Madrasa-Midrasha Courses
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Spring 2023
Spirituality and Mysticism in the Jewish and Islamic Traditions (details to follow)
Spring 2022
RSIR-8100 Justice and Religion: Interreligious Perspectives
Instructor: Mahjabeen Dhala | Mondays, 2:10pm–5:00pm
This course is an introduction to theological and moral philosophies of justice in the Jewish and Islamic traditions including reflections from some Dharmic and Christian understandings of justice. Classical faith perspectives on justice will be brought into conversation with contemporary theories of justice to explore topics which include human rights, economics, displacement, migration, and the environment, and issues of justice around race, nationality, gender and sexuality. The aim of this interdisciplinary and interreligious course is to introduce students to thinking about justice theologically, morally, and theoretically and to explore faith-inspired movements that engage religion and religious spaces, the arts, and pilgrimage to raise concerns of social justice.
Spring 2021
HR-2041 Women and Gender in Jewish and Islamic Texts and Practice
Instructor: Mahjabeen Dhala; Guest Instructor: Naomi Seidman
This course explores the discourse on gender in Judaism and Islam paying particular attention to women’s narratives and experiences. How is gender understood in Judaism and Islam, and how do these religious constructs shape the experiences and practices of Jewish and Muslim women? The course will be organized around a number of keywords, including body, piety, family, activism, leadership, and ritual; for each of these keywords, we will study how these themes play out in each tradition. Prof. Naomi Seidman will lead the discourse on these themes from the perspective of the Jewish tradition.