Fall 2024

CMCU-3360: Gaza: History, Politics, and Ethics

The October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas and the subsequent war in Gaza has morphed into a global crisis. The Israel-Palestine conflict is again at the top of the international agenda with the focus on Gaza. American foreign policy has been deeply shaken by these events and the outcome of the 2024 US Presidential election could be shaped by this crisis. The past, current, and future status of this tiny coastal enclave along the Mediterranean Sea has generated massive global media attention, controversy and intense public and policy debate. Unfortunately, this new focus on Gaza has not been matched by an objective understanding of the history, politics and ethical challenges that flow from the events of October 7. This is the core objective of this course. In other words, the goal is to introduce students to the relevant historical, political, and moral context that shapes the crisis in Gaza with the aim of illuminating the controversy and polarization that surrounds this topic. This will be a jointly taught lecture course by Georgetown faculty in DC and Doha. It will also include a series of guest speakers. Students on both the main campus and the Qatar campus are eligible to enroll. No prerequisites are required. Students will be evaluated based on attendance/participation, a short critical paper, a final exam, and a final interview. This course will be capped at 50 students.

CMCU-3364: The Global Divide over Israel and Palestine

Taught by Nader Hashemi

The Israel-Gaza War is a transformative moment in global politics. It has produced heated debate and political commentary that recalls other watershed moments in international affairs, such as the end of the Cold War, 9/11 and the subsequent US invasion of Iraq, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Why does the Israel-Palestine conflict continue to generate intense polarization, bitterness, and acrimony on a global scale? This is the core question that will inform this course. Within Western societies, the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent Israeli assault on Gaza, have produced deep divisions in universities, medical and law schools, newsrooms, in Hollywood, among intellectuals, in the Democratic Party, and within the American Jewish community. Internationally, a chasm has emerged between the West and the global south over this issue as reflected in UN General Assembly and Security Council votes and the January 2024 International Court of Justice ruling on the question of genocide in Gaza. How can we objectively understand this ongoing global divide over the Israel/Palestine Conflict? What are its historical roots, how is it politically perpetuated and can this chasm be bridged? These are some of the questions that we will examine. The analytical framework for this course draws upon history, comparative politics, and international relations. No prerequisites are required but it is strongly encouraged that students have some background in international relations or global history. At least one previous course in either of these subjects is preferred but not required. Please note that is not a course on the history or politics of the Israel-Palestine conflict. Our focus is on the global resonance of this dispute and why it seems to be a marker of identity for disparate groups of people and governments within the West, the Arab-Islamic world and in parts of the global south. This is a seminar course that is capped at 20 students. Students will be evaluated based on a seminar presentation, a term paper and a final interview with the instructor.

CMCU-5220: Introduction to Sufism

Taught by Daanish Faruqi

This course will offer a social and intellectual history of Sufism in all its major aspects. We will begin with a survey of Sufism’s formative period from the 9th to 12th centuries CE, examining the emergence of key Sufi doctrines and practices as well as the formation of the first Sufi communities around accomplished masters. We will then trace the rise to social prominence of the Sufi mode of piety during and after the 12th century in the form of Sufi orders as well as the reaction of nonconformist Sufis to such increasing social success. Along the way, we will also consider such related issues as conversion to Islam, Islamization of originally non-Islamic beliefs and practices, and the relationship between popular religiosity and Sufism. We will also go into multiple geographical contexts, from the medieval Maghrib to South Asia, Time permitting, we will end with readings on contemporary Sufism, politics, and society.

CMCU-5230: Saudi Arabia and the Future of Democracy

Taught by Taghreed Alsabeh
Saudi Arabia stands at a crossroads, balancing its traditional tribal structure, the influence of its ruling family, its immense wealth from oil reserves, its religious significance as the home of Islam’s two holiest sites, and its strategic alliance with the United States. This course explores Saudi Arabia’s unique characteristics and how they impact the country’s political landscape, particularly regarding the development of democracy. Students will analyze why Saudi Arabia’s political system differs from other Arab countries’ political regimes that were impacted by the democratization wave during the Arab Spring period, which led Saudi Arabia to survive the wave. The course will examine the challenges and prospects for democratic reform in the country.

INAF-1010: American Muslims

Taught by Shenila Khoja-Moolji
There are about 1.8 billion Muslims globally. Yet, in America, they are defined through rather narrow tropes. This course introduces students to the heterogeneity and diversity of American Muslims through the case study of Shia Ismaili Muslims. We consider writings and media produced by Ismaili Muslims to contemplate larger questions around representation, anticoloniality, feminism, racism, and migrant and refugee resettlement. Accordingly, we discover how Muslims in America hope to dismantle exploitative hierarchies and the role that religious ethics play in this project.

INAF-1010: Islam and the West

Taught by Jonathan A.C. Brown
Every first-year student in the SFS will take a proseminar during the fall semester. Proseminars are small interdisciplinary courses, limited to 15 students in each topic, and are taught by some of Georgetown’s finest professors. The goals of the proseminars are: To develop critical approaches to the study of global issues • To gain the academic reading and writing skills necessary for success in SFS • To promote intensive interaction and camaraderie among students and professors • To explore new ideas.

HIST-1109: The Islamic World

Taught by Jonathan A.C. Brown
From humble beginnings nearly 1500 years ago, to enormous power and prestige in the Middle Ages, to political decline and foreign occupation in the modern era, Islam has developed into a highly diverse, global tradition representing nearly one quarter of the world’s population. Yet it is most widely known through caricatures of terrorists and despots. This course examines that phenomenon. It focuses on the historical development of Muslim communities and their interactions with European and other powers. It emphasizes the impact of those interactions on Islam’s ideological and political developments. The interaction between religion and politics is a major sub-theme of the course.