Islamic Studies Minor
The Islamic studies minor furthers Fordham's mission by challenging students to view the world through non-Western European constructs of nature, epistemology, aesthetics, ethics, cosmic realities, and corporeal experience. The minor helps students develop a crucial intervention with which to disrupt and go beyond the longstanding parochialism of academic disciplines in the U.S. that focus primarily on the Western canon and its related epistemologies. Simply put, a minor in Islamic studies promotes other ways of knowing and being in the world.
Students gain much from exposure to a wide array of ideas drawn from various Islamic discourses, which attunes them to greater epistemic pluralism and broader horizons for understanding the complexities and challenges of our world. Islamic studies is especially germane to this wider task because it helps bring to light a wealth of knowledge and experience from Islamic societies left too long in the periphery of western scholarship.
Learning Goals
With the completion of the minor in Islamic Studies:
- Students will develop a solid understanding of the diverse historical, philosophical and cultural heritages of Islam, including its origins, development, and influence on world civilizations and contemporary events.
- Students will become familiar with the core beliefs, schools of thought, and practices of Islam, including its theologies, ethics, rituals, laws, artistic expressions, and social norms, and be able to analyze and interpret them in light of contemporary issues and debates.
- Students will be able to consider Islam through a wide array of theoretical and methodological approaches, which may include literary criticism, hermeneutics, linguistics, phenomenology, history, political science, philosophy, comparative studies, theology, postcolonial theory, sociology, and anthropology.
- Students will broaden their horizons to understand the complexities and challenges of our world through explorations of nonwestern expressions, experiences, and epistemologies.
- Students will learn to counter intolerance by developing an appreciation for diversity, pluralism, and dialogue, and develop a sense of empathy for other ways of being, thinking, and engaging in the world.
The Islamic studies minor requires six (6) courses, as follows:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| One course on Islamic sacred texts or Islam's foundational history 1 | 3 to 4 | |
| One course on Islamic theology/history/philosophy 1 | 3 to 4 | |
| One course on Islamic arts/culture/politics 1 | 3 to 4 | |
| Electives | ||
| Choose three courses drawn from any of the three categories above (one Arabic course may be included) 2 | 9 to 12 | |
- 1
See below for lists of courses fulfilling each requirement.
- 2
Any course with the ISFH (sacred texts/foundational history), ISTP (theology/philosophy/history), or ISAC (arts/culture/politics) attributes may fulfill this requirement. Additionally, a maximum of one course with the ISAR (Arabic courses) attribute may fulfill this requirement.
It is strongly recommended, but not required, that two of the courses taken towards the minor be in History or Theology.
Sacred Texts/Foundational History courses
Courses in this group have the ISFH attribute.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HIST 1700 | Understanding Historical Change: Mideast | 3 |
| HIST 1750 | Understanding Historical Change: Islamic History and Culture | 3 |
| HIST 3217 | Islamic History, 1000–1600 | 4 |
| THEO 3715 | Classic Islamic Texts | 3 |
| THEO 3716 | Islam and Modernity | 3 |
Theology/Philosophy/History courses
Courses in this group have the ISTP attribute.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HIST 3670 | The Modern Middle East | 4 |
| HIST 3982 | The Islamic World and the Crusades, 1099-Ca.1700 | 4 |
| HIST 3983 | Apocalypticism and Messianism in Islamic Thought and History | 4 |
| HIST 3985 | Ottoman Empire/ 1300-1800 | 4 |
| HIST 3986 | Religion and Politics in Islamic History | 4 |
| LACU 3210 | Islam and Italy | 4 |
| MEST 2600 | Medieval Islam | 4 |
| PHIL 3753 | Philosophy of the Islamic World | 4 |
| POSC 4425 | Seminar: Contemporary Politics and Cultures in the Islamic World | 4 |
| THEO 3884 | Sufism: Islam's Mystical Tradition | 3 |
| THEO 4027 | The Ethics of Life | 4 |
| THEO 4110 | Muslim, Jewish, and Christian Feminist Theologies: Discourses of Difference | 4 |
| THEO 4371 | Islam in Modern Egypt | 4 |
Arts/Culture/Politics courses
Courses in this group have the ISAC attribute.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AFAM 3115 | Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X | 4 |
| ANTH 2614 | Urbanism and Change in the Middle East | 4 |
| ANTH 2888 | Gender and Islam | 4 |
| ANTH 3006 | Arab-Americans and the Diasporic Experience | 4 |
| ANTH 3013 | Anthropology of Palestinian Communities | 4 |
| ARAB 2450 | The Short Story of Arabic Literature | 4 |
| ARAB 3000 | Topics in Arabic Cultures | 4 |
| ARAB 3010 | Human Rights in Arabic Literature | 4 |
| ARAB 3040 | Topics in Arabic Literature | 4 |
| ARHI 2230 | Islamic Art | 4 |
| CLAS 4545 | Bath Cultures and Bathing Rituals From Antiquity to Brooklyn | 4 |
| HIST 3818 | The History of Islam in the U.S. | 4 |
| LACU 3475 | Oppositional Thought in Islamic Literature | 4 |
| MEST 3620 | Islam in America | 4 |
| POSC 3418 | Islamic Political Thought | 4 |
| POSC 3424 | Political Philosophy between Islam and the West | 4 |
| POSC 3427 | Islam, Art, and Resistance | 4 |
| POSC 3480 | Islamic Culture and Politics in Spain | 4 |
| POSC 4425 | Seminar: Contemporary Politics and Cultures in the Islamic World | 4 |
| THEO 3883 | Medicine and Healing in Islam | 4 |
| THEO 3885 | Women, Gender, and Islam | 3 |
| THEO 4545 | Bath Cultures and Bathing Rituals From Antiquity to Brooklyn | 4 |
Arabic courses
Courses in this group have the ISAR attribute.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ARAB 1501 | Intermediate Arabic I | 3 |
| ARAB 1502 | Intermediate Arabic II | 3 |
| ARAB 2001 | Arabic Language and Literature | 3 |
| ARAB 2400 | Approaches to Arabic Culture | 4 |
Availability
The minor in Islamic studies is available at Fordham College at Rose Hill and at Fordham College at Lincoln Center. Students in Fordham's School of Professional and Continuing Studies may minor in Islamic studies only if they receive the approval of their advising dean and/or department, and their schedules are sufficiently flexible to permit them to take day courses at the Rose Hill or Lincoln Center campuses.