240 or HIST 339 or HIST 340 or HIST 448 or permission of instructor.
- Students must register for both HIST 591D1 and HIST 591D2. No credit will be given for this course unless both HIST 591D1 and HIST 591D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Restriction(s): Open only to history honours and graduate students or advanced students who have permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
HIST 591D2
Modern Middle East History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
History: Topics in the history of the modern Middle East.
Offered by: History and Classical Studies
- Prerequisite(s): HIST 240 or HIST 339 or HIST 340 or HIST 448 or permission of instructor.
- Students must register for both HIST 591D1 and HIST 591D2. No credit will be given for this course unless both HIST 591D1 and HIST 591D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Restriction(s): Open only to history honours and graduate students or advanced students who have permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 220D1
Introductory Hebrew
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: Language acquisition - introductory Hebrew.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 220D2
Introductory Hebrew
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: See JWST 220D1 for course description.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 245
Jewish Life - Islamic World
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: Until the early modern period, most of the world’s Jews spoke Arabic and called the Islamic world home. This course explores the Jewish experience among Muslims from the seventh century until the present. Through close readings of primary sources and historical scholarship, students will learn how Jews under Islam shaped modern Judaism, how engagement with Arabic in Islamic Spain
led to the revival of Hebrew, and how the Jewish-Muslim relationship fared in the twentieth century. The course also probes themes of history and memory in light of the departure of Jews from the Islamic world in the 1950s and 1960s.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 261
Hist of Jewish Phil & Thought
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: An introduction to Jewish philosophy and thought from the Hellenistic period (Philo) to the beginning of the modern era (Spinoza) focusing on topics such as prophecy and philosophy, God and the world; the Law as a canon of ethical rules and as a political constitution. Survey of the treatment of such issues by Jewish thinkers from Philo to Maimonides.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 312
Modern Jewish History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: Exploration of major transformations to Jewish society and identity in the modern period. Topics include nationalism, emancipation, acculturation, modernity,
relations with non-Jews, popular culture, and literature.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 320D1
Intermediate Hebrew
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: This course is designed to integrate students at various levels into one group with the aim of improving their basic language skills and preparing them for advanced Hebrew.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 320D2
Intermediate Hebrew
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: See JWST 320D1 for course description.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 323
The Israeli Novel
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: In-depth examination of selected Israeli novels written during the past fifty years of national formation and consolidation. Authors may include Agnon, Yehoshua, Oz, Shabtai, Shalev and others.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 334
Jew&Muslims: A Modern History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: This course examines the modern history of Jewish-Muslim relations beyond just conflict. We will look at the experience of Jews and Muslims -- as individuals and communities -- who charted new cultural territory while navigating colonialism, nationalism, war, and decolonization, through close readings of a wide variety of primary sources (including letters, memoirs, fiction, music, film, and photography) and historical scholarship.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 338
Jewish Philosophy & Thought 2
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: Focuses on either a period, a current of thought or the work of a thinker in the history of Jewish thought from the Middle Ages to Modern Times, paying particular attention to the relationship of Jewish thinkers to intellectual trends in their respective cultural contexts. themes and concerns of Jewish theology and on Jewish responses to contemporary trends in European thought.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 340D1
Advanced Hebrew
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: Language acquisition - advanced Hebrew.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 340D2
Advanced Hebrew
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: See JWST 340D1 for course description.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 348
Modern Jewish Studies
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: Topics in Jewish Studies. Semesters will be devoted to specific issues and periods of the Jewish Experience since 1500 and the literature produced by Jews during this period.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 366
History of Zionism
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: An examination of the development of the Zionist idea, the most influential expression of modern Jewish nationalism, which led to the creation of the Jewish state. The transformation of elements of traditional Jewish messianism into a modern political ideology. Hibbat Zion, Political Zionism, Cultural and Synthetic Zionism will be discussed.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 367
Hebrew through Israeli Cinema
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: An opportunity to analyze Israeli cinema from different periods, spanning 1948 to the present. While participating primarily in Hebrew with some assignments in English, students in this course will be invited to engage actively with the social, political, psychological and aesthetic dimensions of these films.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- For detailed course content go to www.mcgill.ca/jewishstudies/undergraduates.
- Fall
- Prerequisite: JWST 340 or permission of instructor
- This course is conducted at an advanced level of Hebrew. Please contact the instructor to assess your language proficiency.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 368
A Taste of Hebrew Literature
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: An introduction to short literary forms in Hebrew from the mid-20th Century to the present. Short stories and poems will be discussed in terms of their literary qualities, as well as in relation to their cultural, social, political and historical contexts with the ultimate aim of fostering an improved ability to read, write and speak in Hebrew.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- For detailed course content go to www.mcgill.ca/jewishstudies/undergraduates.
- Winter
- Prerequisite: JWST 340 or permission of instructor
- This class is conducted at an advanced level of Hebrew. Please contact the instructor to assess your language proficiency.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 369
History of the Hebrew Language
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: An exploration of the evolution of the Hebrew language from Biblical texts to contemporary Israeli slang, including Rabbinical commentary, Medieval hymns, poetry by Jewish authors of the Islamic world, Haskalah literature in the modern Jewish Enlightenment, and contemporary texts to showcase the revival of a spoken Hebrew after 2000 years in exile. Linguistic patterns, literary structures and vocabulary.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- For detailed course content go to www.mcgill.ca/jewishstudies/undergraduates.
- Fall
- Prerequisite: JWST 340 or permission of instructor
- This course is conducted at an advanced level of Hebrew. Please contact the instructor to assess your language proficiency.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 370
Israeli Popular Culture
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: Israel's multifaceted contemporary culture including music, theatre and the visual arts, as well as stand-up comedy, dance, film and TV series, and contemporary Israeli society.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- For detailed course content go to www.mcgill.ca/jewishstudies/undergraduates.
- Winter
- Prerequisite: JWST 340 or permission of instructor
- This course is conducted at an advanced level of Hebrew. Please contact the instructor to assess your language proficiency.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
PHIL 356
Early Medieval Philosophy
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: An examination of selected works in the Christian, Islamic and Jewish traditions. Topics in moral and political philosophy, logic and metaphysics, philosophical psychology and epistemology, philosophy of science, and philosophical theology may be discussed.
Offered by: Philosophy
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
POLI 340
Developing Areas/Middle East
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Political Science: An examination of the societies, political forces and regimes of selected countries of the Eastern Arab world (Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia).
Offered by: Political Science
- Prerequisite: A basic course in Comparative Politics or a course on the region or written permission of the instructor
- Note: The area in the field of Comparative Politics is Developing Areas.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
POLI 341
Foreign Policy:The Middle East
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Political Science: An examination of the changing regional security environment and the evolving foreign policies and relationships of Arab states in three areas - relations with non-Arab regional powers (Israel, Iran), inter-Arab relations, Great Power relations. The course will focus particularly on Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
Offered by: Political Science
- Prerequisite: A 200- or 300- level course in International Relations or Middle East politics or permission of the instructor
- Note: The field is International Politics.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
POLI 347
Arab-Israel Confl,Crisis,Peace
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Political Science: Concepts - protracted conflict, crisis, war, peace; system, subsystem; Conflict-levels of analysis; historical context; images and issues; attitudes, policies, role of major powers; Crises-Wars - configuration of power; crisis models; decision-making in 1956, 1967, 1973, 1982 crisis-wars; conflict- crisis management; Peace-Making - pre-1977; Egypt-Israel peace treaty; Madrid, Oslo, Israel-Jordan peace; prospects for conflict resolution.
Offered by: Political Science
- Prerequisite: 160-243 prior to 1997-98; or POLI 244
- Note: The field is International Politics.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
RELG 204
Judaism, Christianity&Islam
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Religious Studies: An introduction to the beliefs, practices, and religious institutions of these three world religions.
Offered by: Religious Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
RELG 307
Bible, Quran & Interpretations
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Religious Studies: Jewish, Christian and Muslim scriptures as responses to earlier sacred texts and in the light of post-scriptural interpretations. The debates, polemics, interpretative strategies, and intellectual and spiritual sharing produced by these three religions in accepting, explaining, amplifying, modifying, and selectively rejecting their and other sacred scriptures.
Offered by: Religious Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
RELG 309
World Rel&Cultures They Create
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Religious Studies: The constitution and mutual entanglements of selected religions and cultures originating and thriving in varied regional contexts. Focus on highlighting the symbolic (visual, aural) expressivity of religions via ritual, myth, and rational speculation and its impact on high and popular cultures.
Offered by: Religious Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
RELG 440
Global Islam
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Religious Studies: Western scholarship has oscillated between orientalizing Islam and co-opting it into the Western (Abrahamic) fold of religious traditions. The course will challenge both perspectives by exploring Islam’s dynamic unfolding across a variety of civilizational regions and during subsequent epochs. Its patterns of premodern globalization are nowadays retrieved, sometimes by fitting Islamic cultures into neoliberal patterns of globalization, more often by sidelining or overlaying the Westphalian system of sovereign nation-states. The course will show how Islamic traditions have, both in history and in the present, developed unique intellectual tools and practical resources to interface both with ‘radical’ (Abrahamic) and ‘dialogic’ (non-Abrahamic) religious traditions: from the West (also via labor-based migration), through Central and South Asia, to East and Southeast Asia.
Offered by: Religious Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
RELG 573
Religions in Global Society
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Religious Studies: This seminar is devoted to the study of a plurality of often intersecting religious traditions in a globalizing world, based on interdisciplinary scholarship drawing from history, sociology, anthropology and archaeology. It starts from locating religious phenomena within intersecting social, cultural and political fabrics around the world. It articulates the relation between a multi-faith appreciation of the role of religions in a variety of societies and the emergence of diverse patterns of secularity in them. It facilitates a rich understanding of a complex past to shed light on the new challenges of globalization, including the opening of horizons of postsecular understandings and arrangements.
Offered by: Religious Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
Joint Honours Component World Islamic & Middle East Studies (36 Credits)
Download the Audit Sheet to help you plan your courses.
Students wishing to study at the Honours level in two disciplines can combine Joint Honours program components in any two Arts disciplines. For a list of available Joint Honours programs, see 2019-2020 Joint Honours Programs.
Joint Honours students should consult an adviser in each department to discuss their course selection and their interdisciplinary research project (if applicable).
Joint Honours students must maintain a program GPA of 3.30 in their World Islamic & Middle East Studies courses and, according to Faculty regulations, a minimum CGPA of 3.00 in general.
Required Course (3 Credits)
ISLA 495
WI&MES Research Seminar
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Research seminar on topics in world Islamic and Middle East studies.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Restriction(s): Open to final year WI&MES Joint Honours and Honours students and to others by permission of the Program Coordinator.
- Not open to students who have taken MEST 495.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
- to be taken in winter in terminal year. If you graduate in fall of U3 or will be studying away in winter of U3, please register for the course for winter of U2.
Complementary Courses (33 Credits)
33 credits of complementary courses selected from the World Islamic and Middle East Studies course lists as follows:
12-15 credits (2 levels) in one language: Arabic, Persian, Turkish, or Urdu. In the case of Arabic, the first two levels involve 15 credits. The extra 3 credits will be counted toward the remainder of the complementary courses requirement.
18-21 credits (18 if Introductory Arabic has been chosen), distributed as follows:
3 credits of 100-/200-level non-language ISLA courses;
9 credits of 300-level non-language ISLA courses;
3 credits of 400-/500-level non-language ISLA courses;
3-6 credits at any level, including more language courses, but no more than 6 credits overall at the 200-level. Students may fulfill these credits by taking complementary courses from other departments listed as relevant to the program.
Languages (12-15 credits)
Arabic
ISLA 221D1
Introductory Arabic
4.5 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Introduction to Modern Standard Arabic, including pronunciation and reading and writing of the Arabic script; and speaking and comprehension of basic sentences, commands, statements in the present tense.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisites: Permission of the Institute required.
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ISLA521D1/D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 221D1 and ISLA 221D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- Students must register for both ISLA221D1 and ISLA 221D2.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 221D2
Introductory Arabic
4.5 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 221D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 221D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 221D1 and ISLA 221D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- Students must register for both ISLA221D1 and ISLA 221D2.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 322
Lower Intermediate Arabic
6 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Speech, comprehension, reading and writing of more complex grammatical structures, including the conditional sentence, case endings, and verbs and verbal constructions.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 221D1/D2 or ISLA 521D1/D2 or placement test or permission of the Institute.
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 522 or ISLA 522D1/D2.
- Students are expected to have knowledge of basic Arabic grammar and vocabulary.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 322D1
Lower Intermediate Arabic
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Speech, comprehension, reading and writing of more complex grammatical structures, including the conditional sentence, case endings, and verbs and verbal constructions.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 221D1/D2 or ISLA 521D1/D2 or placement test or permission of the Institute.
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 522 or ISLA 522D1/D2.
- Students must register for both ISLA322D1 and ISLA 322D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 322D1 and ISLA 322D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- ISLA 322D1 and ISLA 322D2 together are equivalent to ISLA 322
- Students are expected to have knowledge of basic Arabic grammar and vocabulary.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 322D2
Lower Intermediate Arabic
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 322D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 423D1
Higher Intermediate Arabic
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Introduction to advanced grammatical constructions and vocabulary through readings of longer texts in Arabic, as well as conversation, and exposure to video/audio cultural materials. Continued exposition of Arabic grammar, including active and passive participles, conjunction of irregular verbs, and active and passive voices.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 322D1/D2 or ISLA 322 or ISLA 522D1/D2 or ISLA 522 or placement test or permission of the instructor.
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 523D1/D2.
- Fall and Winter
- Students must register for both ISLA 423D1 and ISLA 423D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 423D1 and ISLA 423D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Students are expected to have knowledge of intermediate-level Arabic grammar and vocabulary.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 423D2
Higher Intermediate Arabic
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 423D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 423D1
- Fall and Winter
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 423D1 and ISLA 423D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Students are expected to have knowledge of intermediate-level Arabic grammar and vocabulary.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 524
Advanced Arabic 1
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Advanced level of the Arabic language study.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 423D1/D2 or ISLA 523D1/D2 or ISLA 623D1/D2 or placement test or permission of the instructor
- Note: Language of instruction is Arabic.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 525
Advanced Arabic 2
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Advanced level of the Arabic language study.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 524 or placement test or permission of the instructor.
- Note: Language of instruction is Arabic.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 526
Colloquial Arabic
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Dialectical vocabulary and grammar structures.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA322D1/D2 or equivalent, placement test, or permission of the instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
Persian
ISLA 241D1
Introductory Persian
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Introduction to the Persian language, beginning with pronouncing, reading and writing the Persian script, and moving to vocabulary and grammatical structures needed to communicate in simple dialogues, read simple texts, and write simple paragraphs.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: Placement test or permission of the instructor
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 541 D1/D2.
