Program Courses:
Middle East / South Asia Studies (MSA)
Arabic (ARB)
Hebrew (HEB)
Hindi/Urdu (HIN)
Persian (PER)
Punjabi (PUN)
Additional Program and Affiliated Courses:
- Anthropology
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ANT 124 — Religion in Society & Culture (4 units)‡
Course Description: Discussion of anthropological theories of religion with emphasis on non-literate societies. Survey of shamanism, magic and witchcraft, ritual and symbols, and religious movements. Extensive discussion of ethnographic examples and analysis of social functions of religious institutions.
ANT 127 — Urban Anthropology (4 units)‡
Course Description: Survey of approaches to urban living: political structures, organization of labor, class relations, world views. The evolution of urban life and its contemporary dilemmas. Cross-cultural comparisons discussed through case studies.
ANT 142 — Peoples of the Middle East (4 units)
Course Description: Peoples of the Middle East (including North Africa). Discussions of class relations, kinship organization, sex/gender systems, religious beliefs and behavior, ethnic relations, political systems. Impact of world systems, political and religious movements and social change.
ANT 145 — Performance, Embodiment, & Space in South Asia (4 units)
Course Description: South Asian cultures and societies with a focus on performance, embodiment, and space from several disciplinary fields. Topics may include colonialism, nationalism, religious traditions, media, popular culture, cities, social movements, modernity, body-cultures, identity, gender, and diasporas.
ANT 147 — Modern South Asia Cinema (4 units)
Course Description: South Asian cinema of last 100 years in the context of cultural, social, and political changes. South Asian history, Independence, Partition, urban life, class, migration, postcolonial identity, diaspora, gender, sexuality, religion, sport, performance, etc. Cross Listing: MSA 131B, CTS 146B.
Click here to view more details about these Anthropology courses in the UC Davis Course Catalog. -
Art History
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AHI 001E — Islamic Art & Architecture (4 units)
Course Description: Introduction to the art and architecture of the Islamic world including the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and South Asia, from the 7th century CE to the 20th century.
AHI 153 — Hindu Gods & Hindu Symbols (4 units)
Course Description: A historical survey of the development of the language of symbolism and iconography in Hinduism.
AHI 154 — The Hindu Temple (4 units)
Course Description: Comparative history of architecture and symbolism of the Hindu Temple in India, Southeast Asia and the United States. Attention to the temple as expression of religious knowledge, political authority, and cultural heritage through the lens of colonialism and postcolonialism.
AHI 155 — The Islamic City (4 units)
Course Description: Introduction to the urban history of the Islamic world. Critical study of the historiography of the Islamic city, development of urban form, institutions and rituals, and analysis of selected themes.
AHI 156 — Arts of the Islamic Book (4 units)
Course Description: Critical study of the arts of the luxury book in the pre-modern Islamic world. Representation in Islam, the relationship of word and image, the discipline of calligraphy, aesthetics and representation in Persianate painting.
AHI 157 — Buddhist Art (4 units)
Course Description: A historical survey of Buddhist art in relation to the development of Buddhist doctrine and
AHI 158 — Popular Religious Art in India (4 units)
Course Description: Survey of Indian popular religious art in prints, trade labels, comics and photographs.
Click here to view more details about these Art History courses in the UC Davis Course Catalog. -
Asian American Studies
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ASA 150F — South Asian American History, Culture, & Politics (4 units)
Course Description: South Asian American experiences, focusing on the histories, cultures, and politics of Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and Sri Lankan communities in the U.S. Interdisciplinary approaches to migration, labor, gender, racialization, ethnicity, youth, community mobilization.
ASA 189E — Topics in Asian American Studies: Comparative Racial Studies (4 units)‡
Course Description: Intensive treatment of a topic in Asian American Studies: comparative racial studies.
Click here to view more details about these Asian American Studies courses in the UC Davis Course Catalog. -
Classics
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CLA 001 — Ancient Near East & Early Greece: 3000-500 B.C.E. (4 units)
Course Description: Introduction to the literature, art, and social and political institutions of ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, Palestine, and early Greece from 3000 to 500 B.C.E.
