Islamic Studies

Islamic Studies The degree program in Islamic Studies provides in-depth knowledge on the Islamic world and its history and culture, profound insight into the Islamic religion, cultural, historical, and political understanding of current events and processes in Islamic societies, and solid skills in two of the three languages Arabic, Farsi, or Turkish. It focuses on a geographical area that encompasses North and West Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Southern Europe and Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, and Indonesia. Besides conveying knowledge of diverse forms of Islamic culture in their historical depth, the program also concentrates on the intellectual, cultural, and social phenomena and problems of the present-day Islamic world. Students are required to learn two of the three languages Arabic, Farsi, and Turkish. Over and above the modern written language, students also learn how to read written sources from older stages of development of these languages in the original version and use them for independent study. In addition to providing a solid grounding in Islamic studies and the necessary philological skills for academic research, the program enables students to engage critically with selected questions of Islamic studies and conduct independent research on them.