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Islam in America – RELG 284 – M/W 10:00–11:15 a.m.

Islam in America

RELG 284 – M/W 10:00–11:15 a.m.

Islam has been part of American history since its very beginnings and is now the fastest growing and most ethnically diverse religious group in the United States. This course is divided into four parts: the first examines how Islam has taken roots in the U.S. in various social and historical contexts through slavery, immigration, and conversion while the second part will look at Islam in the African American experience, in particular with regard to their employing their interpretation of Islam as a vehicle for racial liberation.  The third part will look at ways in which politics have addressed, used and shaped Islam in the United States, particularly since 9/11. The fourth part of the course focuses on various avenues young Muslim Americans have taken after 9/11 to reclaim their narrative, navigate their identities, and gain their sense of belonging, intersecting their faith with their racial and ethnic identities, gender, and sexual identity. Although the syllabus is designed for students with no prior knowledge of Islam, students with a Muslim background will also find it engaging.