- Students must register for both ISLA 241D1 and ISLA 241D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 241D1 and ISLA 241D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 241D2
Introductory Persian
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 241D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 241D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 241D1 and ISLA 241D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 342D1
Lower Intermediate Persian
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Speech, comprehension, and reading and writing of more complex grammatical structures, embedded within a variety of short authentic Persian texts.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 241D1/D2 or ISLA 541 D1/D2, placement test, or permission of the instructor.
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 542D1/D2.
- Students must register for both ISLA 342D1 and ISLA 342D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 342D1 and ISLA 342D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- Students are expected to have knowledge of basic Persian grammar and vocabulary.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 342D2
Lower Intermediate Persian
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 342D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 443D1
Upper Intermediate Persian
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Introduction to authentic texts about Persian culture, history, geography, politics, arts, and other topics relevant to Iran, as well as canonical poems of various modern and classical poets, and selected Persian proverbs and their meanings and connotations.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Fall
- Prerequisite: ISLA 342D1/D2 or ISLA 542D1/D2 or placement test or permission of the instructor.
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 543 and ISLA 544.
- Note: Language of instruction is Persian.
- Students must register for both ISLA 443D1 and ISLA 443D2
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 443D1 and ISLA 443D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 443D2
Upper Intermediate Persian
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 443D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 443D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 443D1 and ISLA 443D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 545
Advanced Persian 1
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Advanced level of Persian language study.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 546
Advanced Persian 2
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Advanced level of Persian language study.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 545 or placement test or permission of the instructor.
- Note: Language of instruction is Persian.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
Turkish
ISLA 232D1
Introductory Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Introduction to speaking and comprehension of basic sentences, commands, statements in the present and future tenses. Introduction to simple daily conversations.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ISLA532 D1/D2.
- Students must register for both ISLA232D1 and ISLA 232D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 232D1 and ISLA 232D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 232D2
Introductory Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 232D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 232D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 232D1 and ISLA 232D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 333D1
Lower Intermediate Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Listening comprehension, reading, and writing of more complex grammatical structures, including the subjunctive, future, and past tenses.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 232D1/D2 or ISLA 532D1/D2 or permission of the Institute.
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 533D1/D2.
- Students must register for both ISLA333D1 and ISLA 333D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 333D1 and ISLA 333D2 are successfully completed inconsecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 333D2
Lower Intermediate Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 333D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 434D1
Higher Intermediate Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Contemporary cultural texts in Turkish, including literature and media. Reading materials supported by audio visual media featuring modern spoken Turkish.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 434D2
Higher Intermediate Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 434D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 434D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 434D1 and ISLA 434D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 535D1
Advanced Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Language acquisition - advanced Turkish.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 535D2
Advanced Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 535D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 535D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 535D1 and ISLA 535D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
Urdu
ISLA 251D1
Introductory Urdu-Hindi
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Introduction to Urdu-Hindi language including pronunciation and reading and writing of either Urduor Hindi script, speaking and comprehension of basic sentences, commands, statements in the present tense.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken ISLA551D1/D2.
- Students must register for both ISLA251D1 and ISLA 251D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 251D1 and ISLA 251D2are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 251D2
Introductory Urdu-Hindi
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 251D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 251D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 251D1 and ISLA 251D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 352D1
Intermediate Urdu-Hindi
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Speech, comprehension, and reading and writing of more complex grammatical structures, including the subjunctive, future, and past tenses.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 251D1/D2 or ISLA 551D1/D2 or placement test or permission of the instructor.
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 552D1/D2.
- Students must register for both ISLA352D1 and ISLA 352D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 352D1 and ISLA 352D2 are successfully completed inconsecutive terms.
- Students are expected to have knowledge of basic Urdu-Hindi grammar and vocabulary.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 352D2
Intermediate Urdu-Hindi
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 352D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 352D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 352D1 and ISLA 352D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Students are expected to have knowledge of basic Urdu-Hindi grammar and vocabulary.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 553
Advanced Urdu-Hindi 1
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Builds upon Intermediate Urdu-Hindi to introduce students to advanced grammatical constructions through reading of longer texts in the Urdu or
Hindi script, conversation, and video/audio cultural materials.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 554
Advanced Urdu-Hindi 2
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Advanced study of grammatical constructions through reading long texts in the Urdu or Hindi script, conversation, and video/audio cultural materials.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 553 or permission of the instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 100-/200-Level
3 credits from:
ISLA 199
FYS: Narr of the Middle East
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: An introduction to competing narratives about crucial moments in the history and culture of the Middle East. Reading and discussion of texts drawn from a variety of perspectives and genres, including historical accounts, poetry, fiction, memoir and others.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Fall
- Restriction(s): Only open to newly-admitted students in U0 or U1, who may take only one FYS.
- Note: Enrollment limit 25. Students who register for more than one FYS will be obliged to withdraw from all but one of them.
- Note: Language of instruction is English.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 200
Islamic Civilization
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: An introduction to, and survey of, the religious, literary, artistic, legal, philosophical and scientific traditions that constituted Islamic civilization from the 7th Century until the mid-19th Century.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Fall
- Note: All readings are in English.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 210
Muslim Societies
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: An introduction to the different, often disparate, ways in which Muslims live and think in the modern world (19th-21st centuries). Muslim social contexts across the globe and cyberspace.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 300-Level
9 credits from:
ISLA 300
Special Topics 7
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Subject matter will vary year to year, according to the instructor. Topic will be made available in Minerva.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 305
Topics in Islamic History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Subject matter will vary year to year, according to the instructor. Topic will be made available in Minerva.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 310
Women in Islam
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The socio-legal status, conditions, and experiences of various groups of women in Middle Eastern societies. These features are explored within the framework of Islamic feminism and Western feminist discourses, and the tensions and conflicts between them. The dynamics of seclusion, veiling, and polygamy are explored in connection to Medieval Arab ruling elites as a background to some of the discussions and debates over the status of women in modern postcolonial Arab society. Socio-economic divisions, state policies, patriarchy, and colonialism are investigated as key factors in understanding the modern historical transformation of gendered relations and women's roles.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 315
Ottoman State&Society to 1839
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The emergence and development of the Ottoman Empire from its beginnings around 1300 until the Tanzimat Edict of Reform in 1839. A trajectory of Ottoman history from a small principality to a centralized empire, then to a decentralized governmental structure. In addition to chronological developments, questions of imperialideology and the management of ethnically and religiously diverse communities across a vast territory. Exploration of the place of the Ottomans in the early modern world, and their ideological and diplomatic rivalry with other major empires.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 325
Introduction to Shi'i Islam
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Developments in doctrines, legal school, rituals and political thought of Twelver Shi'ite Muslims during early and late medieval periods (centuries VII-XIII). The emergence of the earliest Shi'ite communities in Arabia, Yemen, Iraq and Iran stressing the relationship of the Shi'ite Imams and their religious scholars to the Sunnite Caliphates.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 330
Islamic Mysticism: Sufism
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The varieties of "mystical" thought in Islam, primarily as seen in Sufism, its historical development and its place in Islamic culture. Analytical study of major authors, their writings and their central problems.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA 200 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 340
Islamic Law and Human Rights
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The impact of modernity on Islamic legal discourse and practice, with particular focus on hermeneutical approaches devised to create an overlapping consensus with liberal democracy. The counter discourse – popularly known as Salafism -- to which Islamic modernism gave rise will also be examined.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 200 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 345
Science&Civilization in Islam
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: History of scientific traditions and ideas in Islamic civilization, from the origins of Islam to the early modern period. Emphasis is on the derivation, development and transmissions of Islamic science, as well as on the assimilation and influence of science within Islamic culture.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Winter
- Prerequisite: ISLA 200 or permission of the instructor.
- Note: All readings are in English.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 350
From Tribe to Dynasty
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The political and intellectual developments shaping Arab and Persian societies from the rise of Islam in the 7th century until the early mid 8th century, including the major social changes, political revolts, religious schisms, and the consolidation of lasting cultural institutions.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 355
Modern History: Middle East
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Assessment of the historical transformation of the modern Middle East concentrating on its internal socio-economic changes, as well as the colonial experience and encounters with the West since the early 19th century. Examination of the historical conditions that led to the rise of nationalism, the nation-state, the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 210 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 360
Islam and Politics
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Assessment of the relationship between Islam and politics in the contemporary Middle East and Africa through various analytic themes, including political economy, social movement and gendered analysis.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Fall
- Prerequisite: ISLA 210 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 365
Middle East Since the 1970's
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Changes that have occurred in the Middle East since the 1970's, viewed through the lens of themes such as migration, consumerism, war, communications, and ideology.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 210 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 370
The Qur’an: Hist & Interpret
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: It examines the history of the codification of the text, its form, and modes of interpretation in both the modern and pre-modern periods. Presentation of different schools of Qur’anic exegesis, including traditional hermeneutical approaches, and modern approaches such as feminist interpretations of the Qur’ān.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA 200 or permission of instructor
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 380
Islamic Philosophy & Theology
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: A survey of the most important philosophers and theologians in Islamic intellectual history, with a focus on the theories they articulated and the movements they engendered. The impact of European thought on 19th and 20th century Islamic intellectual history is also examined.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 200 or permission of instructor.
- Note: Reading and discussion in English.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 383
Central Questions-Islamic Law
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: An integrative view of Islamic law in the past and present, including landmarks in Islamic legal history (e.g., sources of law; early formation; intellectual make-up; the workings of court; legal change; legal effects of colonialism; modernity and legal reform) and a structured definition of what it was/is.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Winter
- Prerequisite: ISLA 200 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 385
Poetics & Politics in Arab Lit
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Major issues in classical and modern Arabic literature; how poetics and politics interact in classical and modern, popular folktales and high literature, novels and poetry. The politics of translation from Arabic into English.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 210 or permission of instructor.
- Note: Reading and discussion in English.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 388
Persian Literature
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Examination of literature produced in the Persian-speaking world from the mid 10th to the late 20th century C.E. A broad selection of texts (prose and poetry) will be studied in translation.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Fall
- Prerequisite: ISLA 200 or permission of instructor.
- Note: Readings in English.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 392
Arabic Lit as World Lit
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Consideration of Arabic literature as part of world literature, including exploration of tensions between reading Arabic literature as local, discrete and self-contained and as part of larger global phenomena.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Winter
- Prerequisite: ISLA 210 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 400-/500-Level
3 credits from:
ISLA 410
History:Middle-East 1798-1918
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: A study of the Middle East from Napoleon's invasion of Egypt to the end of WWI. Emphasis will be on the emergence of nationalisms in the context of European imperialism; political, social, and economic transformation; religion and ideology; and changing patterns of alliances.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 411
History:Middle-East 1918-1945
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The impact of WWI on Middle Eastern society and politics; the British and French mandates; the growth of nationalisms, revolutions and the formation of national states; WW II and the clash of political interests within the region.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 415
Modern Iran: Anthro Approach
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The modern history, social, and cultural anthropology of contemporary Iran.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 210 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 420
Indo-Islamic Civ: Medieval
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The rise of Islam in South Asia in the 8th Century and its subsequent expansion; evolution of Indo-Islamic civilization and its apogee during Mughal rule up to 1707. Themes include state and religion; ruling institutions; political theory, Sufism and the process of conversion, as well as the formation of a composite culture.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Winter
- Prerequisite: ISLA 200 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 421
Islamic Culture-Indian Subcont
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Survey of Islamic culture (faith systems, literature, music, art) on the Indian subcontinent from the early modern period to the present, with a focus on conflict and relations between Muslims and non-Muslims, and between majority and minority Muslim groups.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 430
Islamdom: Baghdad to Cordoba
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The course examines the major socio-political developments in Iraq, Persia, Syria, Egypt, North Africa and Spain from the 9th to the 13th Century. Emphasis is laid on the Umayyad Caliphate centered in Cordoba, and the 'Abbasid Caliphate centered in Baghdad, and the rise of important local dynasties leading up to the Mongol invasion. The course underscores the formation of Islamic cultures in distinct geographical settings and the transformation of religious life under new socio-economic conditions. It also explores shifting notions of civil society and orthodoxy.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 488
Tales of Wonder-Islamic World
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Reading of literary masterpieces of Islamic world focused on three collections of marvelous tales in Arabic, Persian and Urdu: The Arabian Nights, the Shahnameh, and the Adventures of Amir Hamza. May include film screenings, visual art, viewing of rare materials.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA 200, ISLA 210, or permission of instructor.
- Taught in translation.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 489
Special Topics 6
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Selected topics in Islamic and Middle East studies. Subject matter will vary year to year, according to the instructor. Topic will be made available in Minerva.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Fall and/or Winter
- Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 501
The Qur'an: Text and History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: A study of the Qur'an's teachings, structures, style, and history in the light of classical and modern scholarship.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 502
Art in the Age of Empires
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: This course offers a wide-ranging survey of visual culture under the three Muslim superpowers of the early modern period: the Mediterranean-based Ottomans, the Safavids of Iran, and the Mughals of India. The course will examine the nature of these states and their distinctive and vibrant artistic idiom on a comparative basis. Topics include the formation of imperial ideology and its visual articulation; palaces and court culture; artistic organization, authorship, and agency; patronage, gender, piety, as well as cross-cultural interaction.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA 320 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 505
Islam:Origin&Early Development
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The Qur'an, Hadith, the Shari'a and their major themes. The early development of law, theology and Sufism. The development and formation of an Islamic "orthodoxy", the development and nature of competing interpretations of Islam during the Classical Period. Topics: God, revelation, prophecy, the community and the individual and the meaning of history.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 506
Revolutions in the Arab World
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: How the basic elements of Islam have been understood in the course of later Islamic history up to the present day. The nature and development of Shi'ism, Sufi brotherhoods, major intellectual trends, Islam in a world of nation states, diaspora. The challenges of modernity and the contemporary world.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 511
Medieval Islam, 10th-12th Cent
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Socio-political, religious and intellectual developments in Muslim societies following the weakening of the Arab-Sunni Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad during the tenth century. Emphasis will be placed on the historical formation and features of the Seljuq and Buyid dynasties as well as the Fatimid Caliphate in Egypt.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisites: Isla 200
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have take ISLA 511D1/D2
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 512
Art of the Ottoman Empire
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: This course examines artistic production of the large and long-lived empire of the Ottomans. Focusing on key monuments of art and architecture, discussion will revolve around issues relating to imperial identity, patronage, court-culture, and cross-cultural exchange.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA 320 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 515
The Medieval School in Islam
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Schooling in medieval Islamic society particularly in Iraq, Greater Syria, Persia, and Egypt. Sheds light on the structure of learning, aims of education, the life of students including women, and their relationship to their teachers. Illuminates forms of academic evaluation, and looks closely at the "scholarly license" as an accrediting tool delineating its function and scope. Through a set of representative studies on the medieval school, it brings attention to the heated debates surrounding the academic rigor of this form of learning, and the place of scientific learning in it, as well as the historical connection between it and the early European college.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 516
Medieval Islam, 13th-15th Cent
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The historical circumstances surrounding the Crusades against Muslims in Greater Syria and Egypt. The socio-economic, political, and cultural transformation of Muslim society following the destruction of the Abbasid Caliphate, and the rise of the Ikl-Khanid Mongols in Iran and Iraq, as well as the Mamluks in Syria and Egypt. Emphasis will be placed on the integration of new Persian, Turkish, and Indian populations into Islamic imperial culture.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 526
Colloquial Arabic
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Dialectical vocabulary and grammar structures.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA322D1/D2 or equivalent, placement test, or permission of the instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 555
Urdu Poetry
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Interpretation of Urdu poetry for students with intermediate to advanced-level knowledge of Urdu-Hindi language. Includes advanced grammar topics, cultural and historical background, and interpretation and analysis.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA 352D1/D2 or permission of the instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 581
Special Topics 1
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Selected topics in Islamic studies.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Fall and/or Winter
- Note: Subject matter will vary year to year, according to the instructor. Topic will be announced at the beginning of the term.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 582
Special Topics 2
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Selected topics in Islamic Studies.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Subject matter will vary from term to term, according to the instructor. Topic will be announced at the beginning of the term.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 585
Arab Women's Literature
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Explorations of writings by Arab women. Issues include: translation/reception, gender and genre, categories of knowledge about Arab women, feminist and post-colonial theories/methodologies.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 392 or permission of instructor.
