Academic Calendar - 2026
Western University Academic Calendar. - 2026
Islamic Studies
An introduction to Quranic Arabic for beginners with no previous knowledge of the Arabic language. Learn the script of the Qur’an, acquire core vocabulary necessary to understand short Quranic chapters, and dive into basic grammar of classical Arabic.
Antirequisite(s): Arabic 1070A/B.
Extra Information: 3 hours. Note: Those with any Arabic language background must see Instructor to determine eligibility for course. Cross-listed with Arabic 1070A/B.
Course Weight: 0.50
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This course builds upon Quranic Arabic for Beginners 1070A/B. The focus is to expand Quranic vocabulary and to acquire a familiarity with more complex grammatical structures through studying Quranic texts. By the end of this course, students will have acquired the key principles of Quranic grammar.
Antirequisite(s): Arabic 2080A/B.
Prerequisite(s): Arabic 1070A/B or Islamic Studies 1070A/B or permission of instructor.
Extra Information: 3 hours. Cross-listed with Arabic 2080A/B.
Course Weight: 0.50
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Rumi, the famous 13th century Muslim mystic, wrote poetry that continues to inspire people across the globe. He has become a spiritual pop-icon and the best selling poet in America. This course will explore the reasons behind Rumi's popular appeal in the past and present, East and the West.
Antirequisite(s): Religious Studies 2162A/B.
Extra Information: 3 lecture hours; cross-listed with Religious Studies 2162A/B.
Course Weight: 0.50
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A study of the history, faith and practices of Judaism and Islam.
Extra Information: 3 hours; cross-listed with Jewish Studies 2204F/G and Religious Studies 2204F/G.
Course Weight: 0.50
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Please consult Department for current offerings.
Antirequisite(s): Religious Studies 2262F/G.
Extra Information: 3 hours; cross-listed with Religious Studies 2262F/G.
Course Weight: 0.50
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This course takes students on an intellectual and spiritual journey into the mind and heart of Islam through an exploration of Islamic philosophy and its spiritual expression in Sufi mysticism. Contemporary issues in the Islamic World will be examined through the multi-faceted lens of Islamic thought, faith and art.
Antirequisite(s): Religious Studies 2264F/G.
Extra Information: 3 hours; cross-listed with Religious Studies 2264F/G.
Course Weight: 0.50
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A study of Islam, its origin, main beliefs and practices; Islamic law, theology and mystical traditions; the diversity of modern Islam and its responses to the modern world.
Extra Information: 3 hours; cross-listed with Religious Studies 2285F/G.
Course Weight: 0.50
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This course explores passages in the Qur'an that have shaped classical and contemporary Islam, particularly regarding the tensions between text, context, and community. In addition to textual analysis, the course covers the history of reception and the influence these texts and their interpretations have on social relations and contemporary issues.
Antirequisite(s): Religious Studies 2310F/G.
Extra Information: 3 lecture hours. Cross-listed with Religious Studies 2310F/G.
Course Weight: 0.50
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This course examines the Qur'an's form, content, and major themes to determine what they reveal about its nature, appeal, and significance. The ways in which the Qur'an has functioned as the primary authority and guide in Muslim history and contemporary life will be examined.
Extra Information: 3 hours; cross-listed with Religious Studies 2500F/G.
Course Weight: 0.50
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This course examines the diversity of Muslim experiences in the contemporary world. Using a wide selection of source material (memoirs, art and architecture, religious and literary texts) the varieties of world-views, challenges, limitations, opportunities and methodologies informing Islamic societies worldwide and in Canada will be examined.
Antirequisite(s): Religious Studies 2501F/G.
Extra Information: 3 hours; cross-listed with Religious Studies 2501F/G.
Course Weight: 0.50
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Explores Islam's social, institutional, doctrinal, and historical expressions through the prism of gender. How gender is textually defined and socially enacted in and through the foundational discourses of Islam, as well as Women's assertion of power through mystical experiences rituals, prayer, and oral/textual transmission of knowledge will be explored.
Antirequisite(s): Religious Studies 2502F/G.
Extra Information: 3 hours; cross-listed with Religious Studies 2502F/G.
Course Weight: 0.50
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This course focuses on the diverse aspects of mystical teachings in Islam (Sufism) with frequent comparative reference to Christian and Ancient mysticism. A variety of mystical traditions (ecstatic, contemplative, magical, and philosophical) will be discussed and analyzed based on translated primary sources.
Antirequisite(s): Religious Studies 2503F/G.
Extra Information: 3 hours; cross-listed with Religious Studies 2503F/G.
Course Weight: 0.50
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Examines depictions of Islam and Muslims in films produced by both Muslims and non-Muslims. Using cinema as a mediator of religious thoughts, values, assumptions, and struggles, the primary goal of this course is to understand the efficacy of cinema in creating, reflecting, negotiating, resisting, or embracing basic Islamic assumptions.
Antirequisite(s): Religious Studies 2504F/G.
Extra Information: 3 hours, 1 - 2 hours screening; cross-listed with Religious Studies 2504F/G.
Course Weight: 0.50
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This course focuses on parallel readings of Biblical and Qur'anic stories. Figures, such as Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joseph, Elijah and Jesus; and topics, such as creation, salvation, fall and afterlife, will be studied and compared to shed light on the origins of Jewish, Christian, and Islamic scriptural traditions.
Antirequisite(s): Religious Studies 2505F/G.
Extra Information: 3 hours; cross-listed with Religious Studies 2505F/G.
