The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Sociology of Islam

SOCIOLOGY OF ISLAM
Sociology 419, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Fall 2026
Syllabus

Class Meetings: 3050 Peabody Hall, Tuesday-Thursday, 3:30-4:45 p.m.

Instructor:

Charles Kurzman. Telephone: 919-962-1007. E-mail: kurzman@unc.edu. Office hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:00-3:00 p.m., Anne Queen Faculty Commons, Campus Y, and by appointment at 208 West Franklin Street (Sociology Department temporary offices).

Course Goals:

This course is intended to:

    (1) Prepare you to answer seven commonly-asked questions about Islam and Muslims:

    1. What is Islam?
    2. Can Muslims assimilate in the United States?
    3. Do Muslims want an Islamic state?
    4. How can we help Muslim women?
    5. Is there such a thing as “Islamic civilization”?
    6. How has oil affected Muslim life?
    7. Can you recommend some sociologically-interesting Islamic music?

    (2) Inculcate a respectful and critical approach towards your own and other belief systems.
    (3) Expose you to cutting-edge analyses of the importance, diversity, and recent transformations of Islamic societies.
    (4) Introduce you to a variety of sociological fields, such as the sociology of religion, international development, the sociology of gender, and political sociology.
    (5) Teach how to develop and test sociological research questions.

The course is not intended to:

    (1) Evangelize for or against any religion.
    (2) Suggest that one religion or religious culture is better or worse than any other.
    (3) Evaluate the Islamic world against divine standards. If you are looking for a sociology of Islam that does attempt to do this, you may wish to examine Ali Shari’ati, On the Sociology of Islam, translated by Hamid Algar (Berkeley, California: Mizan Press, 1979); or other works by Shari’ati.

Faculty Commitments:

The goals of the course are ambitious. Accomplishing them will require a joint effort on the part of the instructors and the students. On the instructors’ side, we pledge to:

    (1) Foster an inclusive space for students from all backgrounds and perspectives.
    (2) Be as respectful, helpful, and clear as possible in communications with students.
    (3) Hand out reading questions in advance of each reading assignment, to assist in close reading of the text.
    (4) Give background information and other relevant information in advance of each reading assignment.
    (5) Lead discussion of the readings and help prepare students for the research assignment.
    (6) Return submitted material in one week or less with constructive comments and fair grades.

At the end of the course, you will be asked to grade the professor with a student-evaluation form. In addition, I welcome feedback, especially constructive feedback, throughout the semester, in whatever form (office hours, e-mail, anonymous notes, etc.) that you feel comfortable with.

Student Commitments:

Students’ responsibilities in this course are directly related both to the course goals and to the grading system. We ask of you:

    (1) Attendance. Attend all class sessions. Please bring to each class the course reading material and a notebook or laptop containing this syllabus, your class notes from the entire semester, and your reading notes (described in the next section) — you will need to refer to these during class. For each unapproved absence, you will lose 1 point from a total of 23 points for the semester. If you are unable to attend because of illness, an emergency, or a University Approved Absence, please inform the professor by e-mail prior to the class, or as soon as possible, and attendance credit will be arranged on a case-by-case basis. Students are responsible for class material that they miss.

    (2) Honor, Integrity, and Ethical Decision-Making. All students are expected to follow the guidelines of UNC’s Code of Student Conduct. In particular, students are expected to refrain from “lying, cheating, or stealing” in the academic context. If you are unsure about which actions violate the Code of Student Conduct, please see the instructors or consult studentconduct.unc.edu.

    (3) Reading, Reflection, and Reading Notes. Read and think about all assigned material in advance of class. All readings are available on the course’s Canvas page, along with a recorded introductory lecture and reading questions and key concepts that will orient you to the main points we will be drawing out of each text. For each reading assignment, please take notes in a word processing program, following the format listed in the Assignment Guidelines document on Canvas. These reading notes will encourage you to read actively, rather than passively, and will serve you well as an index to the reading when you wish to review the course material. Reading notes should be submitted via Canvas by 2:00 p.m. on the assigned date. For each missing reading note you will lose 1 point from a total of 27 points for the semester. Partial notes and late notes will cost one-half point. Missing and insufficient reading notes will be posted on the course’s Canvas grade sheet before the next class session.

    (4) Class Participation. Participate actively in class, in particular through attentive listening, accurate note-taking (including the class PowerPoint presentations, if you wish — these will be posted on the course Canvas page prior to each class), appropriate questions and comments, and helpful collaboration in small-group discussions. Take care to act respectfully, including toward people and comments you disagree with. This will not be graded.