CLA 002 — Ancient Greece & the Near East: 500-146 B.C.E. (4 units)
Course Description: Introduction to the literature, art and thought and the political and social institutions and values of Greece and its eastern Mediterranean neighbors-the Persians, Egyptians, and Judeans.
Click here to view more details about these Classics courses in the UC Davis Course Catalog. -
Cinema and Technocultural Studies
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CTS 146A — Modern Iranian Cinema (4 units)
Course Description: Iranian cinema of the 20th century in the context of profound cultural and social changes in Iran especially since the Iranian Revolution. Productions by representative directors such as Kiarostami, Makhmalbaf, Bahram Beizaie are included. Knowledge of Persian not required.
CTS 146B — Modern South Asia Cinema (4 units)
Course Description: South Asian cinema of last 100 years in the context of cultural, social, and political changes. South Asian history, Independence, Partition, urban life, class, migration, postcolonial identity, diaspora, gender, sexuality, religion, sport, performance, etc.
Click here to view more details about these Cinema and Technocultural Studies courses in the UC Davis Course Catalog. -
Comparative Literature
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COM 006 — Myths & Legends (4 units)‡
Course Description: Introduction to the comparative study of myths and legends, with readings selected from Near Eastern, Teutonic, Celtic, Indian, Japanese, Chinese, African and Native American literary sources.
COM 053B — Literature of South Asia (4 units)
Course Description: Introduction to representative masterpieces of South Asia with readings from such works as the Mahabharata and Ramayana, The Cloud Messenger, Shakuntala, The Little Clay Cart, and the stories and poems of both ancient and modern India and Southeast Asia.
COM 053C — Literatures of the Islamic World (4 units)
Course Description: Introduction to classical Islamic culture through translations of literature primarily from Arabic and Persian, as well as other languages. Topics include the concept of the self, society and power, spirituality, the natural world, the cosmos, and the supernatural.
COM 145 — Representations of the City (4 units)‡
Course Description: Exploration of the representation of the city in major translated literary texts from a variety of literary traditions and periods. Emphasis on the diversity of urban experience in literature. Topics include public and private space, memory, and gender.
COM 148 — Mystical Literatures of South Asia & the Middle East (4 units)
Course Description: Exploration of the comparative mystical literatures of major religious traditions, with a focus on those produced in South Asia and the Middle East, although including other traditions.
COM 151 — Colonial & Postcolonial Experience in Literature (4 units)
Course Description: Literary introduction to the cultural issues of colonialism and postcolonialism through reading, discussing and writing on narratives which articulate diverse points of view.
Prerequisite(s): Completion of Entry Level Writing Requirement (ELWR).
COM 155 — Classical Literatures of the Islamic World 600-1900 (4 units)
Course Description: Major texts from Arabic, Persian, Ottoman Turkish and Urdu literature with attention to historical and cross-cultural context. Includes epic, romance, various genres of lyric poetry, fairy tales, historical and religious stories, mystical and philosophical narratives, and essays.
COM 156 — The Ramayana (4 units)
Course Description: Exploration of the Indian epic, Ramayana, through the lens of literature, performance, and visual art. Emphasis on the text's diversity and its contemporary global relevance. Topics include Ramayanas in Southeast Asia, and in various South Asian diaspora communities.
COM 162 — Writing Love & War in South Asia (4 units)
Course Description: Comparative study of the themes and motifs of love and war in the literature of South Asia. Includes a discussion of Sanskrit epics, classical erotic court poetry, medieval heroic poetry, mystical compositions and colonial and post-colonial fiction.
COM 166 — Literatures of the Modern Middle East (4 units)
Course Description: Major translated works in modern Middle Eastern and North African Literature, including Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, and Turkish. Social and historical formation, with topics such as conflict and coexistence, journeys, and displaced people, gender and family.
COM 170 — The Contemporary Novel (4 units)‡
Course Description: Study of important novels from different parts of the world, including Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe, and the United States, in the period from the Second World War to the present.
