Ijtihad Network Being Wise and Faithful Muslim in the Contemporary World
In this center you study how Islam became a fast-growing world religion and how perceptions of Muslims and Islam impact policies and conceptions of citizenship in both Muslim-majority and non-Muslim-majority countries throughout the world.
About
Global Islamic Studies focuses upon the analysis of the cultural, political and religious influence Muslims have in the globalized world by examining their past and present. You study how Islam became a fast-growing world religion and how perceptions of Muslims and Islam impact policies and conceptions of citizenship in both Muslim-majority and non-Muslim-majority countries throughout the world. Our faculty have specialized experience in Western Europe, Russia, Turkey, Bosnia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, North Africa and the Middle East. The multidisciplinary and global focus of this major allows you to explore themes of migration and transnationalism, identity, religious orthodoxy and authority, and helps you develop a comprehensive understanding of the many roles played by Islam and Muslims in the unfolding human story.
Language study
Language and culture are inherently intertwined. As a Global Islamic Studies major or minor, you are required to undertake advanced language study—two semesters at the intermediate level or higher in the same language related to the focus of your GIS studies. You can choose from Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Russian, or Spanish, although another language may be selected with the approval of your faculty adviser. All majors are encouraged to become familiar with Arabic, even if it is not your primary language of study.
Study abroad
You will be encouraged to seek a study abroad program tailored to your particular interests. You may study in Europe, Russia, Turkey, India, Africa or the Middle East. You will also work with a team of faculty and career advisers to find or develop a skill-building internship, in the U.S. or abroad, that relates to your studies and career goals.
Global Islamic Studies Major
The major consists of at least ten courses drawn from a wide variety of departments and interdisciplinary programs, as well as foreign languages related to the student’s focus of study.
Every student must complete at least one elective at the 300 level or higher. Students receiving honors in the major must complete eleven courses, with Global Islamic Studies 497-498 in place of 491 or 492. Given the status of Arabic in the religious life of Muslims, all students are strongly encouraged to take Arabic language courses even if they have chosen another language related to their focus. Courses taken abroad may be counted toward the major with the approval of the faculty adviser.
Every student who declares a major in Global Islamic Studies will attend public lectures and other events sponsored by the program. Students will maintain a portfolio of their coursework and also write reflection essays about the events they have attended. In their senior year, students will make use of this portfolio for majors’ discussions and events. There will also be a poster session showcasing students’ senior projects.
Students must complete the following five courses:
Required Courses
GIS 102/REL 102 Intro Global Islamic Studies
REL 214/GIS 214 Islamic Traditions
HIS 249/GIS 249 Early Islamic History
GIS 491 Individual Study
GIS 492 Individual Study
Five courses from the following:
AMS 334/HIS 334 Historicizing 9/11
ARA 201 Intermediate Arabic
ARA 202 Intermediate Arabic
ARA 330 Modern Arabic Lit (In Eng)
AHI 207 Islamic Art
AHI 413 ISLAMIC ART: Word And Image
GER 258/FLM 258 Transnat’l Writers/Filmmakers
GER 435 Transnt’l Cul:Turks In Germany
GOV 238/GIS 238 Middle East Politics
GOV 325/GIS 325 Int’l Politics of the Mid East
HIS 113 CONTESTING INDIA’S PAST
HIS 226 Making Modern South Asia
HIS 232 Later Middle Ages
HIS 234/CRE 234 Modern Europe, 1790s-1990s
HIS 247/SLA 247 Soviet Union & Its Legacies
HIS 249/GIS 249 Early Islamic History
HIS 255/CRE 255 S Asia in Postcolonial World
HIS 264/SLA 264 The Russian Empire,1700-1920’S
HIS 334/AMS 334 Historicizing 9/11
HIS 444 Imperial Lives: Merch,Miss,Migr
REL 101 Intro To Religion: Global Rel
REL 214/GIS 214 Islamic Traditions
REL 222 Islam in the Modern World
REL 252/GIS 252 Islam & the United States
REL 493N/SLA 449 Worldviews of Jews Eur/M East
SOC 400/AMS 400/GWS 400/GIS 401 the Sociology of Globalization
Global Islamic Studies Minor
The minor consists of six courses:
GIS 102/REL 102 Intro Global Islamic Studies
REL 214/GIS 214 Islamic Traditions
HIS 249/GIS 249 Early Islamic History
Two semesters of a foreign language at the 200 level or higher
And two additional courses chose from the list of electives for the GIS major
Contact the Center
Connecticut College
270 Mohegan Avenue
New London, CT 06320
1 (860) 447-1911
Email: info@conncoll.edu
Email: admission@conncoll.edu
