Broadly speaking, the aims of the curriculum are to establish a virtual curriculum among the member universities of the Big Ten Academic Alliance to develop and implement a collaborative program of high quality instruction in Global Islamic Studies. DISC is made possible by $3 million in support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

The Digital Islamic Studies Curriculum seeks to provide students at Big Ten Academic Alliance member institutions a robust curriculum specializing in Islamic studies. In collaboration with faculty liaisons at over a dozen Big Ten Academic Alliance member institutions, this program strives to define, create and implement a curriculum that will offer a broad set of courses that investigate Islam as a religion, as a civilization, as a myriad of cultural and historic traditions, and as the basis in some settings for political ideology.

As a student-and-faculty-based collaborative project, DISC is working to create a community of scholars focused on promoting an interdisciplinary approach to Islamic studies on a global level.  Specifically, this program ensures that particular Islamic studies courses are offered continually from year to year and works to increase student access to specialized courses. As a result, DISC is able to offer for the first time coherence and continuity to students interested in the field.  Furthermore, DISC focuses on collaboration between institutions to present various opportunities for networking among students and faculty, opening doors that go far beyond the classroom.

It is this sense of community, collaboration, and coherence that is the foundation on which DISC is built. Over the course of the coming years, we will grow from one pilot course into a curriculum that will consistently offer over a dozen courses to each partner university within the Big Ten Academic Alliance. This vision enables unprecedented resource sharing and provides a groundbreaking model for a new approach to education in the digital age.

 DISC Courses at Winter-Spring 2019

• Women in the Qur’an
University of Nebraska-Lincoln | Rutgers University

• Muslim Ethics in the Global Age
University of Illinois | Rutgers University | University of Michigan

Contacts

• Address: 500 Church Street, Suite 300, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
• Phone: +1 734 763 5050
• Fax: +1 734 763 4765
• Email: digital.islam@umich.edu
• Website: https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/digitalislam/

The Global Islamic Studies Center carries on the work of the former Islamic Studies Program, and is comprised of several existing centers and initiatives: the Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies (CMENAS), Digital Islamic Studies Curriculum (DISC), the student-led Interdisciplinary Islamic Studies Seminar, Islamic Peace Initiative, and the new Michigan Islamic Studies Hub. GISC brings together a broad and interdisciplinary intellectual community across campus, and embraces comparative and trans-regional perspectives.

“The Global Islamic Studies Center will provide a platform for the large, diverse population of scholars—both faculty and students—working in the field of Islamic studies at U-M. It will consolidate our position as the leading program in Islamic studies in southeast Michigan, which boasts the oldest, largest, and most diverse Muslim population in the U.S.,” said GISC Director Karla Mallette. “We invite our campus partners and allies in the community to join us on this next, exciting stage in our institutional history.”

GISC has received funding from the U-M Provost’s Office; the International Institute; and the College of Literature, Sciences and the Arts (LSA). It mobilizes U-M’s outstanding faculty to contribute to instruction, research, and public affairs programming. GISC is designed to establish the University of Michigan as a national leader in the field of Islamic Studies, benefiting undergraduate and graduate students and faculty.

The Global Islamic Studies Center organizes a number of public events each year such as lectures, conferences, and films, many in collaboration with other U-M units. Please use our searchable events calendar for information about upcoming programs sponsored by GISC and the Interdisciplinary Islamic Studies Seminar (IISS).

Contacts

• Address: 500 Church Street, Weiser Hall, Suite 300, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1042, USA
• Phone: +1 734 615 9558
• Email: IslamicStudies@umich.edu
• Website: https://ii.umich.edu/islamicstudies