Course Weight: 0.50
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A survey of Islamic history, thought, culture and practices, this course considers the development of Islam, key historical events, the Qur'an and its interpretive traditions, Islamic philosophy, devotional and altruistic practices, Muslim identity in a variety of local and global settings, and contemporary issues.
Extra Information: 3 lecture hours. Cross-listed with Religious Studies 2620F/G.
Course Weight: 0.50
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An exploration of the meaning of the Sunnah (the normative example of the Prophet Mohammed) and the development of the corpus of Hadith (narrations of these reports) and their role in diverse schools of Islamic thought and in the lives of Muslims.
Antirequisite(s): Religious Studies 3100F/G.
Prerequisite(s): Religious Studies 2310F/G or Islamic Studies 2310F/G or Religious Studies 2500F/G or permission of the instructor.
Extra Information: 3 lecture hours. Cross-listed with Religious Studies 3100F/G.
Course Weight: 0.50
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An examination of principled reasoning in classical Islamic jurisprudence, the theological status of reason in Islam, principles and priorities of traditional ethical reasoning, arguments for a goal-oriented approach to ethics, contemporary emphasis on context of the ethicist and the construction of religious authority, and the importance of individual moral formation.
Antirequisite(s): Religious Studies 3121F/G.
Prerequisite(s): Any 0.5 course in Religious Studies or Islamic Studies.
Extra Information: 3 lecture hours. Cross-listed with Religious Studies 3121F/G.
Course Weight: 0.50
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This course examines Islamic political thought and practice from the Medina Charter and the early Caliphate through to contemporary movements and developments. Central topics include: religion and the state, the main branches of Islam, religious tolerance, good governance, human rights, rule of law, and colonialism.
Antirequisite(s): Religious Studies 3130F/G.
Prerequisite(s): Any 0.5 course in Religious Studies or Islamic Studies.
Extra Information: 3 lecture hours. Cross-listed with Religious Studies 3130F/G.
Course Weight: 0.50
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A study of the way in which Muslim women, past and present, have understood and expressed themselves as spiritual beings through their engagement with Islamic texts, traditions and practices.
Antirequisite(s): Religious Studies 3131A/B.
Prerequisite(s): Any 0.5 course in Religious Studies or Islamic Studies.
Extra Information: 3 lecture hours. Cross-listed with Religious Studies 3131A/B.
Course Weight: 0.50
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How do Islamic traditions and communities understand and promote wellness, especially mental health? This course explores historical and contemporary perceptions of mental health within an Islamic theological perspective, with a special focus on Islamic principles of holistic well-being and the mental health challenges facing Muslim communities today.
Antirequisite(s): Religious Studies 3210F/G.
Prerequisite(s): Any 0.5 course in Religious Studies or Islamic Studies.
Extra Information: 3 lecture hours. Cross-listed with Religious Studies 3210F/G.
Course Weight: 0.50
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A study of the major theological issues addressed by traditional and modern Muslim theologians, such as the attributes of God, revelation and reason, moral epistemology, human freedom and responsibility, suffering and religious pluralism.
Antirequisite(s): Religious Studies 3211F/G.
Prerequisite(s): Any 0.5 course in Religious Studies or Islamic Studies.
Extra Information: 3 lecture hours. Cross-listed with Religious Studies 3211F/G.
Course Weight: 0.50
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Introducing students to key Sufi texts in translation, this course explores major themes in the mystical teachings of eminent Sufi figures from different geographical and cultural regions of the Muslim world. Students will be exposed to and engage with the foundational teachings and variety of literary expressions of Sufi spirituality.
Antirequisite(s): Religious Studies 3212F/G.
Prerequisite(s): Any 0.5 course in Religious Studies or Islamic Studies.
Extra Information: 3 lecture hours. Cross-listed with Religious Studies 3212F/G.
Course Weight: 0.50
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This course explores Islamic traditions of giving, including zakat (almsgiving), ¿adaqah (charity), and waqf (endowment). It examines their theological, legal, and ethical foundations, their roles in shaping social welfare and institutions, and how these practices are interpreted and applied within Canadian Muslim communities and global philanthropic contexts.
Antirequisite(s): Religious Studies 3214F/G.
Prerequisite(s): Any university course in Religious Studies or Islamic Studies, or permission of the instructor.
Extra Information: 3 lecture hours. Cross-listed with Religious Studies 3214F/G.
Course Weight: 0.50
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This course is a study in classical Arabic. Its main focus is the vocabulary frequently encountered in the Qur'an. The course objective is to equip the student with the skills necessary to understand the grammar, vocabulary, and syntactical and morphological structure of the Qur'an.
Antirequisite(s): Arabic 3260A/B.
Prerequisite(s): Arabic 2080A/B or Islamic Studies 2080A/B or permission of instructor.
Extra Information: 3 hours. Cross-listed with Arabic 3260A/B.
Course Weight: 0.50
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By exploring the religious foundations of justice and peace in Islam’s theology, Sufism, and law, this course examines Muslims' conceptualizations and (successful or failed) expressions of justice and peace in historical and modern contexts. Of particular interest will be contemporary issues of social, gender, racial, and environmental justice.
Antirequisite(s): Religious Studies 3360F/G; Social Justice and Peace Studies 3360F/G.
Prerequisite(s): 1.0 essay course at the 2200 level or above.
Extra Information: 3 hours; cross-listed with Religious Studies 3360F/G and Social Justice and Peace Studies 3360F/G.