- Note: Readings in English translation.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
Remainder
3-6 credits at any level, including
ISLA 499
WI&MES Internship
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Internship with an approved host institution or organization.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Restriction(s): Open to U2 and U3 students with a minimum CGPA of 2.7, and permission of the departmental Internship Adviser. This course will not normally fulfill program requirements for seminar or 400-level courses. A letter from a supervisor at the institution must attest to successful completion of the student's tenure (minimum 150 hours). Students attain credit by writing a research project based on and inspired by their internship experience. This research paper is written after the Internship is completed.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
or more language courses (from the
lists above), but no more than 6 credits overall at the 200-level. Students might also fulfill these credits by taking complementary courses from other departments listed as relevant to the program (from the
list below).
Non-ISLA Courses
ANTH 209
Anthropology of Religion
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Anthropology: Nature and function of religion in culture. Systems of belief; the interpretation of ritual. Religion and symbolism. The relation of religion to social organization. Religious change and social movements.
Offered by: Anthropology
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ANTH 318
Globalization and Religion
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Anthropology: The interactions between religion and the economic, social and cultural transformations of globalization: relations between globalization and contemporary religious practice, meaning, and influence at personal and collective levels.
Offered by: Anthropology
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ANTH 327
Anthropology of South Asia
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Anthropology: An introduction to anthropological research in India and greater South Asia. Topics include politics, caste, class, religion, gender and sexuality, development and globalization.
Offered by: Anthropology
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
HIST 209
Intro to South Asian History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
History: Charts the making of South Asian civilization, 2500 BCE- 1707 CE, through a selection of key themes and major trends. Focus on the transformation of local kinship ties into regional kingdoms and empires, the evolution of religion and the legacy of the expansion of Islam and consequent rise of Turkish, Afghan and Mughal empires in this area.
Offered by: History and Classical Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
HIST 240
Mod Hist of Islamic Movements
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
History: Islamic revival in the Middle East which led to the rise of different versions of Islamic traditions and beliefs. Emphasis on the nature and character of leading nationalist and Islamic movements and their ideologues since the late 19th century.
Offered by: History and Classical Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
HIST 340
History of Modern Egypt
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
History: Explores the history of Egypt from the 18th Century to today. Topics include: Ottoman Egypt, the impact of French and British Colonialism, Nasserism, Camp David and economic liberalization, and the Egyptian Revolution of 2011.
Offered by: History and Classical Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
HIST 341
Themes in South Asian History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
History: Exploration of a theme in the history of South Asia.
Offered by: History and Classical Studies
- Prerequisite: HIST 209 recommended.
- Themes may vary from year to year.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
HIST 435
Topics in South Asian History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
History: In-depth discussion and research on a topic in the history of South Asia.
Offered by: History and Classical Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
HIST 446
Topics in Middle East History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
History: Examination of a selected topic in the history of the modern Middle East from the late 19th century to the present.
Offered by: History and Classical Studies
- Prerequisite(s): Any class on the history of the Middle East or permission of the instructor
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
HIST 591D1
Modern Middle East History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
History: Topics in the history of the modern Middle East.
Offered by: History and Classical Studies
- Prerequisite(s): HIST 240 or HIST 339 or HIST 340 or HIST 448 or permission of instructor.
- Students must register for both HIST 591D1 and HIST 591D2. No credit will be given for this course unless both HIST 591D1 and HIST 591D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Restriction(s): Open only to history honours and graduate students or advanced students who have permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
HIST 591D2
Modern Middle East History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
History: Topics in the history of the modern Middle East.
Offered by: History and Classical Studies
- Prerequisite(s): HIST 240 or HIST 339 or HIST 340 or HIST 448 or permission of instructor.
- Students must register for both HIST 591D1 and HIST 591D2. No credit will be given for this course unless both HIST 591D1 and HIST 591D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Restriction(s): Open only to history honours and graduate students or advanced students who have permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 220D1
Introductory Hebrew
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: Language acquisition - introductory Hebrew.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 220D2
Introductory Hebrew
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: See JWST 220D1 for course description.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 245
Jewish Life - Islamic World
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: Until the early modern period, most of the world’s Jews spoke Arabic and called the Islamic world home. This course explores the Jewish experience among Muslims from the seventh century until the present. Through close readings of primary sources and historical scholarship, students will learn how Jews under Islam shaped modern Judaism, how engagement with Arabic in Islamic Spain
led to the revival of Hebrew, and how the Jewish-Muslim relationship fared in the twentieth century. The course also probes themes of history and memory in light of the departure of Jews from the Islamic world in the 1950s and 1960s.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 261
Hist of Jewish Phil & Thought
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: An introduction to Jewish philosophy and thought from the Hellenistic period (Philo) to the beginning of the modern era (Spinoza) focusing on topics such as prophecy and philosophy, God and the world; the Law as a canon of ethical rules and as a political constitution. Survey of the treatment of such issues by Jewish thinkers from Philo to Maimonides.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 312
Modern Jewish History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: Exploration of major transformations to Jewish society and identity in the modern period. Topics include nationalism, emancipation, acculturation, modernity,
relations with non-Jews, popular culture, and literature.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 320D1
Intermediate Hebrew
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: This course is designed to integrate students at various levels into one group with the aim of improving their basic language skills and preparing them for advanced Hebrew.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 320D2
Intermediate Hebrew
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: See JWST 320D1 for course description.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 323
The Israeli Novel
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: In-depth examination of selected Israeli novels written during the past fifty years of national formation and consolidation. Authors may include Agnon, Yehoshua, Oz, Shabtai, Shalev and others.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 334
Jew&Muslims: A Modern History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: This course examines the modern history of Jewish-Muslim relations beyond just conflict. We will look at the experience of Jews and Muslims -- as individuals and communities -- who charted new cultural territory while navigating colonialism, nationalism, war, and decolonization, through close readings of a wide variety of primary sources (including letters, memoirs, fiction, music, film, and photography) and historical scholarship.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 338
Jewish Philosophy & Thought 2
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: Focuses on either a period, a current of thought or the work of a thinker in the history of Jewish thought from the Middle Ages to Modern Times, paying particular attention to the relationship of Jewish thinkers to intellectual trends in their respective cultural contexts. themes and concerns of Jewish theology and on Jewish responses to contemporary trends in European thought.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 340D1
Advanced Hebrew
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: Language acquisition - advanced Hebrew.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 340D2
Advanced Hebrew
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: See JWST 340D1 for course description.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 348
Modern Jewish Studies
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: Topics in Jewish Studies. Semesters will be devoted to specific issues and periods of the Jewish Experience since 1500 and the literature produced by Jews during this period.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 366
History of Zionism
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: An examination of the development of the Zionist idea, the most influential expression of modern Jewish nationalism, which led to the creation of the Jewish state. The transformation of elements of traditional Jewish messianism into a modern political ideology. Hibbat Zion, Political Zionism, Cultural and Synthetic Zionism will be discussed.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 367
Hebrew through Israeli Cinema
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: An opportunity to analyze Israeli cinema from different periods, spanning 1948 to the present. While participating primarily in Hebrew with some assignments in English, students in this course will be invited to engage actively with the social, political, psychological and aesthetic dimensions of these films.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- For detailed course content go to www.mcgill.ca/jewishstudies/undergraduates.
- Fall
- Prerequisite: JWST 340 or permission of instructor
- This course is conducted at an advanced level of Hebrew. Please contact the instructor to assess your language proficiency.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 368
A Taste of Hebrew Literature
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: An introduction to short literary forms in Hebrew from the mid-20th Century to the present. Short stories and poems will be discussed in terms of their literary qualities, as well as in relation to their cultural, social, political and historical contexts with the ultimate aim of fostering an improved ability to read, write and speak in Hebrew.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- For detailed course content go to www.mcgill.ca/jewishstudies/undergraduates.
- Winter
- Prerequisite: JWST 340 or permission of instructor
- This class is conducted at an advanced level of Hebrew. Please contact the instructor to assess your language proficiency.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 369
History of the Hebrew Language
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: An exploration of the evolution of the Hebrew language from Biblical texts to contemporary Israeli slang, including Rabbinical commentary, Medieval hymns, poetry by Jewish authors of the Islamic world, Haskalah literature in the modern Jewish Enlightenment, and contemporary texts to showcase the revival of a spoken Hebrew after 2000 years in exile. Linguistic patterns, literary structures and vocabulary.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- For detailed course content go to www.mcgill.ca/jewishstudies/undergraduates.
- Fall
- Prerequisite: JWST 340 or permission of instructor
- This course is conducted at an advanced level of Hebrew. Please contact the instructor to assess your language proficiency.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 370
Israeli Popular Culture
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: Israel's multifaceted contemporary culture including music, theatre and the visual arts, as well as stand-up comedy, dance, film and TV series, and contemporary Israeli society.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- For detailed course content go to www.mcgill.ca/jewishstudies/undergraduates.
- Winter
- Prerequisite: JWST 340 or permission of instructor
- This course is conducted at an advanced level of Hebrew. Please contact the instructor to assess your language proficiency.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
PHIL 356
Early Medieval Philosophy
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: An examination of selected works in the Christian, Islamic and Jewish traditions. Topics in moral and political philosophy, logic and metaphysics, philosophical psychology and epistemology, philosophy of science, and philosophical theology may be discussed.
Offered by: Philosophy
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
POLI 340
Developing Areas/Middle East
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Political Science: An examination of the societies, political forces and regimes of selected countries of the Eastern Arab world (Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia).
Offered by: Political Science
- Prerequisite: A basic course in Comparative Politics or a course on the region or written permission of the instructor
- Note: The area in the field of Comparative Politics is Developing Areas.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
POLI 341
Foreign Policy:The Middle East
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Political Science: An examination of the changing regional security environment and the evolving foreign policies and relationships of Arab states in three areas - relations with non-Arab regional powers (Israel, Iran), inter-Arab relations, Great Power relations. The course will focus particularly on Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
Offered by: Political Science
- Prerequisite: A 200- or 300- level course in International Relations or Middle East politics or permission of the instructor
- Note: The field is International Politics.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
POLI 347
Arab-Israel Confl,Crisis,Peace
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Political Science: Concepts - protracted conflict, crisis, war, peace; system, subsystem; Conflict-levels of analysis; historical context; images and issues; attitudes, policies, role of major powers; Crises-Wars - configuration of power; crisis models; decision-making in 1956, 1967, 1973, 1982 crisis-wars; conflict- crisis management; Peace-Making - pre-1977; Egypt-Israel peace treaty; Madrid, Oslo, Israel-Jordan peace; prospects for conflict resolution.
Offered by: Political Science
- Prerequisite: 160-243 prior to 1997-98; or POLI 244
- Note: The field is International Politics.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
RELG 204
Judaism, Christianity&Islam
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Religious Studies: An introduction to the beliefs, practices, and religious institutions of these three world religions.
Offered by: Religious Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
RELG 307
Bible, Quran & Interpretations
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Religious Studies: Jewish, Christian and Muslim scriptures as responses to earlier sacred texts and in the light of post-scriptural interpretations. The debates, polemics, interpretative strategies, and intellectual and spiritual sharing produced by these three religions in accepting, explaining, amplifying, modifying, and selectively rejecting their and other sacred scriptures.
Offered by: Religious Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
RELG 309
World Rel&Cultures They Create
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Religious Studies: The constitution and mutual entanglements of selected religions and cultures originating and thriving in varied regional contexts. Focus on highlighting the symbolic (visual, aural) expressivity of religions via ritual, myth, and rational speculation and its impact on high and popular cultures.
Offered by: Religious Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
RELG 440
Global Islam
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Religious Studies: Western scholarship has oscillated between orientalizing Islam and co-opting it into the Western (Abrahamic) fold of religious traditions. The course will challenge both perspectives by exploring Islam’s dynamic unfolding across a variety of civilizational regions and during subsequent epochs. Its patterns of premodern globalization are nowadays retrieved, sometimes by fitting Islamic cultures into neoliberal patterns of globalization, more often by sidelining or overlaying the Westphalian system of sovereign nation-states. The course will show how Islamic traditions have, both in history and in the present, developed unique intellectual tools and practical resources to interface both with ‘radical’ (Abrahamic) and ‘dialogic’ (non-Abrahamic) religious traditions: from the West (also via labor-based migration), through Central and South Asia, to East and Southeast Asia.
Offered by: Religious Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
RELG 573
Religions in Global Society
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Religious Studies: This seminar is devoted to the study of a plurality of often intersecting religious traditions in a globalizing world, based on interdisciplinary scholarship drawing from history, sociology, anthropology and archaeology. It starts from locating religious phenomena within intersecting social, cultural and political fabrics around the world. It articulates the relation between a multi-faith appreciation of the role of religions in a variety of societies and the emergence of diverse patterns of secularity in them. It facilitates a rich understanding of a complex past to shed light on the new challenges of globalization, including the opening of horizons of postsecular understandings and arrangements.
Offered by: Religious Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
Minor Concentration World Islamic & Middle East Studies (18 Credits)
Download this 
Audit Sheet to help you plan your courses.
For fall 2020 and winter 2021 terms only, you can use the S/U option for a three-credit course that is taken to satisfy a minor.
Complementary Courses (18 Credits)
18 credits of complementary courses selected from the World Islamic and Middle East Studies course lists as follows:
3 credits at the 100/200 level in non-language ISLA courses;
6 credits at the 300 level, in non-language ISLA courses;
9 credits at any level. If non-language courses are selected, no more than 6 credits overall at the 100-/200-level are allowed. Students might fulfill these credits by taking complementary courses from other departments listed as relevant to the program.
