Sex Powr in the Islamic Trad

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

Whether involving the headscarf, intolerance towards homosexuality or sex slavery, discourse over Islam and Muslims is very often tied to questions of gender and sexuality, from the treatment of women and women’s rights to views on LQBTQ+ issues. In part, this is because any discussion of ‘Islam and women’ is politicized in the context of globalization and the tensions between perceptions of the globalization of Western norms on the one hand and perceptions of cultural authenticity on the other. In part, this inevitable political dimension exists because gender and sexuality in human society have always been categories and terms developed and wielded in the context of power, whether concerning the distribution of resources, rights to autonomy and movement, or power to define a community’s identity and history. This course will explore the intersection of power and sexuality in the Islamic tradition, examining case studies in law, literature, society and politics from the early Islamic period to the present day. Students will closely read primary sources in translation, learn how to critically analyze, evaluate and interpret literary texts, artistic expressions, film and critical concepts. This course will require students to engage the readings through in class discussions and written assignments throughout the semester in the form of weekly question posts, three short papers, and a final written essay. Finally, students will be required to engage in a structured in-class debate with their peers. They will deliberate over critical ethical and legal points of views in relation to culture and interpretation. This creative exercise is meant to enable students to both listen and voice their differences, while engaging the diversity of thinking across cultures.