    (5) Survey Research and Research Paper. We will work together this semester to design and conduct survey-based research projects on the subject of Americans’ views of Islam and Muslims’ views of America. To prepare for the research, each student will take the CITI Online Course titled “Group 2 Social and Behavioral Research” (this will take several hours to complete) and complete four short preliminary assignments. Each student will conduct 10 interviews over Fall Break and submit the results in a shared spreadsheet before the next class, which is worth 10 points. Students will analyze this survey, or other surveys that we will make available to you, using the open-source R software package and RStudio interface. Based on this data, students will write a survey-analysis article, approximately 1,500 words in length, worth 20 points and due before the final class session. This paper should be submitted in a Word or RTF file (not PDF) via the course’s Canvas page. More details on the paper are available in the Assignment Guidelines document on the course’s Canvas page.

    (6) Final examination. Demonstrate the information and abilities you have learned over the course of the semester in open-book, open-note essays.

Grading:

Attendance: 23 points maximum, minus 1 point for each unexcused absence
Reading notes: 27 points maximum, minus 1 point for each missing reading note
Project assignments 1 through 4: 2 points each = 8 points
Project assignment 5 (survey data): 10 points
Survey-analysis research paper: 20 points
Final exam: 12 points
Total: 100 points.

Student performance will be graded on a 100-point scale. I anticipate that a grade of 93 1/3 and above will qualify for an A, 90 and above A-, 86 2/3 and above B+, 83 1/3 and above B, 80 and above B-, and so on. However, I reserve the right to maintain some flexibility in this scale, in case the course turns out to be “too easy” or “too hard.”

Course Schedule:

August 18: Introductions
No readings.
Optional reading: Charles Kurzman, “Sociologies of Islam,” Annual Review of Sociology, Volume 45, 2019, pp. 265-277.
In-class: Why are we in this course?
In-class: Introduction to R (please bring your computer)

Religion

August 20: Approaching Islam
Reading 1: Carl W. Ernst, Following Muhammad (Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press, 2003), Chaps. 1-3.
Reading question: What is Islam, according to Ernst?
In-class: Definitions of Islam.

August 25: Approaching Islam (continued)
Reading 2: Carl W. Ernst, Following Muhammad (Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press, 2003), Chaps. 4-6.
Reading question: How do sacred sources relate to Muslims’ contemporary practices, according to Ernst?
In-class: Spiritual practices.

August 27: Defining Islam
Reading 3: Shahab Ahmed, What Is Islam? (Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2016), pp. 3-4, 32-73.
Reading questions: Is the “madhhab of love” Islamic? Is figurative art Islamic? Is wine-drinking Islamic?
In-class: Living contradictions.

Seoptember 1: Defining Islam (continued)
Assignment 1 due: Complete CITI Online Course (Group 2. Social and Behavioral Research) and submit certificate.
Reading 4: Bruce B. Lawrence, Defenders of God: The Fundamentalist Revolt Against the Modern Age, 2nd edition (Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina Press, 1995), pp. 40-42, 100-119.
Optional reading: Hasan al-Banna, “Between Yesterday and Today” (1940s).
Reading question: How do fundamentalisms approach sacred texts?
In-class: Scriptures.

September 3: Liberal Islam
Reading 5: Charles Kurzman, “Liberal Islam in its Islamic Context,” in Liberal Islam: A Sourcebook (New York, New York: Oxford University Press, 1998), pp. 3-26
Reading 6: Abdulkarim Soroush, “Text in Context” (1995).
Reading question: What are three ways to justify liberal Islamic positions?

Islam in America

September 8: Origins
Assignment 2 due: Select a theme you would like to explore in your survey research paper.
Reading 7: Mbaye Lo and Carl Ernst, I Cannot Write My Life: Islam, Arabic, and Slavery in Omar ibn Said’s America (Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press, 2023), Chaps. 1-3.
Reading question: What did Omar ibn Said mean when he wrote, “I cannot write my life”?
In-class: Muslims of North Carolina

September 10: Racialization
Reading 8: Neda Maghbouleh, The Limits of Whiteness: Iranian Americans and the Everyday Politics of Race (Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 2017), Chaps. 1-2.
Reading question: Are Iranian-Americans “white”? By what standard is such a categorization made?
In-class: Census and other racializing categories

Septermber 15: Contemporary
Assignment 3 due: Which of the past Sociology 419 survey questions (available on the course’s Canvas page) do you think are most useful for this year’s survey, and why?
Reading 9: Hajar Yazdiha, The Struggle For The People’s King: How Politics Transforms the Memory of the Civil Rights Movement (Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2023), Chap. 5.
Reading question: How have Muslim-Americans drawn on the precedent of the Civil Rights Movement? Please include two questions for the author.
In-class: Virtual conversation with Professor Yazdiha.

Islamic States

September 17: Islamic revolution
Reading 10: Charles Kurzman, The Missing Martyrs: Why Are There So Few Muslim Terrorists?, revised edition (New York, New York: Oxford University Press, 2019), pp. 1-27.
Optional reading: Usama Bin Ladin, “Bin Laden’s Declaration of Jihad Against Americans” (1996).
Reading question: What did Bin Ladin want?
In-class: How popular is Islamic revolution?