COM 171 — Partition Literature: South Asia (4 units)
Course Description: An exploration of novels, short stories, plays, and films in translation and in English, produced about the Partition of India in 1947.
COM 172 — A Story for a Life: The Arabian Nights (4 units)
Course Description: In-depth exploration of The Arabian Nights, the best-known work of pre-modern Arabic literature and a major work of world literature. Analysis of the work in its historical context and in comparison to other frame tales in world literature.Cross Listing: ARB 140, MSA 121C.
COM 173 — Sakuntala: The Story of a Ring (4 units)
Course Description: A comparative examination of the Indian story of Sakuntala in multiple genres, languages, and media from the c. 400 BCE to the contemporary century.
COM 175 — Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings (4 units)
Course Description: In-depth analysis of the Persian Book of Kings (Shahnameh) by Abu al-Qasim Ferdowsi (d. 1020 CE) in its historical context with a comparative perspective on the role of this work in Persian and world literature.
Click here to view more details about these Comparative Literature courses in the UC Davis Course Catalog. -
History
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HIS 006 — Introduction to the Middle East (4 units)
Course Description: Survey of the major social, economic, political and cultural transformations in the Middle East from the rise of Islam (c.600A.D.) to the present, emphasizing themes in religion and culture, politics and society.
HIS 008 — History of Indian Civilization (4 units)
Course Description: Survey of Indian civilization from the rise of cities (ca. 2000 B.C.) to the present, emphasizing themes in religion, social and political organization, and art and literature that reflect cultural interaction and change.
HIS 011 — History of the Jewish People in the Modern World (4 units)
Course Description: Histories and cultures of the Jews since 1492. Topics include: the making of Jewish diasporas, roots of antisemitism, the Holocaust in images and texts, changing ideas of the self, Jews in America, contemporary visions of the Jewish past.
HIS 080 — The History of the United States in the Middle East (2 units)
Course Description: History of the United States in the Middle East from 1900 to the present. Examination of U.S. foreign relations toward the Middle East, their regional ramifications and domestic repercussions.
HIS 080W — The History of the United States in the Middle East (2 units)
Course Description: History of the United States in the Middle East from 1900 to the present. Examination of U.S. foreign relations toward the Middle East, their regional ramifications and domestic repercussions with extensive writing.
HIS 102Q — Undergraduate Proseminar in History: India (5 units)
Course Description: Designed primarily for history majors. Intensive reading, discussion, research, and writing in selected topics in the various fields of history. India.
HIS 102R — Undergraduate Proseminar in History: Muslim Societies (5 units)
Course Description: Designed primarily for history majors. Intensive reading, discussion, research, and writing in selected topics in the various fields of history. Muslim Societies.
HIS 112C — History of Jews in the Muslim World (4 units)
Course Description: History of Jewish communities in the lands of Islam from the time of the Prophet Muhammad to the present day.
HIS 113 — History of Modern Israel (4 units)
Course Description: Topics include the rise and fall of utopian Zionism, the century-long struggle between Jews and Arabs, the development of modern Hebrew culture, the conflict between religious and secular Jews, and the nature of Israel's multicultural society.
HIS 114 — Histories of 20th Century Partition (4 units)‡
Course Description: Politics of territorial separation in Ireland; Greece/Turkey; India/Pakistan; Palestine/Israel; the U.S./Mexico border, etc. Partition as a focus area in international governance; on refugee migration; race; problems of national citizenship; and the politics of hard borders.
HIS 115F — History of Modern North Africa, 1800 to the Present (4 units)
Course Description: History of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya (the Maghrib), 1800 to the present. Topics include conquest and pacification, reform movements, the rise of nationalism, decolonization, state capitalism, economic liberalization, Islamism, democratization and human rights, the interplay of history and memory.
HIS 190A — Middle Eastern History I: The Rise of Islam, 600-1000 (4 units)
Course Description: Middle Eastern history from the rise of Islam to the disintegration of the Abbasid Caliphate; the formative centuries of a civilization. Politics and religion, conquest and conversion, arts and sciences, Christians, Jews and Muslims, gender and sexuality, orthodoxy and heterodoxy.