ISLA 100-/200-Level
3 credits from:
ISLA 199
FYS: Narr of the Middle East
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: An introduction to competing narratives about crucial moments in the history and culture of the Middle East. Reading and discussion of texts drawn from a variety of perspectives and genres, including historical accounts, poetry, fiction, memoir and others.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Fall
- Restriction(s): Only open to newly-admitted students in U0 or U1, who may take only one FYS.
- Note: Enrollment limit 25. Students who register for more than one FYS will be obliged to withdraw from all but one of them.
- Note: Language of instruction is English.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 200
Islamic Civilization
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: An introduction to, and survey of, the religious, literary, artistic, legal, philosophical and scientific traditions that constituted Islamic civilization from the 7th Century until the mid-19th Century.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Fall
- Note: All readings are in English.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 210
Muslim Societies
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: An introduction to the different, often disparate, ways in which Muslims live and think in the modern world (19th-21st centuries). Muslim social contexts across the globe and cyberspace.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 300-Level or Higher
6 credits from:
ISLA 300
Special Topics 7
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Subject matter will vary year to year, according to the instructor. Topic will be made available in Minerva.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 305
Topics in Islamic History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Subject matter will vary year to year, according to the instructor. Topic will be made available in Minerva.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 310
Women in Islam
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The socio-legal status, conditions, and experiences of various groups of women in Middle Eastern societies. These features are explored within the framework of Islamic feminism and Western feminist discourses, and the tensions and conflicts between them. The dynamics of seclusion, veiling, and polygamy are explored in connection to Medieval Arab ruling elites as a background to some of the discussions and debates over the status of women in modern postcolonial Arab society. Socio-economic divisions, state policies, patriarchy, and colonialism are investigated as key factors in understanding the modern historical transformation of gendered relations and women's roles.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 315
Ottoman State&Society to 1839
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The emergence and development of the Ottoman Empire from its beginnings around 1300 until the Tanzimat Edict of Reform in 1839. A trajectory of Ottoman history from a small principality to a centralized empire, then to a decentralized governmental structure. In addition to chronological developments, questions of imperialideology and the management of ethnically and religiously diverse communities across a vast territory. Exploration of the place of the Ottomans in the early modern world, and their ideological and diplomatic rivalry with other major empires.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 325
Introduction to Shi'i Islam
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Developments in doctrines, legal school, rituals and political thought of Twelver Shi'ite Muslims during early and late medieval periods (centuries VII-XIII). The emergence of the earliest Shi'ite communities in Arabia, Yemen, Iraq and Iran stressing the relationship of the Shi'ite Imams and their religious scholars to the Sunnite Caliphates.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 330
Islamic Mysticism: Sufism
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The varieties of "mystical" thought in Islam, primarily as seen in Sufism, its historical development and its place in Islamic culture. Analytical study of major authors, their writings and their central problems.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA 200 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 340
Islamic Law and Human Rights
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The impact of modernity on Islamic legal discourse and practice, with particular focus on hermeneutical approaches devised to create an overlapping consensus with liberal democracy. The counter discourse – popularly known as Salafism -- to which Islamic modernism gave rise will also be examined.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 200 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 345
Science&Civilization in Islam
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: History of scientific traditions and ideas in Islamic civilization, from the origins of Islam to the early modern period. Emphasis is on the derivation, development and transmissions of Islamic science, as well as on the assimilation and influence of science within Islamic culture.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Winter
- Prerequisite: ISLA 200 or permission of the instructor.
- Note: All readings are in English.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 350
From Tribe to Dynasty
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The political and intellectual developments shaping Arab and Persian societies from the rise of Islam in the 7th century until the early mid 8th century, including the major social changes, political revolts, religious schisms, and the consolidation of lasting cultural institutions.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 355
Modern History: Middle East
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Assessment of the historical transformation of the modern Middle East concentrating on its internal socio-economic changes, as well as the colonial experience and encounters with the West since the early 19th century. Examination of the historical conditions that led to the rise of nationalism, the nation-state, the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 210 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 360
Islam and Politics
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Assessment of the relationship between Islam and politics in the contemporary Middle East and Africa through various analytic themes, including political economy, social movement and gendered analysis.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Fall
- Prerequisite: ISLA 210 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 370
The Qur’an: Hist & Interpret
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: It examines the history of the codification of the text, its form, and modes of interpretation in both the modern and pre-modern periods. Presentation of different schools of Qur’anic exegesis, including traditional hermeneutical approaches, and modern approaches such as feminist interpretations of the Qur’ān.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA 200 or permission of instructor
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 380
Islamic Philosophy & Theology
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: A survey of the most important philosophers and theologians in Islamic intellectual history, with a focus on the theories they articulated and the movements they engendered. The impact of European thought on 19th and 20th century Islamic intellectual history is also examined.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 200 or permission of instructor.
- Note: Reading and discussion in English.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 383
Central Questions-Islamic Law
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: An integrative view of Islamic law in the past and present, including landmarks in Islamic legal history (e.g., sources of law; early formation; intellectual make-up; the workings of court; legal change; legal effects of colonialism; modernity and legal reform) and a structured definition of what it was/is.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Winter
- Prerequisite: ISLA 200 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 385
Poetics & Politics in Arab Lit
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Major issues in classical and modern Arabic literature; how poetics and politics interact in classical and modern, popular folktales and high literature, novels and poetry. The politics of translation from Arabic into English.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 210 or permission of instructor.
- Note: Reading and discussion in English.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 388
Persian Literature
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Examination of literature produced in the Persian-speaking world from the mid 10th to the late 20th century C.E. A broad selection of texts (prose and poetry) will be studied in translation.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Fall
- Prerequisite: ISLA 200 or permission of instructor.
- Note: Readings in English.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 392
Arabic Lit as World Lit
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Consideration of Arabic literature as part of world literature, including exploration of tensions between reading Arabic literature as local, discrete and self-contained and as part of larger global phenomena.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Winter
- Prerequisite: ISLA 210 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 410
History:Middle-East 1798-1918
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: A study of the Middle East from Napoleon's invasion of Egypt to the end of WWI. Emphasis will be on the emergence of nationalisms in the context of European imperialism; political, social, and economic transformation; religion and ideology; and changing patterns of alliances.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 411
History:Middle-East 1918-1945
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The impact of WWI on Middle Eastern society and politics; the British and French mandates; the growth of nationalisms, revolutions and the formation of national states; WW II and the clash of political interests within the region.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 415
Modern Iran: Anthro Approach
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The modern history, social, and cultural anthropology of contemporary Iran.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 210 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 420
Indo-Islamic Civ: Medieval
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The rise of Islam in South Asia in the 8th Century and its subsequent expansion; evolution of Indo-Islamic civilization and its apogee during Mughal rule up to 1707. Themes include state and religion; ruling institutions; political theory, Sufism and the process of conversion, as well as the formation of a composite culture.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Winter
- Prerequisite: ISLA 200 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 421
Islamic Culture-Indian Subcont
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Survey of Islamic culture (faith systems, literature, music, art) on the Indian subcontinent from the early modern period to the present, with a focus on conflict and relations between Muslims and non-Muslims, and between majority and minority Muslim groups.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 430
Islamdom: Baghdad to Cordoba
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The course examines the major socio-political developments in Iraq, Persia, Syria, Egypt, North Africa and Spain from the 9th to the 13th Century. Emphasis is laid on the Umayyad Caliphate centered in Cordoba, and the 'Abbasid Caliphate centered in Baghdad, and the rise of important local dynasties leading up to the Mongol invasion. The course underscores the formation of Islamic cultures in distinct geographical settings and the transformation of religious life under new socio-economic conditions. It also explores shifting notions of civil society and orthodoxy.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 488
Tales of Wonder-Islamic World
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Reading of literary masterpieces of Islamic world focused on three collections of marvelous tales in Arabic, Persian and Urdu: The Arabian Nights, the Shahnameh, and the Adventures of Amir Hamza. May include film screenings, visual art, viewing of rare materials.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA 200, ISLA 210, or permission of instructor.
- Taught in translation.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 489
Special Topics 6
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Selected topics in Islamic and Middle East studies. Subject matter will vary year to year, according to the instructor. Topic will be made available in Minerva.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Fall and/or Winter
- Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 501
The Qur'an: Text and History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: A study of the Qur'an's teachings, structures, style, and history in the light of classical and modern scholarship.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 502
Art in the Age of Empires
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: This course offers a wide-ranging survey of visual culture under the three Muslim superpowers of the early modern period: the Mediterranean-based Ottomans, the Safavids of Iran, and the Mughals of India. The course will examine the nature of these states and their distinctive and vibrant artistic idiom on a comparative basis. Topics include the formation of imperial ideology and its visual articulation; palaces and court culture; artistic organization, authorship, and agency; patronage, gender, piety, as well as cross-cultural interaction.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA 320 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 505
Islam:Origin&Early Development
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The Qur'an, Hadith, the Shari'a and their major themes. The early development of law, theology and Sufism. The development and formation of an Islamic "orthodoxy", the development and nature of competing interpretations of Islam during the Classical Period. Topics: God, revelation, prophecy, the community and the individual and the meaning of history.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 506
Revolutions in the Arab World
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: How the basic elements of Islam have been understood in the course of later Islamic history up to the present day. The nature and development of Shi'ism, Sufi brotherhoods, major intellectual trends, Islam in a world of nation states, diaspora. The challenges of modernity and the contemporary world.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 511
Medieval Islam, 10th-12th Cent
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Socio-political, religious and intellectual developments in Muslim societies following the weakening of the Arab-Sunni Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad during the tenth century. Emphasis will be placed on the historical formation and features of the Seljuq and Buyid dynasties as well as the Fatimid Caliphate in Egypt.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisites: Isla 200
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have take ISLA 511D1/D2
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 512
Art of the Ottoman Empire
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: This course examines artistic production of the large and long-lived empire of the Ottomans. Focusing on key monuments of art and architecture, discussion will revolve around issues relating to imperial identity, patronage, court-culture, and cross-cultural exchange.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA 320 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 515
The Medieval School in Islam
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Schooling in medieval Islamic society particularly in Iraq, Greater Syria, Persia, and Egypt. Sheds light on the structure of learning, aims of education, the life of students including women, and their relationship to their teachers. Illuminates forms of academic evaluation, and looks closely at the "scholarly license" as an accrediting tool delineating its function and scope. Through a set of representative studies on the medieval school, it brings attention to the heated debates surrounding the academic rigor of this form of learning, and the place of scientific learning in it, as well as the historical connection between it and the early European college.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 516
Medieval Islam, 13th-15th Cent
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The historical circumstances surrounding the Crusades against Muslims in Greater Syria and Egypt. The socio-economic, political, and cultural transformation of Muslim society following the destruction of the Abbasid Caliphate, and the rise of the Ikl-Khanid Mongols in Iran and Iraq, as well as the Mamluks in Syria and Egypt. Emphasis will be placed on the integration of new Persian, Turkish, and Indian populations into Islamic imperial culture.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 526
Colloquial Arabic
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Dialectical vocabulary and grammar structures.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA322D1/D2 or equivalent, placement test, or permission of the instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 555
Urdu Poetry
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Interpretation of Urdu poetry for students with intermediate to advanced-level knowledge of Urdu-Hindi language. Includes advanced grammar topics, cultural and historical background, and interpretation and analysis.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA 352D1/D2 or permission of the instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 581
Special Topics 1
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Selected topics in Islamic studies.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Fall and/or Winter
- Note: Subject matter will vary year to year, according to the instructor. Topic will be announced at the beginning of the term.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 582
Special Topics 2
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Selected topics in Islamic Studies.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Subject matter will vary from term to term, according to the instructor. Topic will be announced at the beginning of the term.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 585
Arab Women's Literature
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Explorations of writings by Arab women. Issues include: translation/reception, gender and genre, categories of knowledge about Arab women, feminist and post-colonial theories/methodologies.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 392 or permission of instructor.
- Note: Readings in English translation.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
Remainder
9 credits at any level, including language courses, but no more than 6 credits overall at the 100-200-level in non-language courses. Students might also fulfill these credits by taking complementary courses from other departments listed below.
ISLA Non-Language Courses
ISLA 199
FYS: Narr of the Middle East
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: An introduction to competing narratives about crucial moments in the history and culture of the Middle East. Reading and discussion of texts drawn from a variety of perspectives and genres, including historical accounts, poetry, fiction, memoir and others.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Fall
- Restriction(s): Only open to newly-admitted students in U0 or U1, who may take only one FYS.
- Note: Enrollment limit 25. Students who register for more than one FYS will be obliged to withdraw from all but one of them.
- Note: Language of instruction is English.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 200
Islamic Civilization
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: An introduction to, and survey of, the religious, literary, artistic, legal, philosophical and scientific traditions that constituted Islamic civilization from the 7th Century until the mid-19th Century.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Fall
- Note: All readings are in English.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 210
Muslim Societies
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: An introduction to the different, often disparate, ways in which Muslims live and think in the modern world (19th-21st centuries). Muslim social contexts across the globe and cyberspace.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 300
Special Topics 7
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Subject matter will vary year to year, according to the instructor. Topic will be made available in Minerva.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 305
Topics in Islamic History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Subject matter will vary year to year, according to the instructor. Topic will be made available in Minerva.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 310
Women in Islam
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The socio-legal status, conditions, and experiences of various groups of women in Middle Eastern societies. These features are explored within the framework of Islamic feminism and Western feminist discourses, and the tensions and conflicts between them. The dynamics of seclusion, veiling, and polygamy are explored in connection to Medieval Arab ruling elites as a background to some of the discussions and debates over the status of women in modern postcolonial Arab society. Socio-economic divisions, state policies, patriarchy, and colonialism are investigated as key factors in understanding the modern historical transformation of gendered relations and women's roles.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 325
Introduction to Shi'i Islam
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Developments in doctrines, legal school, rituals and political thought of Twelver Shi'ite Muslims during early and late medieval periods (centuries VII-XIII). The emergence of the earliest Shi'ite communities in Arabia, Yemen, Iraq and Iran stressing the relationship of the Shi'ite Imams and their religious scholars to the Sunnite Caliphates.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 330
Islamic Mysticism: Sufism
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The varieties of "mystical" thought in Islam, primarily as seen in Sufism, its historical development and its place in Islamic culture. Analytical study of major authors, their writings and their central problems.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA 200 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 340
Islamic Law and Human Rights
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The impact of modernity on Islamic legal discourse and practice, with particular focus on hermeneutical approaches devised to create an overlapping consensus with liberal democracy. The counter discourse – popularly known as Salafism -- to which Islamic modernism gave rise will also be examined.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 200 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 345
Science&Civilization in Islam
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: History of scientific traditions and ideas in Islamic civilization, from the origins of Islam to the early modern period. Emphasis is on the derivation, development and transmissions of Islamic science, as well as on the assimilation and influence of science within Islamic culture.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Winter
- Prerequisite: ISLA 200 or permission of the instructor.
