School:

Hartford International University

BTI Category:

Islamic Studies

The Higher Objectives of Islamic Law

All human beings seek their own welfare and benefit, but what sorts of benefit and gain are really of value in the long run and therefore legitimate to pursue? This course provides the opportunity to step back to see the bigger picture of Islamic rules and regulations, the universal principles or higher objectives (maqasid) underlying them, and the complex interplay of reason, revelation, ethics and utility within this coherent system. We examine the Islamic understandings of good/evil and benefit/harm, and discuss five overarching objectives of all Islamic regulations - the protection of religion, life, progeny, mind and property. We touch on the principles of ethical dilemmas, such as choosing between lesser and greater harms, and balancing individual rights with public interest. We also look at the theory and practice of maqasid today, including their applicability to contemporary global ethical challenges.

School:

Hartford International University

BTI Category:

Islamic Studies

Muslims in American Religious History

What makes Muslims an American religious minority? How have they shaped American religious history together with other groups? Spanning the period from the late 18th to the early 21st century, this course examines how Muslims have grappled with such quintessential themes of American life as race, freedom, justice, and politics. Each of these themes is examined through comparative lenses, reflecting in particular on African American, Jewish, Catholic and Buddhist experiences.

School:

Hartford International University

BTI Category:

Islamic Studies

Quran Recitation/Tajweed

This course is designed for Muslim leaders and chaplains and anyone who is interested in learning and improving their Quranic recitation. Students will gain important knowledge on recitation of the Quran. In this course, the instructor will focus on correct pronunciation of Arabic letters and words with consistent application of tajweed rules.

Class time will be divided between teaching a tajweed lesson and group Tilawah, an exercise during which the teacher reads aloud and the students repeat after the teacher. There will be time for listening to the students? recitations, as well.

Once each student understands and is comfortable with the application of the tajweed rules, s/he can complete recitation of the entire mushaf at a better and faster pace and more independently, in sha Allah.

This course may be accompanied by the spring semester course AM-551: Quran Recitation/Tajweed II.

School:

Hartford International University

BTI Category:

Islamic Studies

Life of the Prophet Muhammad

This course introduces students to the life of Muhammad, the prophet-founder of Islam, and his depiction in both Muslim and non-Muslim sources. After sequentially examining his life, as presented in the early biographical sources, we turn to examine the diverse images and conceptions of him across history, among various Muslim circles (including Sunni, Shi`i and Sufi conceptions) as well as non-Muslims. We will also discuss the Prophet's teachings, and his roles (legislative, political, etc.). Students will also be introduced to the critical methods used in contemporary academic scholarship to investigate the Prophet's life.

School:

Hartford International University

BTI Category:

Islamic Studies

Life of the Prophet Muhammad

This course introduces students to the life of Muhammad, the prophet-founder of Islam, and his depiction in both Muslim and non-Muslim sources. After sequentially examining his life, as presented in the early biographical sources, we turn to examine the diverse images and conceptions of him across history, among various Muslim circles (including Sunni, Shi`i and Sufi conceptions) as well as non-Muslims. We will also discuss the Prophet's teachings, and his roles (legislative, political, etc.). Students will also be introduced to the critical methods used in contemporary academic scholarship to investigate the Prophet's life.

School:

Hartford International University

BTI Category:

Islamic Studies

The Literary Legacy of the Islamic World

The course explores a wide variety of literature from the Islamic world from both the classical and modern periods. The course will study primary sources in English translation and the selection of texts cover several literary genres- scriptural, biographical, mystical, belle-lettres, prose and the modern short story. Each week will focus on a particular theme, with one of the readings forming the basis for student led seminar presentations.

School:

Hartford International University

BTI Category:

Islamic Studies

The Literary Legacy of the Islamic World

The course explores a wide variety of literature from the Islamic world from both the classical and modern periods. The course will study primary sources in English translation and the selection of texts cover several literary genres- scriptural, biographical, mystical, belle-lettres, prose and the modern short story. Each week will focus on a particular theme, with one of the readings forming the basis for student led seminar presentations.