HIS 190B — Middle Eastern History II: The Age of the Crusades, 1001-1400 (4 units)
Course Description: Middle Eastern history during the age of the Crusades and Mongol invasions. The idea of holy war, the Crusades, the Mongols as the bearers of Chinese arts, nomads and sedentary life, feudalism, mysticism, slavery, women in the medieval Middle East.
HIS 190C — Middle Eastern History III: The Ottomans, 1401-1730 (4 units)
Course Description: Middle Eastern history from the foundation of the Ottoman Empire on the borderlands of Byzantine Anatolia through its expansion into Europe, Asia, and Africa, creating a new cultural synthesis including the Arab, Greek, Islamic, Mongol, Persian, Slavic, and Turkish traditions.
HIS 190D — Middle Eastern History IV: Safavids Iran, 1300-1720 (4 units)
Course Description: Middle Eastern history focusing on Safavid Empire (present-day Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, up to Georgia), beginning with the origins of the dynasty as a powerful religious family, to the establishment of the Empire, focusing on Social, Religious, Economic, and Political History.
HIS 193A — History of the Modern Middle East, 1750-1914 (4 units)
Course Description: State and society within the Middle East from 1750 to 1914 under pressure of the changing world economy and European imperialism. Themes: colonialism, Orientalism, intellectual renaissance, Islamic reform, state-formation, role of subaltern groups.
HIS 193B — History of the Modern Middle East, From 1914 (4 units)
Course Description: Middle East from the turn of the 20th century to the present. Themes include the legacy of imperialism, cultural renaissance, the World Wars, nationalism, Palestine/Israel, Islamic revival, gender, revolutionary movements, politics of oil and war, cultural modernism,exile and diaspora.
HIS 193C — The Middle East Environment: Historical Change & Current Challenges (4 units)
Course Description: Examines Middle East environment and human use of nature over last 10,000 years. Introduction to desert ecology, environmental history and current environmental problems. Case Studies of Egypt, Maghreb countries, Arabian peninsula/Gulf countries, desertification, water, indigenous knowledge, and national parks.
HIS 193D — History of Modern Iran, From 1850 to Present (4 units)
Course Description: Modern Iran from the mid 19th century to the present. Themes include the legacy of imperialism, cultural renaissance, the World Wars, nationalism, modernization, Islamic revival, gender, revolutionary movements, politics of oil and war.
Prerequisite(s): HIS 006 recommended.
HIS 196A — Medieval India (4 units)
Course Description: Survey of history of India in the millennium preceding arrival of British in the 18th century, focusing on interaction of the civilizations of Hinduism and Islam and on the changing nature of the state.
HIS 196B — Modern India (4 units)
Course Description: Survey of cultural, social, economic, and political aspects of South Asian history from arrival of the British in the 18th century to formation of new independent states-India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan in the 20th century.
Click here to view more details about these History courses in the UC Davis Course Catalog. -
Music
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MUS 129B — Musics of Africa, Middle East, Indian Subcontinent (4 units)
Course Description: Survey of music cultures with special emphasis on the role of music in society and on the elements of music (instruments, theory, genres and form, etc.). Introduction to ethnomusicological theory, methods, approaches.
MUS 148 — Hindustani Vocal Ensemble (2 units)
Course Description: Basics of Hindustani music through theory and practice. Fundamentals of raga (mode) and tala (rhythms) with special emphasis on improvisation, a central feature of khyal (singing style). Five ragas each quarter.
Click here to view more details about these History courses in the UC Davis Course Catalog. -
Political Science
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POL 135 — International Politics of the Middle East (4 units)
Course Description: International politics of the Middle East as a microcosm of world politics. The Middle East as a regional system. Domestic and International Politics in the Middle East. Changing Political Structures in the Middle East. Superpower involvement in the Middle East.
POL 136 — The Arab-Israeli Conflict (4 units)
Course Description: Causes, course, and implications of Arab-Israeli conflict. Competing Israeli and Arab narratives, politics of force, diplomacy. Domestic politics and A-I conflict, the superpowers and the A-I conflict, A-I conflict and world politics, potential solutions.