- Note: All readings are in English.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 350
From Tribe to Dynasty
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The political and intellectual developments shaping Arab and Persian societies from the rise of Islam in the 7th century until the early mid 8th century, including the major social changes, political revolts, religious schisms, and the consolidation of lasting cultural institutions.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 355
Modern History: Middle East
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Assessment of the historical transformation of the modern Middle East concentrating on its internal socio-economic changes, as well as the colonial experience and encounters with the West since the early 19th century. Examination of the historical conditions that led to the rise of nationalism, the nation-state, the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 210 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 360
Islam and Politics
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Assessment of the relationship between Islam and politics in the contemporary Middle East and Africa through various analytic themes, including political economy, social movement and gendered analysis.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Fall
- Prerequisite: ISLA 210 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 365
Middle East Since the 1970's
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Changes that have occurred in the Middle East since the 1970's, viewed through the lens of themes such as migration, consumerism, war, communications, and ideology.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 210 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 370
The Qur’an: Hist & Interpret
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: It examines the history of the codification of the text, its form, and modes of interpretation in both the modern and pre-modern periods. Presentation of different schools of Qur’anic exegesis, including traditional hermeneutical approaches, and modern approaches such as feminist interpretations of the Qur’ān.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA 200 or permission of instructor
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 380
Islamic Philosophy & Theology
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: A survey of the most important philosophers and theologians in Islamic intellectual history, with a focus on the theories they articulated and the movements they engendered. The impact of European thought on 19th and 20th century Islamic intellectual history is also examined.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 200 or permission of instructor.
- Note: Reading and discussion in English.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 383
Central Questions-Islamic Law
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: An integrative view of Islamic law in the past and present, including landmarks in Islamic legal history (e.g., sources of law; early formation; intellectual make-up; the workings of court; legal change; legal effects of colonialism; modernity and legal reform) and a structured definition of what it was/is.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Winter
- Prerequisite: ISLA 200 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 385
Poetics & Politics in Arab Lit
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Major issues in classical and modern Arabic literature; how poetics and politics interact in classical and modern, popular folktales and high literature, novels and poetry. The politics of translation from Arabic into English.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 210 or permission of instructor.
- Note: Reading and discussion in English.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 388
Persian Literature
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Examination of literature produced in the Persian-speaking world from the mid 10th to the late 20th century C.E. A broad selection of texts (prose and poetry) will be studied in translation.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Fall
- Prerequisite: ISLA 200 or permission of instructor.
- Note: Readings in English.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 392
Arabic Lit as World Lit
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Consideration of Arabic literature as part of world literature, including exploration of tensions between reading Arabic literature as local, discrete and self-contained and as part of larger global phenomena.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Winter
- Prerequisite: ISLA 210 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 410
History:Middle-East 1798-1918
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: A study of the Middle East from Napoleon's invasion of Egypt to the end of WWI. Emphasis will be on the emergence of nationalisms in the context of European imperialism; political, social, and economic transformation; religion and ideology; and changing patterns of alliances.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 411
History:Middle-East 1918-1945
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The impact of WWI on Middle Eastern society and politics; the British and French mandates; the growth of nationalisms, revolutions and the formation of national states; WW II and the clash of political interests within the region.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 415
Modern Iran: Anthro Approach
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The modern history, social, and cultural anthropology of contemporary Iran.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 210 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 420
Indo-Islamic Civ: Medieval
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The rise of Islam in South Asia in the 8th Century and its subsequent expansion; evolution of Indo-Islamic civilization and its apogee during Mughal rule up to 1707. Themes include state and religion; ruling institutions; political theory, Sufism and the process of conversion, as well as the formation of a composite culture.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Winter
- Prerequisite: ISLA 200 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 421
Islamic Culture-Indian Subcont
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Survey of Islamic culture (faith systems, literature, music, art) on the Indian subcontinent from the early modern period to the present, with a focus on conflict and relations between Muslims and non-Muslims, and between majority and minority Muslim groups.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 430
Islamdom: Baghdad to Cordoba
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The course examines the major socio-political developments in Iraq, Persia, Syria, Egypt, North Africa and Spain from the 9th to the 13th Century. Emphasis is laid on the Umayyad Caliphate centered in Cordoba, and the 'Abbasid Caliphate centered in Baghdad, and the rise of important local dynasties leading up to the Mongol invasion. The course underscores the formation of Islamic cultures in distinct geographical settings and the transformation of religious life under new socio-economic conditions. It also explores shifting notions of civil society and orthodoxy.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 488
Tales of Wonder-Islamic World
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Reading of literary masterpieces of Islamic world focused on three collections of marvelous tales in Arabic, Persian and Urdu: The Arabian Nights, the Shahnameh, and the Adventures of Amir Hamza. May include film screenings, visual art, viewing of rare materials.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA 200, ISLA 210, or permission of instructor.
- Taught in translation.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 489
Special Topics 6
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Selected topics in Islamic and Middle East studies. Subject matter will vary year to year, according to the instructor. Topic will be made available in Minerva.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Fall and/or Winter
- Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 499
WI&MES Internship
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Internship with an approved host institution or organization.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Restriction(s): Open to U2 and U3 students with a minimum CGPA of 2.7, and permission of the departmental Internship Adviser. This course will not normally fulfill program requirements for seminar or 400-level courses. A letter from a supervisor at the institution must attest to successful completion of the student's tenure (minimum 150 hours). Students attain credit by writing a research project based on and inspired by their internship experience. This research paper is written after the Internship is completed.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 501
The Qur'an: Text and History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: A study of the Qur'an's teachings, structures, style, and history in the light of classical and modern scholarship.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 502
Art in the Age of Empires
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: This course offers a wide-ranging survey of visual culture under the three Muslim superpowers of the early modern period: the Mediterranean-based Ottomans, the Safavids of Iran, and the Mughals of India. The course will examine the nature of these states and their distinctive and vibrant artistic idiom on a comparative basis. Topics include the formation of imperial ideology and its visual articulation; palaces and court culture; artistic organization, authorship, and agency; patronage, gender, piety, as well as cross-cultural interaction.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA 320 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 505
Islam:Origin&Early Development
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The Qur'an, Hadith, the Shari'a and their major themes. The early development of law, theology and Sufism. The development and formation of an Islamic "orthodoxy", the development and nature of competing interpretations of Islam during the Classical Period. Topics: God, revelation, prophecy, the community and the individual and the meaning of history.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 506
Revolutions in the Arab World
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: How the basic elements of Islam have been understood in the course of later Islamic history up to the present day. The nature and development of Shi'ism, Sufi brotherhoods, major intellectual trends, Islam in a world of nation states, diaspora. The challenges of modernity and the contemporary world.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 511
Medieval Islam, 10th-12th Cent
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Socio-political, religious and intellectual developments in Muslim societies following the weakening of the Arab-Sunni Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad during the tenth century. Emphasis will be placed on the historical formation and features of the Seljuq and Buyid dynasties as well as the Fatimid Caliphate in Egypt.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisites: Isla 200
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have take ISLA 511D1/D2
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 512
Art of the Ottoman Empire
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: This course examines artistic production of the large and long-lived empire of the Ottomans. Focusing on key monuments of art and architecture, discussion will revolve around issues relating to imperial identity, patronage, court-culture, and cross-cultural exchange.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA 320 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 515
The Medieval School in Islam
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Schooling in medieval Islamic society particularly in Iraq, Greater Syria, Persia, and Egypt. Sheds light on the structure of learning, aims of education, the life of students including women, and their relationship to their teachers. Illuminates forms of academic evaluation, and looks closely at the "scholarly license" as an accrediting tool delineating its function and scope. Through a set of representative studies on the medieval school, it brings attention to the heated debates surrounding the academic rigor of this form of learning, and the place of scientific learning in it, as well as the historical connection between it and the early European college.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 516
Medieval Islam, 13th-15th Cent
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The historical circumstances surrounding the Crusades against Muslims in Greater Syria and Egypt. The socio-economic, political, and cultural transformation of Muslim society following the destruction of the Abbasid Caliphate, and the rise of the Ikl-Khanid Mongols in Iran and Iraq, as well as the Mamluks in Syria and Egypt. Emphasis will be placed on the integration of new Persian, Turkish, and Indian populations into Islamic imperial culture.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 555
Urdu Poetry
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Interpretation of Urdu poetry for students with intermediate to advanced-level knowledge of Urdu-Hindi language. Includes advanced grammar topics, cultural and historical background, and interpretation and analysis.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA 352D1/D2 or permission of the instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 581
Special Topics 1
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Selected topics in Islamic studies.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Fall and/or Winter
- Note: Subject matter will vary year to year, according to the instructor. Topic will be announced at the beginning of the term.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 582
Special Topics 2
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Selected topics in Islamic Studies.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Subject matter will vary from term to term, according to the instructor. Topic will be announced at the beginning of the term.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 585
Arab Women's Literature
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Explorations of writings by Arab women. Issues include: translation/reception, gender and genre, categories of knowledge about Arab women, feminist and post-colonial theories/methodologies.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 392 or permission of instructor.
- Note: Readings in English translation.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA Language Courses
Arabic
ISLA 221D1
Introductory Arabic
4.5 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Introduction to Modern Standard Arabic, including pronunciation and reading and writing of the Arabic script; and speaking and comprehension of basic sentences, commands, statements in the present tense.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisites: Permission of the Institute required.
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ISLA521D1/D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 221D1 and ISLA 221D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- Students must register for both ISLA221D1 and ISLA 221D2.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 221D2
Introductory Arabic
4.5 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 221D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 221D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 221D1 and ISLA 221D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- Students must register for both ISLA221D1 and ISLA 221D2.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 322D1
Lower Intermediate Arabic
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Speech, comprehension, reading and writing of more complex grammatical structures, including the conditional sentence, case endings, and verbs and verbal constructions.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 221D1/D2 or ISLA 521D1/D2 or placement test or permission of the Institute.
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 522 or ISLA 522D1/D2.
- Students must register for both ISLA322D1 and ISLA 322D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 322D1 and ISLA 322D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- ISLA 322D1 and ISLA 322D2 together are equivalent to ISLA 322
- Students are expected to have knowledge of basic Arabic grammar and vocabulary.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 322D2
Lower Intermediate Arabic
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 322D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 322
Lower Intermediate Arabic
6 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Speech, comprehension, reading and writing of more complex grammatical structures, including the conditional sentence, case endings, and verbs and verbal constructions.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 221D1/D2 or ISLA 521D1/D2 or placement test or permission of the Institute.
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 522 or ISLA 522D1/D2.
- Students are expected to have knowledge of basic Arabic grammar and vocabulary.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 423D1
Higher Intermediate Arabic
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Introduction to advanced grammatical constructions and vocabulary through readings of longer texts in Arabic, as well as conversation, and exposure to video/audio cultural materials. Continued exposition of Arabic grammar, including active and passive participles, conjunction of irregular verbs, and active and passive voices.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 322D1/D2 or ISLA 322 or ISLA 522D1/D2 or ISLA 522 or placement test or permission of the instructor.
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 523D1/D2.
- Fall and Winter
- Students must register for both ISLA 423D1 and ISLA 423D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 423D1 and ISLA 423D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Students are expected to have knowledge of intermediate-level Arabic grammar and vocabulary.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 423D2
Higher Intermediate Arabic
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 423D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 423D1
- Fall and Winter
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 423D1 and ISLA 423D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Students are expected to have knowledge of intermediate-level Arabic grammar and vocabulary.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 524
Advanced Arabic 1
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Advanced level of the Arabic language study.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 423D1/D2 or ISLA 523D1/D2 or ISLA 623D1/D2 or placement test or permission of the instructor
- Note: Language of instruction is Arabic.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 525
Advanced Arabic 2
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Advanced level of the Arabic language study.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 524 or placement test or permission of the instructor.
- Note: Language of instruction is Arabic.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 526
Colloquial Arabic
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Dialectical vocabulary and grammar structures.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA322D1/D2 or equivalent, placement test, or permission of the instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
Persian
ISLA 241D1
Introductory Persian
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Introduction to the Persian language, beginning with pronouncing, reading and writing the Persian script, and moving to vocabulary and grammatical structures needed to communicate in simple dialogues, read simple texts, and write simple paragraphs.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: Placement test or permission of the instructor
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 541 D1/D2.
- Students must register for both ISLA 241D1 and ISLA 241D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 241D1 and ISLA 241D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 241D2
Introductory Persian
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 241D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 241D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 241D1 and ISLA 241D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 342D1
Lower Intermediate Persian
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Speech, comprehension, and reading and writing of more complex grammatical structures, embedded within a variety of short authentic Persian texts.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 241D1/D2 or ISLA 541 D1/D2, placement test, or permission of the instructor.
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 542D1/D2.
- Students must register for both ISLA 342D1 and ISLA 342D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 342D1 and ISLA 342D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- Students are expected to have knowledge of basic Persian grammar and vocabulary.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 342D2
Lower Intermediate Persian
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 342D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 443D1
Upper Intermediate Persian
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Introduction to authentic texts about Persian culture, history, geography, politics, arts, and other topics relevant to Iran, as well as canonical poems of various modern and classical poets, and selected Persian proverbs and their meanings and connotations.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Fall
- Prerequisite: ISLA 342D1/D2 or ISLA 542D1/D2 or placement test or permission of the instructor.
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 543 and ISLA 544.
- Note: Language of instruction is Persian.
- Students must register for both ISLA 443D1 and ISLA 443D2
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 443D1 and ISLA 443D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 443D2
Upper Intermediate Persian
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 443D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 443D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 443D1 and ISLA 443D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 545
Advanced Persian 1
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Advanced level of Persian language study.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 546
Advanced Persian 2
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Advanced level of Persian language study.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 545 or placement test or permission of the instructor.
- Note: Language of instruction is Persian.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
Turkish
ISLA 232D1
Introductory Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Introduction to speaking and comprehension of basic sentences, commands, statements in the present and future tenses. Introduction to simple daily conversations.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ISLA532 D1/D2.
- Students must register for both ISLA232D1 and ISLA 232D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 232D1 and ISLA 232D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 232D2
Introductory Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 232D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 232D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 232D1 and ISLA 232D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 333D1
Lower Intermediate Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Listening comprehension, reading, and writing of more complex grammatical structures, including the subjunctive, future, and past tenses.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 232D1/D2 or ISLA 532D1/D2 or permission of the Institute.
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 533D1/D2.
- Students must register for both ISLA333D1 and ISLA 333D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 333D1 and ISLA 333D2 are successfully completed inconsecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 333D2
Lower Intermediate Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 333D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 434D1
Higher Intermediate Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Contemporary cultural texts in Turkish, including literature and media. Reading materials supported by audio visual media featuring modern spoken Turkish.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 434D2
Higher Intermediate Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 434D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 434D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 434D1 and ISLA 434D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 535D1
Advanced Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Language acquisition - advanced Turkish.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 535D2
Advanced Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 535D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 535D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 535D1 and ISLA 535D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
Urdu
ISLA 251D1
Introductory Urdu-Hindi
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Introduction to Urdu-Hindi language including pronunciation and reading and writing of either Urduor Hindi script, speaking and comprehension of basic sentences, commands, statements in the present tense.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken ISLA551D1/D2.
