Courses

TuTh 9:45AM-11:00AM

3 credits

Course description: This course surveys Islamic art from the 7th century to modernity/contemporaneity. We will examine key themes such as the concept of Islam, the figure of the Prophet Muhammad and the poetry of the Qur'an and how these subjects intertwine with visual artistic manifestations defined as "Islamic." We will explore the astonishing world of Islamic art through the discussion of emblematic early sites like the Ka'ba in Mecca and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. The geographical spread of Islam during many centuries developed a new artistic vocabulary that, instead of homogenizing different territories, fused into pre-existing art traditions such as the Byzantine, Persian, North African, Southern Spanish, Anatolian, Central Asian, Mesopotamian or Indian "models." These fusions led to the formation of complex and hybrid works of art and architecture. Historical events and discourses such as the Medieval Crusades, Colonialism and Post-colonialism, or Orientalism will further complicate and enrich our discussions of what Islamic art is.

Meets IUB GenEd A&H, IUB GenEd World Culture, COLL (CASE) A&H Breadth of Inquiry, and COLL (CASE) Global Civ & Culture credits.

TuTH 3:00PM-4:15PM

3 credits

Course description: This course introduces the peoples, cultures, and histories of Central Asia, Mongolia, and Tibet. We begin with a broad historical survey of Central Asia from ancient to modern eras, then move to Mongolia and Tibet. Topics discussed include the historic Silk Road, nomads and the steppe, the Mongol Empire, Buddhism, Islam, and Communism. We read historical accounts, biographies, short stories, and short excerpts from some important documents that illustrate historic and contemporary Central Asia, Mongolia and Tibet. The larger goal of this course is to try to understand how each place developed, the specific cultural and political stories of each place, and how they have and continue to relate to and influence each other. Specific skills that this course provides include developing the ability to compare and analyze specific cultures and states, to develop your writing and oral communication skills, and to work collaboratively with colleagues.

Meets IUB GenEd S&H, IUB GenEd World Culture, COLL (CASE) S&H Breadth of Inquiry, and COLL (CASE) Global Civ & Culture credits.

TuTh 11:30AM-12:45PM

3 credits

Course description: An introduction to Central Eurasia, especially the former Soviet Union, focusing on the 1980s and beyond. Main topics are politics, society, and economy; others include demography, Islam, women, and foreign policy.

Meets COLL (CASE) S&H Breadth of Inquiry credit.

MW 1:15PM-2:30PM

3 credits

Course description: Exploration of Xinjiang's politics from 1900 to the present, focusing on Islam, identity politics, immigration, language battles, cultural resistance, the Production and Construction Corps, political economy, and oil.

MW 4:45PM-7:15PM

Second Eight Week Course

3 credits

Course description: Explores the complex relationship between Islam and politics, and Islamism's predicament with modernity and democracy. Although it concentrates on Turkey and its Ottoman past, a comparative approach examines developments throughout the Muslim Middle East and other parts of the world affected by the phenomena of political Islam and jihadist discourses and activities.

Meets COLL (CASE) Culture Studies: Global Civ & Culture credit.

TuTh 11:30AM-12:45PM

3 credits

Course description: This course explores the causes and consequences of global migration through the lens of race and racism. The course will focus on how people move across state borders while simultaneously crossing cultural, racial, and civilizational boundaries. We will investigate a number of questions in the course: What factors compel people to move and how are they received in their destination countries? Are some immigrants seen as more legitimate, desirable, or assimilable than others, and why? How does racism against immigrants in Europe and the U.S. emerge as part of historical, social, and political processes? The course will be roughly divided into three phases. First, we will consider theoretical explanations for mobility and displacement as well as ways to think about the development processes that spur migration. The second part of the course will introduce theories of race, ethnicity, and racialization with a focus on anti Muslim and anti Black racism. Finally, the course will look at specific migration corridors around the world and cases of raced migration.

TuTh 11:30AM-12:45PM

3 credits

Course description: This course offers an introduction to twentieth and twenty-first century French society, politics, and identity in a global and trans-Atlantic perspective. After initially covering basic notions of history, geography, and national culture, we will focus on the place of various minority groups, their often unequal status, and their struggle to achieve equality in French society. Topics addressed will include the memory of colonialism, immigration, racism / civil rights, secularism / religion (especially Islam), persistent forms of class and gender inequality, health care, and the redistribution of wealth through taxation.

