Contemporary Islam & Muslims in the United States

In this course, we will explore contemporary Islam and Muslims in a post-9/11, post-Trump United States. Following some brief grounding history in Week 1, we will use ethnographic studies and digital media content to understand the American Muslim experience in the 21st century. Each week, we will also address how the lived experience of American Muslims interacts with theoretical and normative conceptions of Islam, and whether these interactions eventually create a distinctive American Islam. Topics covered will include: internal and external racial & gender dynamics, ideological debates, institutions, social media wars, politics, and specific communities as case studies. Together we will develop a critical perspective on the US Muslim experience, particularly as a case of how one diverse religious community negotiates religion in a complex sociopolitical setting.