This is one of the most relevant courses of your college career. Yes everyone says this but at the end of the semester you will agree. With the local and global political situation we find Islam so often at the center of public discourse.

This course will provide you with an introduction to the study of Islam and the Muslims. If you are not at all familiar with Islam, your success in this course should provide you with the skills you need for further study on Islam. If you are advanced in your study, your success in this course should provide you with coherence in the subject matter that you might not have previously appreciated.

To achieve this goal, we will explore the primary sources, being the Qur’an and the life of the prophet Muhammad. We will look at personal narratives and will look at the legacies of past Muslims and the ways their ideas and actions influence our lives today, with the whole course culminating in a study of Islam in America, today. In studying a tradition as large and old as Islam, we will use class discussion to discuss ideas, reading materials to learn concepts and facts, and watch movies to explore real and fictional lives.

Class will have three components:
1. Learning Islamic theory: In class lectures and guided discussions
2. Exploring Muslim life in Chicago
3. Academic analysis: Readings

The class will have the following goals through confessional and academic lenses:
A. To understand the core ideas of Islamic thought and practice
B. To understand the fundamental histories and ideas of the primary sources
C. To develop familiarity with some cultural and sectarian diversities of the Muslims

Lastly, to the Muslims in the class, do not assume that you already know the material or that you will get an easy A. Being a Muslim your whole life may teach you as much about Islam as having a brain your whole life teaches you about neurology. To the non-Muslims, do not assume that you are, by default, impartial. Nobody is impartial. To those with preconceived notions for and against Muslims, religion, God, me: bring it.