Click here to view more details about these Political Science courses in the UC Davis Course Catalog. - Religious Studies
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RST 001E — Fundamentalism (4 units)‡
Course Description: Introduction to comparative religion, focusing on the idea of fundamentalism in different religious traditions.
RST 012 — Emergence of Judaism, Christianity & Islam (4 units)
Course Description: Historical origins, founding figures, and sacred texts of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Jewish, Christian, and Muslim beliefs about their own origins. Interpretations of scriptures. Development of traditions over time.
RST 021 — The Bible & Its Interpreters (4 units)
Course Description: Introduction to the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament): key narratives and themes (creation, flood, prophecy, justice, sexuality, etc.); origins in Ancient Israel; diverse ways it has been interpreted in Jewish and Christian communities.
RST 023 — Introduction to Judaism (4 units)
Course Description: Introduction to the study of religion using examples from the rituals, art and holy texts of Judaism. No prior knowledge of either Judaism or the study of religion is necessary.
RST 030 — Religions of South Asia (4 units)
Course Description: Introduction to South Asian religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Jainism and Sikhism. Traces historical developments from Vedic texts and their ascetic reformulation by sages such as Yajnavalkya, Siddhartha Gautama, and Mahavira into our global present.
RST 031 — Introduction to Jainism (4 units)
Course Description: Introduction to topics central to Jain tradition through critical, historical and ethical perspectives.
RST 032 — History of Yoga (4 units)
Course Description: History of yoga from antiquity to its most recent formulation in American popular and consumer culture.
RST 033 — Magic & Demons in South Asia (4 units)
Course Description: Exploration of magic, demons, and other powers in South Asian religions from the ancient to the modern periods.
RST 034 — Introduction to Buddhism (4 units)
Course Description: Buddhism in its pan-Asian manifestations, from its beginning in India to its development in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia, Central Asia, China and Japan; teachings and practices, socio-political and cultural impact.
RST 060 — Introduction to Islam (4 units)
Course Description: Introduction to topics central to the Islamic tradition. Muhammad, the Qur'an, Islamic law, theology, philosophy, cosmology, worship, and mysticism. Race and gender in Islam, Islamic revival, and varying experiences of Islam in different historical and cultural settings.
RST 065C — The Qur'an & Its Interpretation (4 units)
Course Description: The Qur'an, its history, its various functions in the lives of Muslims, and its different interpretations. Quranic themes such as God and humankind, nature and revelation, eschatology and Satan. Islam and other religions; women, gender, and sexuality.
RST 066 — The Song of God: The Bhagavad Gita (4 units)
Course Description: The Bhagavad Gita, its history and reception, and its significance in the lives of Hindus. Themes explored include Hindu theories of god, self, war, peace, duty, and action.
When Oppenheimer witnessed the detonation test of the first nuclear weapon in July 1945, he uttered these famous words: "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of Worlds," a quote from the Bhagavad Gita. How did the famous physicist come to know these words? How did he encounter the Gita? Is the quote accurate? In this course, we will explore the Bhagavad Gita as a global text, exploring its reception within and beyond the Indian subcontinent. We will engage with its history, the social milieu in which it was composed, its reception and the many philosophical strands that it weaves together.
GE's: AH, OL, WC, WE
Required Texts:
- Laurie Patton. Trans. The Bhagavad Gita. Penguin Classics, 2008.
- Richard Davis. The Bhagavad Gita: A Biography. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2014.
RST 067 — Modern Hinduism (4 units)
Course Description: Historical survey of modern Hinduism from the early-19th century to the present. Topics include Rammohun Roy, Sir William Jones, and Mahatma Gandhi, nationalism, post-colonialism and diasporic religion.
RST 068 — Introduction to Hinduism (4 units)
Course Description: Survey of the diversity of Hindu traditions from ancient to the colonial period, including the development of temple worship, pilgrimage, goddess worship and regional festivals.