- Students must register for both ISLA251D1 and ISLA 251D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 251D1 and ISLA 251D2are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 251D2
Introductory Urdu-Hindi
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 251D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 251D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 251D1 and ISLA 251D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 352D1
Intermediate Urdu-Hindi
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Speech, comprehension, and reading and writing of more complex grammatical structures, including the subjunctive, future, and past tenses.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 251D1/D2 or ISLA 551D1/D2 or placement test or permission of the instructor.
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 552D1/D2.
- Students must register for both ISLA352D1 and ISLA 352D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 352D1 and ISLA 352D2 are successfully completed inconsecutive terms.
- Students are expected to have knowledge of basic Urdu-Hindi grammar and vocabulary.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 352D2
Intermediate Urdu-Hindi
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 352D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 352D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 352D1 and ISLA 352D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Students are expected to have knowledge of basic Urdu-Hindi grammar and vocabulary.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 553
Advanced Urdu-Hindi 1
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Builds upon Intermediate Urdu-Hindi to introduce students to advanced grammatical constructions through reading of longer texts in the Urdu or
Hindi script, conversation, and video/audio cultural materials.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 554
Advanced Urdu-Hindi 2
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Advanced study of grammatical constructions through reading long texts in the Urdu or Hindi script, conversation, and video/audio cultural materials.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 553 or permission of the instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
Non-ISLA Courses
ANTH 209
Anthropology of Religion
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Anthropology: Nature and function of religion in culture. Systems of belief; the interpretation of ritual. Religion and symbolism. The relation of religion to social organization. Religious change and social movements.
Offered by: Anthropology
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ANTH 318
Globalization and Religion
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Anthropology: The interactions between religion and the economic, social and cultural transformations of globalization: relations between globalization and contemporary religious practice, meaning, and influence at personal and collective levels.
Offered by: Anthropology
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ANTH 327
Anthropology of South Asia
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Anthropology: An introduction to anthropological research in India and greater South Asia. Topics include politics, caste, class, religion, gender and sexuality, development and globalization.
Offered by: Anthropology
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
HIST 209
Intro to South Asian History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
History: Charts the making of South Asian civilization, 2500 BCE- 1707 CE, through a selection of key themes and major trends. Focus on the transformation of local kinship ties into regional kingdoms and empires, the evolution of religion and the legacy of the expansion of Islam and consequent rise of Turkish, Afghan and Mughal empires in this area.
Offered by: History and Classical Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
HIST 240
Mod Hist of Islamic Movements
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
History: Islamic revival in the Middle East which led to the rise of different versions of Islamic traditions and beliefs. Emphasis on the nature and character of leading nationalist and Islamic movements and their ideologues since the late 19th century.
Offered by: History and Classical Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
HIST 340
History of Modern Egypt
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
History: Explores the history of Egypt from the 18th Century to today. Topics include: Ottoman Egypt, the impact of French and British Colonialism, Nasserism, Camp David and economic liberalization, and the Egyptian Revolution of 2011.
Offered by: History and Classical Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
HIST 341
Themes in South Asian History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
History: Exploration of a theme in the history of South Asia.
Offered by: History and Classical Studies
- Prerequisite: HIST 209 recommended.
- Themes may vary from year to year.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
HIST 435
Topics in South Asian History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
History: In-depth discussion and research on a topic in the history of South Asia.
Offered by: History and Classical Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
HIST 446
Topics in Middle East History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
History: Examination of a selected topic in the history of the modern Middle East from the late 19th century to the present.
Offered by: History and Classical Studies
- Prerequisite(s): Any class on the history of the Middle East or permission of the instructor
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
HIST 591D1
Modern Middle East History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
History: Topics in the history of the modern Middle East.
Offered by: History and Classical Studies
- Prerequisite(s): HIST 240 or HIST 339 or HIST 340 or HIST 448 or permission of instructor.
- Students must register for both HIST 591D1 and HIST 591D2. No credit will be given for this course unless both HIST 591D1 and HIST 591D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Restriction(s): Open only to history honours and graduate students or advanced students who have permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
HIST 591D2
Modern Middle East History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
History: Topics in the history of the modern Middle East.
Offered by: History and Classical Studies
- Prerequisite(s): HIST 240 or HIST 339 or HIST 340 or HIST 448 or permission of instructor.
- Students must register for both HIST 591D1 and HIST 591D2. No credit will be given for this course unless both HIST 591D1 and HIST 591D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Restriction(s): Open only to history honours and graduate students or advanced students who have permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 220D1
Introductory Hebrew
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: Language acquisition - introductory Hebrew.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 220D2
Introductory Hebrew
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: See JWST 220D1 for course description.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 245
Jewish Life - Islamic World
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: Until the early modern period, most of the world’s Jews spoke Arabic and called the Islamic world home. This course explores the Jewish experience among Muslims from the seventh century until the present. Through close readings of primary sources and historical scholarship, students will learn how Jews under Islam shaped modern Judaism, how engagement with Arabic in Islamic Spain
led to the revival of Hebrew, and how the Jewish-Muslim relationship fared in the twentieth century. The course also probes themes of history and memory in light of the departure of Jews from the Islamic world in the 1950s and 1960s.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 261
Hist of Jewish Phil & Thought
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: An introduction to Jewish philosophy and thought from the Hellenistic period (Philo) to the beginning of the modern era (Spinoza) focusing on topics such as prophecy and philosophy, God and the world; the Law as a canon of ethical rules and as a political constitution. Survey of the treatment of such issues by Jewish thinkers from Philo to Maimonides.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 312
Modern Jewish History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: Exploration of major transformations to Jewish society and identity in the modern period. Topics include nationalism, emancipation, acculturation, modernity,
relations with non-Jews, popular culture, and literature.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 320D1
Intermediate Hebrew
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: This course is designed to integrate students at various levels into one group with the aim of improving their basic language skills and preparing them for advanced Hebrew.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 320D2
Intermediate Hebrew
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: See JWST 320D1 for course description.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 323
The Israeli Novel
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: In-depth examination of selected Israeli novels written during the past fifty years of national formation and consolidation. Authors may include Agnon, Yehoshua, Oz, Shabtai, Shalev and others.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 334
Jew&Muslims: A Modern History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: This course examines the modern history of Jewish-Muslim relations beyond just conflict. We will look at the experience of Jews and Muslims -- as individuals and communities -- who charted new cultural territory while navigating colonialism, nationalism, war, and decolonization, through close readings of a wide variety of primary sources (including letters, memoirs, fiction, music, film, and photography) and historical scholarship.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 338
Jewish Philosophy & Thought 2
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: Focuses on either a period, a current of thought or the work of a thinker in the history of Jewish thought from the Middle Ages to Modern Times, paying particular attention to the relationship of Jewish thinkers to intellectual trends in their respective cultural contexts. themes and concerns of Jewish theology and on Jewish responses to contemporary trends in European thought.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 340D1
Advanced Hebrew
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: Language acquisition - advanced Hebrew.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 340D2
Advanced Hebrew
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: See JWST 340D1 for course description.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 348
Modern Jewish Studies
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: Topics in Jewish Studies. Semesters will be devoted to specific issues and periods of the Jewish Experience since 1500 and the literature produced by Jews during this period.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 366
History of Zionism
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: An examination of the development of the Zionist idea, the most influential expression of modern Jewish nationalism, which led to the creation of the Jewish state. The transformation of elements of traditional Jewish messianism into a modern political ideology. Hibbat Zion, Political Zionism, Cultural and Synthetic Zionism will be discussed.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 367
Hebrew through Israeli Cinema
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: An opportunity to analyze Israeli cinema from different periods, spanning 1948 to the present. While participating primarily in Hebrew with some assignments in English, students in this course will be invited to engage actively with the social, political, psychological and aesthetic dimensions of these films.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- For detailed course content go to www.mcgill.ca/jewishstudies/undergraduates.
- Fall
- Prerequisite: JWST 340 or permission of instructor
- This course is conducted at an advanced level of Hebrew. Please contact the instructor to assess your language proficiency.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 368
A Taste of Hebrew Literature
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: An introduction to short literary forms in Hebrew from the mid-20th Century to the present. Short stories and poems will be discussed in terms of their literary qualities, as well as in relation to their cultural, social, political and historical contexts with the ultimate aim of fostering an improved ability to read, write and speak in Hebrew.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- For detailed course content go to www.mcgill.ca/jewishstudies/undergraduates.
- Winter
- Prerequisite: JWST 340 or permission of instructor
- This class is conducted at an advanced level of Hebrew. Please contact the instructor to assess your language proficiency.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 369
History of the Hebrew Language
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: An exploration of the evolution of the Hebrew language from Biblical texts to contemporary Israeli slang, including Rabbinical commentary, Medieval hymns, poetry by Jewish authors of the Islamic world, Haskalah literature in the modern Jewish Enlightenment, and contemporary texts to showcase the revival of a spoken Hebrew after 2000 years in exile. Linguistic patterns, literary structures and vocabulary.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- For detailed course content go to www.mcgill.ca/jewishstudies/undergraduates.
- Fall
- Prerequisite: JWST 340 or permission of instructor
- This course is conducted at an advanced level of Hebrew. Please contact the instructor to assess your language proficiency.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
JWST 370
Israeli Popular Culture
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Jewish Studies: Israel's multifaceted contemporary culture including music, theatre and the visual arts, as well as stand-up comedy, dance, film and TV series, and contemporary Israeli society.
Offered by: Jewish Studies
- For detailed course content go to www.mcgill.ca/jewishstudies/undergraduates.
- Winter
- Prerequisite: JWST 340 or permission of instructor
- This course is conducted at an advanced level of Hebrew. Please contact the instructor to assess your language proficiency.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
PHIL 356
Early Medieval Philosophy
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: An examination of selected works in the Christian, Islamic and Jewish traditions. Topics in moral and political philosophy, logic and metaphysics, philosophical psychology and epistemology, philosophy of science, and philosophical theology may be discussed.
Offered by: Philosophy
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
POLI 340
Developing Areas/Middle East
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Political Science: An examination of the societies, political forces and regimes of selected countries of the Eastern Arab world (Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia).
Offered by: Political Science
- Prerequisite: A basic course in Comparative Politics or a course on the region or written permission of the instructor
- Note: The area in the field of Comparative Politics is Developing Areas.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
POLI 341
Foreign Policy:The Middle East
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Political Science: An examination of the changing regional security environment and the evolving foreign policies and relationships of Arab states in three areas - relations with non-Arab regional powers (Israel, Iran), inter-Arab relations, Great Power relations. The course will focus particularly on Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
Offered by: Political Science
- Prerequisite: A 200- or 300- level course in International Relations or Middle East politics or permission of the instructor
- Note: The field is International Politics.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
POLI 347
Arab-Israel Confl,Crisis,Peace
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Political Science: Concepts - protracted conflict, crisis, war, peace; system, subsystem; Conflict-levels of analysis; historical context; images and issues; attitudes, policies, role of major powers; Crises-Wars - configuration of power; crisis models; decision-making in 1956, 1967, 1973, 1982 crisis-wars; conflict- crisis management; Peace-Making - pre-1977; Egypt-Israel peace treaty; Madrid, Oslo, Israel-Jordan peace; prospects for conflict resolution.
Offered by: Political Science
- Prerequisite: 160-243 prior to 1997-98; or POLI 244
- Note: The field is International Politics.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
RELG 204
Judaism, Christianity&Islam
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Religious Studies: An introduction to the beliefs, practices, and religious institutions of these three world religions.
Offered by: Religious Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
RELG 307
Bible, Quran & Interpretations
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Religious Studies: Jewish, Christian and Muslim scriptures as responses to earlier sacred texts and in the light of post-scriptural interpretations. The debates, polemics, interpretative strategies, and intellectual and spiritual sharing produced by these three religions in accepting, explaining, amplifying, modifying, and selectively rejecting their and other sacred scriptures.
Offered by: Religious Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
RELG 309
World Rel&Cultures They Create
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Religious Studies: The constitution and mutual entanglements of selected religions and cultures originating and thriving in varied regional contexts. Focus on highlighting the symbolic (visual, aural) expressivity of religions via ritual, myth, and rational speculation and its impact on high and popular cultures.
Offered by: Religious Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
RELG 440
Global Islam
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Religious Studies: Western scholarship has oscillated between orientalizing Islam and co-opting it into the Western (Abrahamic) fold of religious traditions. The course will challenge both perspectives by exploring Islam’s dynamic unfolding across a variety of civilizational regions and during subsequent epochs. Its patterns of premodern globalization are nowadays retrieved, sometimes by fitting Islamic cultures into neoliberal patterns of globalization, more often by sidelining or overlaying the Westphalian system of sovereign nation-states. The course will show how Islamic traditions have, both in history and in the present, developed unique intellectual tools and practical resources to interface both with ‘radical’ (Abrahamic) and ‘dialogic’ (non-Abrahamic) religious traditions: from the West (also via labor-based migration), through Central and South Asia, to East and Southeast Asia.
Offered by: Religious Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
RELG 573
Religions in Global Society
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Religious Studies: This seminar is devoted to the study of a plurality of often intersecting religious traditions in a globalizing world, based on interdisciplinary scholarship drawing from history, sociology, anthropology and archaeology. It starts from locating religious phenomena within intersecting social, cultural and political fabrics around the world. It articulates the relation between a multi-faith appreciation of the role of religions in a variety of societies and the emergence of diverse patterns of secularity in them. It facilitates a rich understanding of a complex past to shed light on the new challenges of globalization, including the opening of horizons of postsecular understandings and arrangements.
Offered by: Religious Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
Minor Languages
For fall 2020 and winter 2021 terms only, you can use the S/U option for a three-credit course that is taken to satisfy a minor.
The Islamic Studies Institute offers Language Minors in Arabic, Persian, Turkish and Urdu that offer students comprehensive training in listening, speaking, reading and writing in one of these languages.
This program may be expanded to the Major Concentration in World Islamic and Middle East Studies.
Minor Concentration Arabic Language (18 Credits)
Complementary Courses
18 credits of Arabic language (3 levels) from the list below. Note that one level is considered to be 6 credits. In the case of Introductory Arabic (9 credits), the extra 3 credits will be counted as electives.
ISLA 221D1
Introductory Arabic
4.5 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Introduction to Modern Standard Arabic, including pronunciation and reading and writing of the Arabic script; and speaking and comprehension of basic sentences, commands, statements in the present tense.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisites: Permission of the Institute required.
