PEAC224 Current Issues in Peace Studies: Introduction to Islam

PEAC 224: Current Issues in Peace Studies: Introduction to Islam will introduce students to the Islamic religious tradition and to Muslim communities in Canada. The course begins with self-directed study into how the news media constructs reality. The first part of our group study of Islam will include a discussion of pre-Islamic Arabia and the historical development of Islam, the life of the Prophet Muhammad, the Qur�an and the Hadith, Islamic religious practices and law, as well as the Sunni�Shi�a split. The second part of the course will be concerned with the modern phenomenon of Islam in North America, focusing on Muslim communities in Canada. We will examine themes such as �fundamentalism�, the �Islamic Threat�, and Islamophobia. We will examine the meanings of �jihad� and look at Muslim teachings on war, violence, and peace. The roles of women in Islam will be examined throughout this course.