RST 069 — Introduction to Hindu Mythology (4 units)
Course Description: Survey of the major narrative traditions within Hinduism, including epic literature and local stories in oral, textual, visual and performative forms.
RST 124 — Topics in Judaism (4 units)
Course Description: Examination of selected aspects of Jewish life, religion, or literature. Potential topics include: Jewish Perspectives on Jesus; The Golem: History and Legend; Sexuality and Gender in Late Antique Judaism and Early Christianity.
RST 126 — The Formation of the Rabbinic Tradition (4 units)
Course Description: Survey of the classical rabbinic Jewish texts such as the Talmud and of the social and historical contexts of their production in Palestine and Babylonia.
RST 132 — Topics in Mediterranean Ancient Religion (4 units)‡
Course Description: Thematic study of specific sociological, literary or theological theme across the religious traditions of the ancient Mediterranean/Near East: Greek and Roman religions, Judaism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism, etc. Topics may include creation, sacrifice, priesthoods, prophecies, holy books, the afterlife.
RST 136 — Topics in Jainism (4 units)
Course Description: Thematic study of specific periods, literary movements, sects and important figures within Jainism from a ranges of disciplinary perspectives.
RST 137 — Topics in Buddhism (4 units)
Course Description: Thematic exploration of historic developments, periods, regions and sects in Buddhism from an interdisciplinary perspective.
RST 139 — Topics in Hinduism (4 units)
Course Description: Thematic study of specific periods, movements, leaders, regions, ethics or philosophies within Hinduism from an interdisciplinary perspective.
RST 154 — The Hindu Temple (4 units)
Course Description: Comparative history of architecture and symbolism of the Hindu Temple in India, Southeast Asia and the United States. Attention to the temple as expression of religious knowledge, political authority, and cultural heritage through the lens of colonialism and postcolonialism.
RST 155A — Bhakti: Indian Devotional Traditions to 1200 CE (4 units)
Course Description: Exploration of Indian devotional traditions through literary, visual, and performance culture. Emphasis on period up to 1200 CE in southern India.
RST 155B — Bhakti: Indian Devotional Traditions, 1200 CE to Present (4 units)
Course Description: Indian devotional traditions through literary, visual, and performance culture. Emphasis on period 1200 CE to the present.
RST 156 — Religion & the Performing Arts in India (4 units)
Course Description: Survey of religion and performing arts in India. Emphasis on the influence of colonialism, nationalism, and regionalism on the history of Indian performing arts.
RST 157 — Hindu Women & Goddesses (4 units)
Course Description: Hindu goddesses and the religious lives of Hindu women in India and the diaspora.
RST 158 — The Ramayana (4 units)
Course Description: Exploration of the Indian epic, Ramayana, through the lens of literature, performance, and visual art. Emphasis on the text's diversity and its contemporary global relevance. Topics include Ramayanas in Southeast Asia, and in various South Asian diaspora communities.
The Ramayana is one of the most famous stories in the world. It is a love story, a tragedy, a meditation on kingship, on ethics, and on war. Endlessly retold in many languages across many borders, given expression in visual and theatrical form, it is a tale that has enthralled audiences, invited counter-tellings, and robust challenges to its ethos. In this course, we will begin with a deep dive into the Valmiki Ramayana, while also exploring tellings in a variety of languages and regions.
GE's: AH, WC, WERequired Texts:
- Arshia Sattar. Valmiki Ramayana (Rowan Littefield)
- Robert Goldman and Sally Goldman. The Ramayana of Valmiki: The Complete English Translation (Princeton Library of Asian Translation), Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2022.
RST 159 — The Mahabharata (4 units)
Course Description: Survey of the Indian epic, the Mahabharata, through textual, oral, and visual culture.
RST 160 — Introduction to Islamic Thought (4 units)
Course Description: The development of Islamic thought from the first centuries of Islam to the 18th century. Theology, philosophy, ethics, Sufism, historiography, political theory, fundamentalism, al-Farabi, al-Ghazzali, Ibn Rushd, Tusi, Ibn al-Arabi, Rumi, Molla Sadra, Ibn Khaldun, Ibn Abd al-Wahhab.