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ISLA521D1/D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 221D1 and ISLA 221D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- Students must register for both ISLA221D1 and ISLA 221D2.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 221D2
Introductory Arabic
4.5 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 221D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 221D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 221D1 and ISLA 221D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- Students must register for both ISLA221D1 and ISLA 221D2.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 322
Lower Intermediate Arabic
6 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Speech, comprehension, reading and writing of more complex grammatical structures, including the conditional sentence, case endings, and verbs and verbal constructions.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 221D1/D2 or ISLA 521D1/D2 or placement test or permission of the Institute.
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 522 or ISLA 522D1/D2.
- Students are expected to have knowledge of basic Arabic grammar and vocabulary.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 322D1
Lower Intermediate Arabic
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Speech, comprehension, reading and writing of more complex grammatical structures, including the conditional sentence, case endings, and verbs and verbal constructions.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 221D1/D2 or ISLA 521D1/D2 or placement test or permission of the Institute.
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 522 or ISLA 522D1/D2.
- Students must register for both ISLA322D1 and ISLA 322D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 322D1 and ISLA 322D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- ISLA 322D1 and ISLA 322D2 together are equivalent to ISLA 322
- Students are expected to have knowledge of basic Arabic grammar and vocabulary.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 322D2
Lower Intermediate Arabic
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 322D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 423D1
Higher Intermediate Arabic
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Introduction to advanced grammatical constructions and vocabulary through readings of longer texts in Arabic, as well as conversation, and exposure to video/audio cultural materials. Continued exposition of Arabic grammar, including active and passive participles, conjunction of irregular verbs, and active and passive voices.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 322D1/D2 or ISLA 322 or ISLA 522D1/D2 or ISLA 522 or placement test or permission of the instructor.
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 523D1/D2.
- Fall and Winter
- Students must register for both ISLA 423D1 and ISLA 423D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 423D1 and ISLA 423D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Students are expected to have knowledge of intermediate-level Arabic grammar and vocabulary.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 423D2
Higher Intermediate Arabic
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 423D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 423D1
- Fall and Winter
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 423D1 and ISLA 423D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Students are expected to have knowledge of intermediate-level Arabic grammar and vocabulary.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 524
Advanced Arabic 1
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Advanced level of the Arabic language study.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 423D1/D2 or ISLA 523D1/D2 or ISLA 623D1/D2 or placement test or permission of the instructor
- Note: Language of instruction is Arabic.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 525
Advanced Arabic 2
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Advanced level of the Arabic language study.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 524 or placement test or permission of the instructor.
- Note: Language of instruction is Arabic.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
Am I taking the right courses? Use this Audit Sheet to help you plan your courses.
Minor Concentration Persian Language (18 Credits)
Complementary Courses
18 credits of Persian language (3 levels) from the list below. Note that one level is considered to be 6 credits.
ISLA 241D1
Introductory Persian
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Introduction to the Persian language, beginning with pronouncing, reading and writing the Persian script, and moving to vocabulary and grammatical structures needed to communicate in simple dialogues, read simple texts, and write simple paragraphs.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: Placement test or permission of the instructor
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 541 D1/D2.
- Students must register for both ISLA 241D1 and ISLA 241D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 241D1 and ISLA 241D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 241D2
Introductory Persian
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 241D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 241D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 241D1 and ISLA 241D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 342D1
Lower Intermediate Persian
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Speech, comprehension, and reading and writing of more complex grammatical structures, embedded within a variety of short authentic Persian texts.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 241D1/D2 or ISLA 541 D1/D2, placement test, or permission of the instructor.
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 542D1/D2.
- Students must register for both ISLA 342D1 and ISLA 342D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 342D1 and ISLA 342D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- Students are expected to have knowledge of basic Persian grammar and vocabulary.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 342D2
Lower Intermediate Persian
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 342D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 443D1
Upper Intermediate Persian
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Introduction to authentic texts about Persian culture, history, geography, politics, arts, and other topics relevant to Iran, as well as canonical poems of various modern and classical poets, and selected Persian proverbs and their meanings and connotations.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Fall
- Prerequisite: ISLA 342D1/D2 or ISLA 542D1/D2 or placement test or permission of the instructor.
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 543 and ISLA 544.
- Note: Language of instruction is Persian.
- Students must register for both ISLA 443D1 and ISLA 443D2
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 443D1 and ISLA 443D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 443D2
Upper Intermediate Persian
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 443D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 443D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 443D1 and ISLA 443D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 545
Advanced Persian 1
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Advanced level of Persian language study.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 546
Advanced Persian 2
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Advanced level of Persian language study.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 545 or placement test or permission of the instructor.
- Note: Language of instruction is Persian.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
Am I taking the right courses? Use this Audit Sheet to help you plan your courses.
Minor Concentration Turkish Language (18 Credits)
Complementary Courses
18 credits of Turkish language (3 levels) from the list below.
ISLA 232D1
Introductory Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Introduction to speaking and comprehension of basic sentences, commands, statements in the present and future tenses. Introduction to simple daily conversations.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ISLA532 D1/D2.
- Students must register for both ISLA232D1 and ISLA 232D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 232D1 and ISLA 232D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 232D2
Introductory Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 232D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 232D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 232D1 and ISLA 232D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 333D1
Lower Intermediate Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Listening comprehension, reading, and writing of more complex grammatical structures, including the subjunctive, future, and past tenses.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 232D1/D2 or ISLA 532D1/D2 or permission of the Institute.
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 533D1/D2.
- Students must register for both ISLA333D1 and ISLA 333D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 333D1 and ISLA 333D2 are successfully completed inconsecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 333D2
Lower Intermediate Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 333D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 434D1
Higher Intermediate Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Contemporary cultural texts in Turkish, including literature and media. Reading materials supported by audio visual media featuring modern spoken Turkish.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 434D2
Higher Intermediate Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 434D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 434D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 434D1 and ISLA 434D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 535D1
Advanced Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Language acquisition - advanced Turkish.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 535D2
Advanced Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 535D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 535D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 535D1 and ISLA 535D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
Am I taking the right courses? Use this Audit Sheet to help you plan your courses.
Minor Concentration Urdu Language (18 Credits)
Complementary Courses
18 credits of Urdu language (3 levels) from the list below.
ISLA 251D1
Introductory Urdu-Hindi
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Introduction to Urdu-Hindi language including pronunciation and reading and writing of either Urduor Hindi script, speaking and comprehension of basic sentences, commands, statements in the present tense.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken ISLA551D1/D2.
- Students must register for both ISLA251D1 and ISLA 251D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 251D1 and ISLA 251D2are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 251D2
Introductory Urdu-Hindi
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 251D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 251D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 251D1 and ISLA 251D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 352D1
Intermediate Urdu-Hindi
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Speech, comprehension, and reading and writing of more complex grammatical structures, including the subjunctive, future, and past tenses.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 251D1/D2 or ISLA 551D1/D2 or placement test or permission of the instructor.
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 552D1/D2.
- Students must register for both ISLA352D1 and ISLA 352D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 352D1 and ISLA 352D2 are successfully completed inconsecutive terms.
- Students are expected to have knowledge of basic Urdu-Hindi grammar and vocabulary.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 352D2
Intermediate Urdu-Hindi
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 352D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 352D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 352D1 and ISLA 352D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Students are expected to have knowledge of basic Urdu-Hindi grammar and vocabulary.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 553
Advanced Urdu-Hindi 1
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Builds upon Intermediate Urdu-Hindi to introduce students to advanced grammatical constructions through reading of longer texts in the Urdu or
Hindi script, conversation, and video/audio cultural materials.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 554
Advanced Urdu-Hindi 2
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Advanced study of grammatical constructions through reading long texts in the Urdu or Hindi script, conversation, and video/audio cultural materials.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 553 or permission of the instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
Am I taking the right courses? Use this Audit Sheet to help you plan your courses.
WIMES Advising
WIMES Programs encourage multidisciplinary and diverse approaches to the study of the Islamic World.
If you want more information about the WIMES programs requirements and credits you can get in touch with the Student Affairs Coordinator at info.islamics [at] mcgill.ca.
We suggest that you meet with an advisor to get guidance on how to choose classes, develop specific interests or ideas, and on how to get the most out of the WIMES programs. One of the following faculty members will be happy to meet with you.
malek.abisaab [at] mcgill.ca (Malek Abisaab)
setrag.manoukian [at] mcgill.ca (Setrag Manoukian)
laila.parsons [at] mcgill.ca (Laila Parsons)
michelle.hartman [at] mcgill.ca (Michelle Hartman)
Courses
ISLA 199
FYS: Narr of the Middle East
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: An introduction to competing narratives about crucial moments in the history and culture of the Middle East. Reading and discussion of texts drawn from a variety of perspectives and genres, including historical accounts, poetry, fiction, memoir and others.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Fall
- Restriction(s): Only open to newly-admitted students in U0 or U1, who may take only one FYS.
- Note: Enrollment limit 25. Students who register for more than one FYS will be obliged to withdraw from all but one of them.
- Note: Language of instruction is English.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 200
Islamic Civilization
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: An introduction to, and survey of, the religious, literary, artistic, legal, philosophical and scientific traditions that constituted Islamic civilization from the 7th Century until the mid-19th Century.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Fall
- Note: All readings are in English.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 200 Winter 2022
ISLA 200 Fall 2019
ISLA 210
Muslim Societies
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: An introduction to the different, often disparate, ways in which Muslims live and think in the modern world (19th-21st centuries). Muslim social contexts across the globe and cyberspace.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 210
ISLA 221D1
Introductory Arabic
4.5 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Introduction to Modern Standard Arabic, including pronunciation and reading and writing of the Arabic script; and speaking and comprehension of basic sentences, commands, statements in the present tense.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisites: Permission of the Institute required.
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ISLA521D1/D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 221D1 and ISLA 221D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- Students must register for both ISLA221D1 and ISLA 221D2.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 221D2
Introductory Arabic
4.5 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 221D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 221D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 221D1 and ISLA 221D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- Students must register for both ISLA221D1 and ISLA 221D2.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 232D1
Introductory Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Introduction to speaking and comprehension of basic sentences, commands, statements in the present and future tenses. Introduction to simple daily conversations.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ISLA532 D1/D2.
- Students must register for both ISLA232D1 and ISLA 232D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 232D1 and ISLA 232D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 232D2
Introductory Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 232D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 232D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 232D1 and ISLA 232D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
Fall 2019 Winter 2020
ISLA 241D1
Introductory Persian
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Introduction to the Persian language, beginning with pronouncing, reading and writing the Persian script, and moving to vocabulary and grammatical structures needed to communicate in simple dialogues, read simple texts, and write simple paragraphs.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: Placement test or permission of the instructor
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 541 D1/D2.
- Students must register for both ISLA 241D1 and ISLA 241D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 241D1 and ISLA 241D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 241D2
Introductory Persian
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 241D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 241D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 241D1 and ISLA 241D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 241 D2 - Winter 2022
ISLA 242 - Fall 2021
Persian Language Courses Brochure
ISLA 251D1
Introductory Urdu-Hindi
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Introduction to Urdu-Hindi language including pronunciation and reading and writing of either Urduor Hindi script, speaking and comprehension of basic sentences, commands, statements in the present tense.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken ISLA551D1/D2.
- Students must register for both ISLA251D1 and ISLA 251D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 251D1 and ISLA 251D2are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 251D2
Introductory Urdu-Hindi
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 251D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 251D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 251D1 and ISLA 251D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 251D Introductory Urdu-Hindi
ISLA 300
Special Topics 7
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Subject matter will vary year to year, according to the instructor. Topic will be made available in Minerva.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 300 - Fall 2021
ISLA 305
Topics in Islamic History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Subject matter will vary year to year, according to the instructor. Topic will be made available in Minerva.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 305
ISLA 310
Women in Islam
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The socio-legal status, conditions, and experiences of various groups of women in Middle Eastern societies. These features are explored within the framework of Islamic feminism and Western feminist discourses, and the tensions and conflicts between them. The dynamics of seclusion, veiling, and polygamy are explored in connection to Medieval Arab ruling elites as a background to some of the discussions and debates over the status of women in modern postcolonial Arab society. Socio-economic divisions, state policies, patriarchy, and colonialism are investigated as key factors in understanding the modern historical transformation of gendered relations and women's roles.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 310 Winter 2020
ISLA 315
Ottoman State&Society to 1839
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The emergence and development of the Ottoman Empire from its beginnings around 1300 until the Tanzimat Edict of Reform in 1839. A trajectory of Ottoman history from a small principality to a centralized empire, then to a decentralized governmental structure. In addition to chronological developments, questions of imperialideology and the management of ethnically and religiously diverse communities across a vast territory. Exploration of the place of the Ottomans in the early modern world, and their ideological and diplomatic rivalry with other major empires.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 322
Lower Intermediate Arabic
6 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Speech, comprehension, reading and writing of more complex grammatical structures, including the conditional sentence, case endings, and verbs and verbal constructions.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 221D1/D2 or ISLA 521D1/D2 or placement test or permission of the Institute.
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 522 or ISLA 522D1/D2.
- Students are expected to have knowledge of basic Arabic grammar and vocabulary.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 322D1
Lower Intermediate Arabic
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Speech, comprehension, reading and writing of more complex grammatical structures, including the conditional sentence, case endings, and verbs and verbal constructions.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 221D1/D2 or ISLA 521D1/D2 or placement test or permission of the Institute.
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 522 or ISLA 522D1/D2.
- Students must register for both ISLA322D1 and ISLA 322D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 322D1 and ISLA 322D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- ISLA 322D1 and ISLA 322D2 together are equivalent to ISLA 322
- Students are expected to have knowledge of basic Arabic grammar and vocabulary.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 322D2
Lower Intermediate Arabic
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 322D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 325
Introduction to Shi'i Islam
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Developments in doctrines, legal school, rituals and political thought of Twelver Shi'ite Muslims during early and late medieval periods (centuries VII-XIII). The emergence of the earliest Shi'ite communities in Arabia, Yemen, Iraq and Iran stressing the relationship of the Shi'ite Imams and their religious scholars to the Sunnite Caliphates.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 330
Islamic Mysticism: Sufism
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The varieties of "mystical" thought in Islam, primarily as seen in Sufism, its historical development and its place in Islamic culture. Analytical study of major authors, their writings and their central problems.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA 200 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 330 - Fall 2021
ISLA 333D1
Lower Intermediate Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Listening comprehension, reading, and writing of more complex grammatical structures, including the subjunctive, future, and past tenses.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 232D1/D2 or ISLA 532D1/D2 or permission of the Institute.
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 533D1/D2.
- Students must register for both ISLA333D1 and ISLA 333D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 333D1 and ISLA 333D2 are successfully completed inconsecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 333D2
Lower Intermediate Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 333D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
Fall 2019 Winter 2020
ISLA 340
Islamic Law and Human Rights
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The impact of modernity on Islamic legal discourse and practice, with particular focus on hermeneutical approaches devised to create an overlapping consensus with liberal democracy. The counter discourse – popularly known as Salafism -- to which Islamic modernism gave rise will also be examined.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 200 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 342D1
Lower Intermediate Persian
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Speech, comprehension, and reading and writing of more complex grammatical structures, embedded within a variety of short authentic Persian texts.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 241D1/D2 or ISLA 541 D1/D2, placement test, or permission of the instructor.
