The main objective of the class is to introduce students to the
basic tenets and social institutions of Islam, as well as to the
diversity of cultural practices through which Muslims across the
globe render Islamic doctrine and precepts meaningful in their
everyday lives. The class covers a range of readings on how Islam
has been practiced and understood as a religious and ethical
tradition by Muslims over time and across cultures. The course will
begin with the life of the Prophet and the formative period of
Islam, and then move on to examine its central theological concepts
and tenets of religious worship and ritual practice. The course will
also examine the place of Islam in the modern world by focusing on
trends towards "Islamic awakening" and moral renewal since the early
decades of the 20th century.