Special Topics in the Study of Religion: Trends and Approaches in Qur'anic Studies

This graduate seminar examines key scholarly trends, debates, and conversations in the field of Qur'anic Studies over the last three decades or so. It explores themes including debates over the Qur'an's origins, Qur'an and Late Antiquity, the Qur'an's commentarial tradition, Qur'an and translation, the Qur'an in multiple regional contexts, and Qur'an and modernism. A major thrust of this course will be on connecting a study of the Qur'an with broader questions and conversations in the Humanities on related themes such as hermeneutics, language, orality and experiential elements of scripture.