REL 380 Gender and Sexuality in Islam
This course examines the diverse ways gender and sexuality has been constructed in Muslim societies historically and today. We will begin with an analysis of gender roles found in early Arab Muslim communities and will look at how specific assumptions about gender have become embedded in important Islamic texts and rituals. Attention will be drawn to the lives of some (often overlooked) influential Muslim women of history. The course will conclude with a careful look at how contemporary Muslims justify and/or challenge traditional gender roles within society today.
Prerequisite
Students should have either taken a course which has introduced them to Islam or a course which has critically engaged gender theory: REL 150 or
GNS 210 or permission from instructor.