Cost and Registration Information

Early Registration Price (May 7 at 9 am** – May 24 at 4 pm): $170
Regular Registration Price (May 24 at 4 pm – first day of class): $187

** Registration opens online at 9 am. Phone registration will be accepted starting at 10 am.

Members, seniors, and students get a 10% discount.

Seminar Description

Sunni. Shi'ite. Sufi. Isma'ili. Alawite. What do these terms mean? This course will introduce students to the diverse historical and modern worlds of Islam. Since its beginning in 7th-century Arabia, the religion of Islam has never ceased to shape and be shaped by the complex historical events occurring around it. This short course will provide students with a primer on the variety of religious practices that exist today under the banner of Islam.

One session. E – $170, L – $187

Laurel Harig teaches classes on the art, history, and culture of the Arab world at several Chicago-area institutions. She received an MA from the University of Chicago Divinity School and a BA from Bard College in cross-cultural communications.

Materials List

Recommended:

• Shahab Ahmed, What is Islam? Princeton University Press, 2015. ISBN: 978-0691164182

First Reading:

• There is no reading assignment for the first class.

This class is part of the Newberry’s Adult Education Seminars Program. Learn more about our registration procedures.