Syracuse University Abroad to launch Muslim cultures program in 2007

Syracuse University Abroad to launch Muslim cultures program in 2007August 30, 2006Daeya Malboeufdmking04@syr.edu

Syracuse University Abroad will launch an interdisciplinary program on Muslim cultures to be offered at its SU London Program in Bloomsbury for the Fall 2007 semester. The program will be available to students from schools throughout the United States and Canada.

The program director is Tazim Kassam, a specialist in Islam and chair of SU’s Department of Religion.

Given the prominent position of the United States in world affairs, and the increasingly visible presence of Muslims in the global political economy, the new program is designed to provide an informed and rigorous understanding of Muslim cultures past and present. Curriculum, faculty, field trips, guest lectures, conferences and site visits will demonstrate and emphasize the pluralism that exists among Muslims in language, culture, interpretation, ethnicity, political thought, ritual, architecture and literature.

London’s diverse Muslim population presents unique opportunities for Syracuse University Abroad students to study Muslim cultures. In addition to their course work, students will visit Sunni, Shi’a and Sufi organizations; see mosques and religious centers of a variety of architectural styles; and visit London’s museums and art galleries, which house a rich array of art from the Islamic world, ranging from ancient to modern. They will also taste the culinary variety of foods and enjoy the music in Muslim cultures at London’s superb restaurants and ethnic festivals.

The Muslim cultures program is designed for undergraduate students enrolled in minors and majors in the arts and sciences as well as students enrolled in professional degree programs. Credit will also apply to the Muslim Cultures minor expected to launch in the fall 2007. The program is offered in the fall semester only.

For more information on Muslim Cultures in London, contact Daisy Fried, associate director of program development, at SU Abroad at (315) 443-9419 or dsfried@syr.edu, or the Syracuse University Abroad office at 1-800-235-3472.

Syracuse University Abroad is nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report for study abroad programs. For more than 45 years, SU Abroad has offered credit-bearing study abroad opportunities for students enrolled at Syracuse University and other colleges and universities across the United States and Canada. Today, SU Abroad maintains academic centers in Beijing, Florence, Hong Kong, London, Madrid and Strasbourg, which all host study abroad programs throughout the academic year and in the summer. Each center has close ties to local universities, allowing students to design integrated programs of study appropriate to their academic and language abilities.