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 542D1/D2.
- Students must register for both ISLA 342D1 and ISLA 342D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 342D1 and ISLA 342D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- Students are expected to have knowledge of basic Persian grammar and vocabulary.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 342D1 Fall 2021
ISLA 342D2
Lower Intermediate Persian
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 342D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 342D1 Winter 2022 Syllabus
Persian Language Courses Brochure
ISLA 345
Science&Civilization in Islam
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: History of scientific traditions and ideas in Islamic civilization, from the origins of Islam to the early modern period. Emphasis is on the derivation, development and transmissions of Islamic science, as well as on the assimilation and influence of science within Islamic culture.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Winter
- Prerequisite: ISLA 200 or permission of the instructor.
- Note: All readings are in English.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 350
From Tribe to Dynasty
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The political and intellectual developments shaping Arab and Persian societies from the rise of Islam in the 7th century until the early mid 8th century, including the major social changes, political revolts, religious schisms, and the consolidation of lasting cultural institutions.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 352D1
Intermediate Urdu-Hindi
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Speech, comprehension, and reading and writing of more complex grammatical structures, including the subjunctive, future, and past tenses.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 251D1/D2 or ISLA 551D1/D2 or placement test or permission of the instructor.
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 552D1/D2.
- Students must register for both ISLA352D1 and ISLA 352D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 352D1 and ISLA 352D2 are successfully completed inconsecutive terms.
- Students are expected to have knowledge of basic Urdu-Hindi grammar and vocabulary.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 352D2
Intermediate Urdu-Hindi
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 352D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 352D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 352D1 and ISLA 352D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Students are expected to have knowledge of basic Urdu-Hindi grammar and vocabulary.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 352 - Fall 2021
ISLA 355
Modern History: Middle East
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Assessment of the historical transformation of the modern Middle East concentrating on its internal socio-economic changes, as well as the colonial experience and encounters with the West since the early 19th century. Examination of the historical conditions that led to the rise of nationalism, the nation-state, the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 210 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 360
Islam and Politics
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Assessment of the relationship between Islam and politics in the contemporary Middle East and Africa through various analytic themes, including political economy, social movement and gendered analysis.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Fall
- Prerequisite: ISLA 210 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 365
Middle East Since the 1970's
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Changes that have occurred in the Middle East since the 1970's, viewed through the lens of themes such as migration, consumerism, war, communications, and ideology.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 210 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 370
The Qur’an: Hist & Interpret
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: It examines the history of the codification of the text, its form, and modes of interpretation in both the modern and pre-modern periods. Presentation of different schools of Qur’anic exegesis, including traditional hermeneutical approaches, and modern approaches such as feminist interpretations of the Qur’ān.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA 200 or permission of instructor
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 370 - Winter 2024
ISLA 380
Islamic Philosophy & Theology
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: A survey of the most important philosophers and theologians in Islamic intellectual history, with a focus on the theories they articulated and the movements they engendered. The impact of European thought on 19th and 20th century Islamic intellectual history is also examined.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 200 or permission of instructor.
- Note: Reading and discussion in English.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 380 - Fall 2019
ISLA 383
Central Questions-Islamic Law
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: An integrative view of Islamic law in the past and present, including landmarks in Islamic legal history (e.g., sources of law; early formation; intellectual make-up; the workings of court; legal change; legal effects of colonialism; modernity and legal reform) and a structured definition of what it was/is.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Winter
- Prerequisite: ISLA 200 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
Winter 2024 ISLA 383 Syllabus
ISLA 385
Poetics & Politics in Arab Lit
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Major issues in classical and modern Arabic literature; how poetics and politics interact in classical and modern, popular folktales and high literature, novels and poetry. The politics of translation from Arabic into English.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 210 or permission of instructor.
- Note: Reading and discussion in English.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 388
Persian Literature
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Examination of literature produced in the Persian-speaking world from the mid 10th to the late 20th century C.E. A broad selection of texts (prose and poetry) will be studied in translation.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Fall
- Prerequisite: ISLA 200 or permission of instructor.
- Note: Readings in English.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 388 Winter 2022
ISLA 392
Arabic Lit as World Lit
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Consideration of Arabic literature as part of world literature, including exploration of tensions between reading Arabic literature as local, discrete and self-contained and as part of larger global phenomena.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Winter
- Prerequisite: ISLA 210 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 410
History:Middle-East 1798-1918
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: A study of the Middle East from Napoleon's invasion of Egypt to the end of WWI. Emphasis will be on the emergence of nationalisms in the context of European imperialism; political, social, and economic transformation; religion and ideology; and changing patterns of alliances.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 411
History:Middle-East 1918-1945
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The impact of WWI on Middle Eastern society and politics; the British and French mandates; the growth of nationalisms, revolutions and the formation of national states; WW II and the clash of political interests within the region.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 415
Modern Iran: Anthro Approach
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The modern history, social, and cultural anthropology of contemporary Iran.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 210 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 420
Indo-Islamic Civ: Medieval
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The rise of Islam in South Asia in the 8th Century and its subsequent expansion; evolution of Indo-Islamic civilization and its apogee during Mughal rule up to 1707. Themes include state and religion; ruling institutions; political theory, Sufism and the process of conversion, as well as the formation of a composite culture.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Winter
- Prerequisite: ISLA 200 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 420 Fall 2019
ISLA 421
Islamic Culture-Indian Subcont
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Survey of Islamic culture (faith systems, literature, music, art) on the Indian subcontinent from the early modern period to the present, with a focus on conflict and relations between Muslims and non-Muslims, and between majority and minority Muslim groups.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
Fall 2022 ISLA 421 Islam in India
ISLA 423D1
Higher Intermediate Arabic
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Introduction to advanced grammatical constructions and vocabulary through readings of longer texts in Arabic, as well as conversation, and exposure to video/audio cultural materials. Continued exposition of Arabic grammar, including active and passive participles, conjunction of irregular verbs, and active and passive voices.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 322D1/D2 or ISLA 322 or ISLA 522D1/D2 or ISLA 522 or placement test or permission of the instructor.
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 523D1/D2.
- Fall and Winter
- Students must register for both ISLA 423D1 and ISLA 423D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 423D1 and ISLA 423D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Students are expected to have knowledge of intermediate-level Arabic grammar and vocabulary.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 423D2
Higher Intermediate Arabic
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 423D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 423D1
- Fall and Winter
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 423D1 and ISLA 423D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Students are expected to have knowledge of intermediate-level Arabic grammar and vocabulary.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
Classical Arabic Syllabus Fall 2019 Winter 2020
ISLA 430
Islamdom: Baghdad to Cordoba
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The course examines the major socio-political developments in Iraq, Persia, Syria, Egypt, North Africa and Spain from the 9th to the 13th Century. Emphasis is laid on the Umayyad Caliphate centered in Cordoba, and the 'Abbasid Caliphate centered in Baghdad, and the rise of important local dynasties leading up to the Mongol invasion. The course underscores the formation of Islamic cultures in distinct geographical settings and the transformation of religious life under new socio-economic conditions. It also explores shifting notions of civil society and orthodoxy.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 434D1
Higher Intermediate Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Contemporary cultural texts in Turkish, including literature and media. Reading materials supported by audio visual media featuring modern spoken Turkish.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 434D2
Higher Intermediate Turkish
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 434D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 434D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 434D1 and ISLA 434D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 443D1
Upper Intermediate Persian
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Introduction to authentic texts about Persian culture, history, geography, politics, arts, and other topics relevant to Iran, as well as canonical poems of various modern and classical poets, and selected Persian proverbs and their meanings and connotations.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Fall
- Prerequisite: ISLA 342D1/D2 or ISLA 542D1/D2 or placement test or permission of the instructor.
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ISLA 543 and ISLA 544.
- Note: Language of instruction is Persian.
- Students must register for both ISLA 443D1 and ISLA 443D2
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 443D1 and ISLA 443D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 443D1 Fall 2021
ISLA 443D1 Fall 2019
ISLA 443D2
Upper Intermediate Persian
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: See ISLA 443D1 for course description.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 443D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ISLA 443D1 and ISLA 443D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 443D2 Winter 2022 Syllabus
ISLA 488
Tales of Wonder-Islamic World
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Reading of literary masterpieces of Islamic world focused on three collections of marvelous tales in Arabic, Persian and Urdu: The Arabian Nights, the Shahnameh, and the Adventures of Amir Hamza. May include film screenings, visual art, viewing of rare materials.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA 200, ISLA 210, or permission of instructor.
- Taught in translation.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 489
Special Topics 6
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Selected topics in Islamic and Middle East studies. Subject matter will vary year to year, according to the instructor. Topic will be made available in Minerva.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Fall and/or Winter
- Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 495
WI&MES Research Seminar
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Research seminar on topics in world Islamic and Middle East studies.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Restriction(s): Open to final year WI&MES Joint Honours and Honours students and to others by permission of the Program Coordinator.
- Not open to students who have taken MEST 495.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 499
WI&MES Internship
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Internship with an approved host institution or organization.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Restriction(s): Open to U2 and U3 students with a minimum CGPA of 2.7, and permission of the departmental Internship Adviser. This course will not normally fulfill program requirements for seminar or 400-level courses. A letter from a supervisor at the institution must attest to successful completion of the student's tenure (minimum 150 hours). Students attain credit by writing a research project based on and inspired by their internship experience. This research paper is written after the Internship is completed.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 501
The Qur'an: Text and History
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: A study of the Qur'an's teachings, structures, style, and history in the light of classical and modern scholarship.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 501
ISLA 502
Art in the Age of Empires
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: This course offers a wide-ranging survey of visual culture under the three Muslim superpowers of the early modern period: the Mediterranean-based Ottomans, the Safavids of Iran, and the Mughals of India. The course will examine the nature of these states and their distinctive and vibrant artistic idiom on a comparative basis. Topics include the formation of imperial ideology and its visual articulation; palaces and court culture; artistic organization, authorship, and agency; patronage, gender, piety, as well as cross-cultural interaction.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA 320 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 505
Islam:Origin&Early Development
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The Qur'an, Hadith, the Shari'a and their major themes. The early development of law, theology and Sufism. The development and formation of an Islamic "orthodoxy", the development and nature of competing interpretations of Islam during the Classical Period. Topics: God, revelation, prophecy, the community and the individual and the meaning of history.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 506
Revolutions in the Arab World
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: How the basic elements of Islam have been understood in the course of later Islamic history up to the present day. The nature and development of Shi'ism, Sufi brotherhoods, major intellectual trends, Islam in a world of nation states, diaspora. The challenges of modernity and the contemporary world.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 511
Medieval Islam, 10th-12th Cent
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Socio-political, religious and intellectual developments in Muslim societies following the weakening of the Arab-Sunni Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad during the tenth century. Emphasis will be placed on the historical formation and features of the Seljuq and Buyid dynasties as well as the Fatimid Caliphate in Egypt.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisites: Isla 200
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have take ISLA 511D1/D2
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 512
Art of the Ottoman Empire
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: This course examines artistic production of the large and long-lived empire of the Ottomans. Focusing on key monuments of art and architecture, discussion will revolve around issues relating to imperial identity, patronage, court-culture, and cross-cultural exchange.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA 320 or permission of instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 515
The Medieval School in Islam
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Schooling in medieval Islamic society particularly in Iraq, Greater Syria, Persia, and Egypt. Sheds light on the structure of learning, aims of education, the life of students including women, and their relationship to their teachers. Illuminates forms of academic evaluation, and looks closely at the "scholarly license" as an accrediting tool delineating its function and scope. Through a set of representative studies on the medieval school, it brings attention to the heated debates surrounding the academic rigor of this form of learning, and the place of scientific learning in it, as well as the historical connection between it and the early European college.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 516
Medieval Islam, 13th-15th Cent
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: The historical circumstances surrounding the Crusades against Muslims in Greater Syria and Egypt. The socio-economic, political, and cultural transformation of Muslim society following the destruction of the Abbasid Caliphate, and the rise of the Ikl-Khanid Mongols in Iran and Iraq, as well as the Mamluks in Syria and Egypt. Emphasis will be placed on the integration of new Persian, Turkish, and Indian populations into Islamic imperial culture.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 524
Advanced Arabic 1
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Advanced level of the Arabic language study.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 423D1/D2 or ISLA 523D1/D2 or ISLA 623D1/D2 or placement test or permission of the instructor
- Note: Language of instruction is Arabic.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 525
Advanced Arabic 2
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Advanced level of the Arabic language study.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 524 or placement test or permission of the instructor.
- Note: Language of instruction is Arabic.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 526
Colloquial Arabic
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Dialectical vocabulary and grammar structures.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA322D1/D2 or equivalent, placement test, or permission of the instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 531
Survey Dev of Islamic Thought
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: A survey of the development of the major intellectual traditions of Islamic civilization in medieval and modern times.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 543
Course not available
ISLA 544
Course not available
ISLA 544
Persian Language Courses Brochure
ISLA 545
Advanced Persian 1
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Advanced level of Persian language study.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 546
Advanced Persian 2
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Advanced level of Persian language study.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 545 or placement test or permission of the instructor.
- Note: Language of instruction is Persian.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
Persian Language Courses Brochure
ISLA 553
Advanced Urdu-Hindi 1
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Builds upon Intermediate Urdu-Hindi to introduce students to advanced grammatical constructions through reading of longer texts in the Urdu or
Hindi script, conversation, and video/audio cultural materials.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 553 - Fall 2021
ISLA 554
Advanced Urdu-Hindi 2
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Advanced study of grammatical constructions through reading long texts in the Urdu or Hindi script, conversation, and video/audio cultural materials.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 553 or permission of the instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 554 - Winter 2020
ISLA 555
Urdu Poetry
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Interpretation of Urdu poetry for students with intermediate to advanced-level knowledge of Urdu-Hindi language. Includes advanced grammar topics, cultural and historical background, and interpretation and analysis.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite(s): ISLA 352D1/D2 or permission of the instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 581
Special Topics 1
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Selected topics in Islamic studies.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Fall and/or Winter
- Note: Subject matter will vary year to year, according to the instructor. Topic will be announced at the beginning of the term.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 581 Fall 2019
ISLA 582
Special Topics 2
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Selected topics in Islamic Studies.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Subject matter will vary from term to term, according to the instructor. Topic will be announced at the beginning of the term.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
ISLA 585
Arab Women's Literature
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Islamic Studies: Explorations of writings by Arab women. Issues include: translation/reception, gender and genre, categories of knowledge about Arab women, feminist and post-colonial theories/methodologies.
Offered by: Islamic Studies
- Prerequisite: ISLA 392 or permission of instructor.
- Note: Readings in English translation.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
Complete instructions on how to register for the internship course are here
.