SWAG 312 - Women and Islam

This course is an introduction to Islam through issues related to women and gender. Beginning with the portrayal of women in the Qur’an and the active role they played in the early years of Islam, it examines the growing body of literature on women and Islam. Through a variety of sources—religious texts and commentaries, literary pieces and movies—it explores a variety of questions. How does Islam treat women? What is “Islamic” with respect to ideas about women? How are Muslim women represented in the Western media, literature and the arts? In what ways do they participate in cultural production of themselves? Why for centuries have they been the object of such intense curiosity and misunderstanding? (Y)

Credits: 3