Islamic Studies

Islamic Studies at UNCG is a vibrant, interdisciplinary program that explores Islam as a living, global tradition—spanning more than fourteen centuries of history, thought, art, and culture. Students examine how Muslim communities across the world have expressed faith, knowledge, and creativity in diverse ways—from the sacred texts of early Islam to contemporary film, music, and literature. The program has two main parts: the Islamic Studies Minor, which allows students to explore Islam and Muslim societies through multiple perspectives—religious, historical, literary, and artistic—by taking courses in Religious Studies, History, Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, and African American and African Diaspora Studies; and public events which brings together students, faculty, and community members for lectures, film screenings, and cultural events that highlight the richness of Islam’s pasts and futures in both North Carolina and the wider world.

Both components are spearheaded by the Islamic Studies Research Network, an educational research network established in 2013 by three scholars in the College of Arts & Sciences at UNCG – Omar Ali (Ph.D., Columbia), Dean of Lloyd International Honors College; Asa Eger (Ph.D., Chicago), History Department; and Alyssa Gabbay (Ph.D., Chicago), Religious Studies Department. Affiliated with the Humanities Network and Consortium at UNCG, and funded by a generous grant from the Global Engagement Office Kohler Fund, the ISRN is open to anyone interested in joining the conversation.

You can also explore opportunities to study abroad!

Islamic Studies Minor

Established in Fall 2019, the Islamic Studies Minor invites students to think deeply about one of the world’s most influential and dynamic civilizations. The minor encourages exploration of how Islam has shaped — and continues to shape — ideas of faith, art, power, gender, and belonging.

Housed in the Department of Religious Studies, the minor draws on courses taught by faculty in Religious Studies, History, Languages, Literatures, and Cultures (LLC), and African American and African Diaspora Studies (AADS).

Students might take courses such as:

Sufism and Literature
Islamic Pasts and Futures
Approaches to the Qur’an
Islamic Imaginations
The Making of the African Diaspora
The Age of Sultans: Power, Patronage, and Art in Islamic Civilization
Unearthing Islam’s Past: Art, Archaeology, and History
Beginning and Intermediate Arabic

Together, these courses highlight the diversity and creativity of Muslim societies while introducing students to the study of religion, language art, politics, and philosophy across time and place.

What Skills and Knowledge Will the Minor Afford You?

By completing the Islamic Studies minor, students will learn to:

Identify and explain major events, figures, and movements in Islamic history across regions and periods.
Analyze core Islamic beliefs, rituals, artistic expressions, and philosophical ideas with sensitivity to diversity and context.
Interpret texts, images, and cultural practices using historical, literary, and comparative methods.
Think critically about questions of gender, power, spirituality, and cultural identity in Muslim societies.
Communicate across cultural boundaries with empathy, curiosity, and clarity—essential skills for success in a globalized world.