The field of Islamic Thought includes the disciplines of Islamic theology, political thought, philosophy, law, ethics, exegesis, mysticism, and subjects such as historiography and heresiography. In this course, students explore the broad contours of these disciplines in classical, medieval, pre-modern, and modern periods. This enables them to carry out advanced research in more narrowly defined areas of specialization. Students examine the religious basis and pillars of Muslim thought, including the Qurʾan and the Prophetic tradition, and the engagement of Muslim intellectuals with these foundations and other intellectual traditions. They draw connections between theoretical developments and themes in various intellectual disciplines and contemporary events in the Islamic world, including the emergence of modern Islamic republics, the rise of Islamism in its political and militant forms, the Arab Spring, and contemporary theological and legal debates between Muslims.
