Undergraduate Minor in Islamic Studies

The minor in Islamic Studies is open to all undergraduates at the University of Minnesota and allows those in any major to participate in the critical study of Islam and Muslim societies and cultures. It encompasses historical, intellectual, artistic, social, and anthropological approaches to the study of Islam applied through the examination of Islamic texts and other cultural products and through the analysis of social and cultural developments across time and geographic locations. 

The Islamic Studies minor is interdisciplinary.  It “borrows” courses from many different fields: Anthropology, Art History, Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Geography, History, Sociology, and others.  The faculty associated with Islamic Studies also come from these many departments across the College of Liberal Arts.

This interdisciplinary character makes the Islamic Studies minor highly compatible with many other majors and minors.  And because most of the courses in the minor are electives, students are able to tailor their Islamic Studies minor to their own interests and needs. 

How to Apply

Ready to declare the minor? Contact Religious Studies Director of Undergraduate Studies, Nathanael Homewood at [email protected] to begin the process.

Questions? Contact Religious Studies Director of Undergraduate Studies, Nathanael Homewood at [email protected].

Minor Requirements

The minor in Islamic Studies requires one foundational course in the category of Islamic Origins and Development, along with four other courses selected from the offerings of several CLA departments, including Religious Studies, Anthropology, History, Art History, Sociology, Asian & Middle Eastern Studies, and others. 

Islam: Origins and Development: Take one of the following courses:

• RELS 3704 (CNES 3074) Exploring the Qur'an: An Intellectual odyssey with Islam's holy scripture [AH]
• RELS 3712 (HIST 3493) Islam: Religion and Culture

Electives: Take four additional courses on Islam at or above the 3000-level.

At least two courses in the minor must be taken at the University of Minnesota or as learning abroad courses taken for resident credit.

No course may be used simultaneously in both of these two categories. Courses may be taken in any order.

Two Restrictions

Students majoring in Global Studies and doing the Islamic World regional breadth requirement may not do the Islamic Studies minor as well.  However, students majoring in Global Studies but doing a different regional focus may do the Islamic Studies minor.

Students majoring in Religious Studies and doing an area concentration in Islam may not do the Islamic Studies minor.  However, students majoring in Religious Studies but doing a different area concentration, including a comparative concentration that includes Islam, may do the Islamic Studies minor