REL 171 MUSLIMS IN AMERICA
Is it possible to be both Muslim and American? This first-year seminar will examine debates about Muslim and American identity from the era of the slave trade to the present day. We will ask why so many African Americans, including Malcolm X and Muhammad ‘Ali, became Muslim in the twentieth century. We will analyze debates over race and identity among Muslim immigrants, and explore the relationship between government surveillance and terrorism in the wake of 9/11. Above all, we will consider the question of national identity and ask how Muslims have shaped and been shaped by different definitions of what it means to be an American.
Prerequisite
Open to new students only.