School:

Hartford International University

BTI Category:

Islamic Studies

Intro to Shi'i Islam

This course provides a historical study of the development of Shi?'i Islam against the backdrop of key events such the succession crisis and Occultation (Ghayba), and the formation of Shi'i states such as the Buwayhids, Safavids, Qajars and Modern Iran. It will introduce students to various theories and debates regarding the origins of Shi'i Islam through examining primary (in translation) and secondary sources. There will be a specific focus on Shi'i jurisprudence, theology, hadith and Quranic studies, including the Shi'i approach to the textual history of the Qur'an and its alleged distortion (tahrif). The course will also examine contemporary Shi'i communities around the world. By enabling students to develop a systematic understanding of the evolution of Shi'i Islam, the course will serve as a basis for more advanced courses. No previous knowledge of Islam or Arabic is required.

School:

Hartford International University

BTI Category:

Islamic Studies

Islamic Spirituality

This course explores the growth of the Islamic spiritual tradition from the earliest days of Islam to the modern period. It aims to help students know the diverse manifestations of this spiritual tradition; to examine the historical contexts in which Muslim spiritual paths, orientations, practices, and communities developed; to discover elements and resonances between Muslim and other spiritual traditions; and to deepen understanding of how spiritual practices relate to Islamic law and theology and help the practitioner develop a more holistic approach to the Islamic way of life.

This course provides essential knowledge and skills in spiritual assessment for those in spiritual/pastoral care and counseling professions.

School:

Boston University Graduate Program in Religion

BTI Category:

Judaic Studies

Judaism in the Modern Period/The Modern Jew

Exploration of complex encounters between Judaism and modernity from the Renaissance and Reformation to expulsion from Spain and creation of Jewish centers in the New World; emancipation and its consequences; assimilation, conversion, Reform Judaism, Zionism, the American Jewish community, modern anti-Semitism.

School:

Boston University Graduate Program in Religion

BTI Category:

Judaic Studies

The Holocaust

Rise of German (and European) antisemitism; rise of Nazism; 1935 Nuremberg Laws; the initial Jewish reaction; racial theory; organizing mass murder including ghettos, concentration camps, killing squads, and gas chambers; bystanders and collaborators (countries, organizations, and individuals); Jewish resistance; post-Holocaust religious responses; moral and ethical issues.

School:

Boston University Graduate Program in Religion

BTI Category:

Judaic Studies

Representations of the Holocaust in Literature and Film

Questions of representation in literature and film about the Holocaust, including testimonial and fictive works by Wiesel and Levi, Ozick, and others; films include documentaries and feature films. Discussions of the Holocaust as historical reality, metaphor, and generative force in literature.

School:

Boston University Graduate Program in Religion

BTI Category:

Judaic Studies

Representations of the Holocaust in Literature and Film

Questions of representation in literature and film about the Holocaust, including testimonial and fictive works by Wiesel and Levi, Ozick, and others; films include documentaries and feature films. Discussions of the Holocaust as historical reality, metaphor, and generative force in literature.

School:

Boston University Graduate Program in Religion

BTI Category:

Judaic Studies

Maimonides

A study of major aspects of the thought of Maimonides. Primary focus on the Guide of the Perplexed, with attention to its modern reception in works by Baruch Spinoza, Hermann Cohen, Leo Strauss, and others.

School:

Boston University School of Theology

BTI Category:

Judaic Studies

Jewish Writings of the Second Temple Period: Old Testament�Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

An examination of the setting, origin, purpose, and religious outlook of Second Temple Jewish writings usually labeled Old Testament Apocrypha/Pseudoepigrapha, with attention given to the continuity of the Biblical traditions and the background they provide for an understanding of first-century Judaism and the New Testament.