By learning about France, we will address a set of broader goals: to gain new critical perspectives on American culture, society, and politics through comparison with France; to draw out and question assumptions that underlie American and French culture; to develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills using inter-cultural knowledge and the analysis of different forms of mass media (film, cartoons, television).

Meets IUB GenEd A&H, IUB GenEd World Culture, COLL (CASE) A&H Breadth of Inquiry, and COLL (CASE) Global Civ & Culture credits.

TuTh 9:45AM-11:00AM

3 credits

Course description: South Asia (modern-day India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka) is home to one of the world's oldest and most diverse civilizations. In this course students will survey the cultures, religions, and politics of South Asia from the earliest times until the present. Topics include the birth of world religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism; early state building by Hindu polities such as the Cholas; the arrival of Islam and the creation of the Mughal Empire, the world's most powerful premodern empire; the period of British rule over India; Gandhi and the non-violent struggle for freedom; and India's leadership as a non-aligned postcolonial state in the later 20th century. Each topic will be addressed through a close reading of a primary historical text. Your grade will be based on several in-class writing assignments and examinations.

Meets COLL (CASE) S&H Breadth of Inquiry credit.

MW 4:45PM-6:00PM

3 credits

Course description: Introduces salient policy debates that shape contemporary American foreign policy toward the Middle East and the Muslim world. Explores foreign policy decision making and international relations theory. Addresses major policy questions, including US reactions to the crisis in Syria and the Arab Spring.

Meets COLL (CASE) S&H Breadth of Inquiry credit.

M 3:00PM-4:15PM plus discussion section

3 credits

Course description: Introduces the Koran in its historical role as the Islamic revelation. Covers its formation and compilation, the structural and stylistic characteristics of the text, and its role and function in Islam. Explores the different schools of interpretation throughout history and comparative studies between the Koran and the Judeo-Christian scriptures.

Meets COLL Intensive Writing and COLL (CASE) A&H Breadth of Inquiry credits.

MW 3:00PM-4:15PM
3 credits

Class description: This course is designed for students with little prior knowledge of Islam. We begin by learning about the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad, and about the similarities and differences between Islam and other monotheistic religions. Then we will explore how Muslims put into practice God's teachings - and the various outcomes of these teachings and practices. Questions we will ask include: What is sharia law and what does it demand of Muslims? Why does Islam look so different in, say, the Middle East and Southeast Asia? Why do some Muslims support gender equality, queer acceptance, and democratic principles while others don't? How do Muslims respond to contemporary developments like global capitalism and climate change?

Meets IUB GenEd A&H, IUB GenEd World Culture, COLL (CASE) A&H Breadth of Inquiry, and COLL (CASE) Culture Studies: Global Civ & Culture credits.

TuTH 9:45AM-11:00AM

3 credits

Course description: This course will examine the religious ideas and expression of African-descended people in the Americas, and particularly the United States (and former English colonies), from the 17th century to today. The focus will be particularly on Black religion as a distinct phenomenon as a response to slavery, racism, and colonialism. We will look at Indigenous West and Central African religions in the context of the Atlantic slave trade, Islam and Christian conversion, the Black Church, religious innovation during the Great Migration, Black nationalist and Pan-African movements, new religious movements, and contemporary expressions, including what Judith Weisenfeld calls "religio-racial" movements such as the Moorish Science Temple and Nation of Islam of the 20th century and their current day descendants.

Meets COLL (CASE) A&H Breadth of Inquiry and COLL (CASE) Culture Studies: Diversity in U.S. credits.

MW 11:30Am-12:45PM

3 credits

Course description: The purpose of this course is for students to gain understandings of central events and issues in the development of Islamic Law (fiqh) over the last 1400 years. The course will focus on the origins and sources used for legal thought as well as the methods of analysis that developed after the 9th Islamic century and into the modern period in the Middle East, as well as Central and Southeast Asia. Students will use primary sources (in translation) and learn the diverse methods scholars used to find legal opinions regarding Islamic rituals, as well as commercial, political, and criminal law.

Meets COLL (CASE) A&H Breadth of Inquiry and COLL (CASE) Global Civ & Culture credit.