Professorships
Visiting Assistant Professor of Islam (2011-12)
Department of Religion, Middlebury College
Middlebury, Vermont
Courses Taught:
Islamic Traditions (Fall 2011) | Syllabus*
The objective of this course is to give students an understanding of what it means to be Muslim in terms of beliefs (cosmology and theology), practices (rituals and moral teachings), and culture, not just classically but in the backdrop of today’s world. In order to achieve this three-part objective, students read primary and secondary materials from various perspectives and of different genres. The course also devotes some time to the history of the foundations and civilization of Islam. Students explore the meaning of Islam as a worldview and a moral system through an examination of its doctrinal, ritual, philosophical, moral and spiritual dimensions. This course is designed for students with no prior knowledge of Islam.
The Qur’ān (Fall 2011) | Syllabus*
The objective of this course is to study Islam through its sacred text, the Qur’ān. The course focuses on cosmology (God, human nature, Satan, and the afterlife), ethical principles, ritual prescriptions, and legal injunctions. Also examined are prominent symbols, images, and rhetorical structures of the Qur’ān. In reading prophetic narratives, students compare Qur’ānic and Biblical accounts of the major prophets shared by Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Students also examine the role of the Qur’ān in Muslim devotion and as a medium for artistic expression. Special emphasis is placed on the tradition of Qur’ānic exegesis, particularly of the verses that inspire the most debate today: inter-communal and inter-religious relations and gender.
Iran Through Film (JTerm 2012)
The Prophet Muhammad (Spring 2012)
Sufism: Islamic Mysticism (Spring 2012)
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