Major Trends in Islamic Mysticism

Undergraduate / Graduate

An examination of Islamic mysticism, commonly known as Sufism, through English translations of premodern and contemporary Sufi literature originally composed in Arabic and Persian. The aim of this course is to gain firsthand exposure to a wide range of literary expressions of Islamic spirituality within their historical contexts, and to understand exactly what, how, and why Sufis say what they say. Each unit consists of lectures and close readings of selected excerpts in both the original Arabic/Persian and English translation.