RST 161 — Modern Islam (4 units)
Course Description: Response of Islam to modernity: secularism, reformism, fundamentalism. Islam and imperialism, women, media and immigration. Islamic modernism, political Islam, Islam in Europe and America.
RST 161B — Modern Islam: Authority & Tradition In Process (4 units)
Course Description: Survey of Islamic thought, social organization, politics from 18th century through present. Focus on changing notations of moral authority and tradition. Concentration on Middle East and South Asia with sustained treatment of North American engagements with the Islamic world.
RST 162 — Introduction to Islamic Law (4 units)
Course Description: The development of Islamic law in the formative centuries of Islam, ca. 600-1000, as well as its adaptation to changing economic, social, and political conditions in subsequent periods. Legal schools, legal theory, the Shari'a, reformist movements, human rights.
RST 163 — Social Life of Islam (4 units)
Course Description: Introduction to culture and social life in Muslim societies. Focus on the plurality of traditions in Muslim faith, reason, and everyday practice. Special attention to Muslim rituals, ethical values, verbal genres, family life, sexuality and veiling, and youth culture.
RST 165 — Islam in Asia (4 units)
Course Description: Islam as a lived religion in the Indian sub-continent, Central Asia, China, and Southeast Asia. Emphasis is on primary sources studied comparatively and historically.
RST 166 — Religion & Media in the Arab World (4 units)
Course Description: Exploration of the role and experience of media technologies in the Arab world. Study of digital and electronic media as well as alternative media practices. Investigation of new trends in political activism and identity formation.
RST 169 — Topics in Islam (4 units)
Course Description: Thematic study of specific periods, movements, leaders, regions, ethics or philosophies within Islam from an interdisciplinary perspective.
RST 170 — Buddhism (4 units)
Starting Fall Quarter 2022, this course is no longer offered.
Course Description: Buddhism in its pan-Asian manifestations, from its beginning in India to its development in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia, Central Asia, China and Japan; teachings and practices, socio-political and cultural impact.
RST 171 — Buddhist Art (4 units)
Course Description: A historical survey of Buddhist art in relation to the development of Buddhist doctrine and philosophy. Cross Listing: AHI 157.
RST 180 — Popular Religious Art in India (4 units)
Course Description: Survey of Indian popular religious art in prints, trade labels, comics and photographs. Cross Listing: AHI 158.
RST 181 — Hindu Gods & Hindu Symbols (4 units)
Course Description: A historical survey of the development of the language of symbolism and iconography in Hinduism. Cross Listing: AHI 153.
RST 182 — Ramayana, Religion, & the Arts (4 units)
Course Description: Comparative exploration of the visual, theatrical, ritual, performative and religious lives of the Ramayana epic in South and Southeast Asia.
Click here to view more details about these Religious Studies courses in the UC Davis Course Catalog. -
Sociology
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SOC 146 — Sociology of Religion (4 units)‡
Course Description: Relationship between social structures and religions. The social setting of the major world religions. Religious innovators and institutionalization (churches, sects, cults). Secularization in the modern world and the rise of secular ideologies.
SOC 157 — Social Conflict (4 units)‡
Course Description: Analysis of the causes, dynamics, and regulation of social conflict within and between various kinds of social groupings with particular reference to nonviolent methods of waging and regulating conflict.
Click here to view more details about these Sociology courses in the UC Davis Course Catalog. -
Women and Gender Studies
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WMS 184 — Gender in the Arab World (4 units)
Course Description: Examination of the history, culture, and social/political/economic dynamics of gender relations and gendering in the Arab world.
WMS 185 — Women & Islamic Discourses (4 units)
Course Description: Introduction to debate/discourses about women and Islam. Transformations in debate/discourses in colonial and postcolonial periods in the Middle East & South Asia. Comparative study of debate/discourses on family, work, law, sexuality, religion, comportment, human rights, feminist and religious movements.
Click here to view more details about these Women and Gender Studies courses in the UC Davis Course Catalog.