德保爾大學(xué)

This interdisciplinary program grounds students in the study of Islam as a worldview, civilization, and living reality. Students will investigate the Islamic World from a variety of perspectives. The program engages students in exploring primary texts, history, cultural traditions, global communities, and regional issues. Three assumptions undergird the philosophy of this program: 1) that Islamic civilization is both a historical and a living reality; 2) that Islam has interacted with all known cultures and is thus expressed in a wide range of ways; 3) that the religious core ties all of these cultural expressions together. While studying the Islamic World historically and also learning about specific cultural manifestations, students develop a critical understanding of the unique worldview engendered by Islam in its global contexts. Courses for the program are drawn from a broad variety of disciplines including History, History of Art and Architecture, International Studies, Modern Languages, Political Science, Religious Studies, and Women’s and Gender Studies. The regional focus of these courses includes Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, Central Asia, Europe, and the Americas.

A major in Islamic World Studies prepares students for a wide variety of careers and advanced graduate study. The program provides students with core knowledge of the worldview of Islam, its peoples, geographical distribution in the world, language study, and regional studies, enabling students to have a firm foundation in a world civilization. Students will be able to pursue career goals in such areas as social work, journalism, government, law, museums and cultural heritage, religion, education, and Foreign Service.???

Learning Outcomes

??Students will be able to:

• Describe and discuss cultural manifestation of Islam in at least three global regions including the authoritative centres in Arabic speaking countries with emphasis on cultural adaptations, modifications and innovations.
• Articulate the historical and contemporary tensions around pluralism, authority (public and private) in domestic and societal life, relationships with other religious communities.
• Produce effective written essays that compare and contrast Islam in regions where it is the dominate religion and where it is a minority religion.
• Write on the major events in Islamic history.
• Use the major texts and research tools in Islamic studies.
• Articulate the central beliefs and practices of the religion of Islam across the branches and in the schools of legal thought.