September 22: Islamic government in Iran
Assignment 4 due: Draft three questions to propose for inclusion on our survey.
Reading 11: Charles Kurzman, “The Self-Orientalizing Republic of Iran,” Perspectives on Politics, Volume 22, Number 4, 2024, pp. 1291-1296.
Reading 12: Fariba Adelkhah, Being Modern in Iran (New York, New York: Columbia University Press, 2000), pp. 139-174.
Reading question: In what ways does the Islamic Republic of Iran sound familiar to residents of the U.S.?
In-class: Data on Iran.

September 24: Protest in Iran
Reading 13: Mohammad Ali Kadivar, “Iranian Protests Through a Comparative Lens,” unpublished essay, 2023.
Reading 14: Mohammad Ali Kadivar, “Rethinking Political Change in Iran: From Protest to War,” Middle East Research and Information Project (MERIP), 2026.
Reading question: In what ways have protests against the Islamic Republic of Iran escalated over the past generation? Please include two questions for the author.
In-class: Virtual conversation with Professor Kadivar.

September 29: Islamic government in Türkiye
Reading 14: Sebnem Gumuscu, “The AKP and Stealth Islamization in Turkey,” Turkish Studies, Volume 25, Number 3, 2024, pp. 371-397.
Reading 15: Volkan Ertit, “God Is Dying in Turkey as Well: Application of Secularization Theory to a Non-Christian Society,” Open Theology, Volume 4, 2018, pp. 192-211.
Reading question: Is Türkiye become more “Islamic” or less? Please include two questions for our guest lecturer.
In-class: Virtual conversation with Professor Didem Türkoǧlu.

Gender

October 1: Veiling
Reading 16: Sahar Amer, What Is Veiling? (Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press, 2014), pp. 1-18, 148-175.
Reading question: What do Muslim women think about veiling, according to Amer?
In-class: Street scenes

October 6: No class, well-being day.

October 8: Women’s rights
Reading 17: Michael Peletz, Sharia Transformations: Cultural Politics and the Rebranding of an Islamic Judiciary (Oakland, California: University of California Press, 2020), Chap. 5.
Reading 18: Syed Imad Alatas, “Malaysian Muslimah Activists’ Modes of Throught: Rereading Islamic and Alternative Sources of Knowledge,” Kajian Malaysia, Volume 41, Number 1, 2023, pp. 133–152.
Reading question: Are women getting (more) justice in divorce courts in Malaysia? Please include two questions for our guest lecturer.
In-class: Conversation with Mr. Alatas.

October 13: Women’s rights (continued)
Reading 19: Lila Abu-Lughod, Do Muslim Women Need Saving? (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2013), pp. 143-172.
Reading question: What does Abu-Lughod mean by the “social life of Muslim women’s rights”?
In-class: Surveys on attitudes toward gender equality.

October 15: No class, Fall Break.

October 20: Fertility rates
Assignment 5 due: Survey results.
Reading 20: Paul Puschmann and Koen Matthijs, “The Demographic Transition in the Arab World,” in Koen Matthijs et al., editors, Beyond the Demographic Divide: Population Change in Europe, the Middle-East and North Africa (Farnham, England: Ashgate, 2015), pp. 119-165.
Reading question: Why are women in the Arab region having fewer children than a generation ago?
In-class: Fertility and gender dynamics.

October 22: Masculinity
Reading 21: Pascal Menoret, Joyriding in Riyadh (Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 2014), pp. 133-173.
Reading question: Are drifters gay, according to Menoret?
In-class: Gender.

October 27: Queerness
Reading 22: Saqer Almarri, “Identities of a Single Root: The Triad of the Khuntha, Mukhannath, and Khanith,” Women and Language, Volume 41, Number 1, 2018, pp. 97-109.
Reading 23: Saqer Almarri, “A Rich Constellation of Identities,” in Marwan Kaabour, editor, The Queer Arab Glossary (London, England: Saqi, 2024), pp. 102-109.
Reading question: How do Arab traditions and terminology of queerness differ from Western versions?
In-class: Language and identities.

Culture

October 29: Race
Reading 24: Afifa Ltifi, “Black Tunisians and the Pitfalls of Bourguiba’s Homogenization Project,” POMEPS Studies, 2020.
Reading 25: Shreya Parikh, “Making Tunisia Non-African Again: Saied’s Anti-Black Campaign,” Review of African Political Economy blog, 2023.
Reading 26: Houda Mzioudet, “Black Tunisian Women’s Mobilization and the Fight Against Racist and Populist Backlash,” in Saskia Brechenmacher, Erin Jones, and Özge Zihnioğlu, editors, On the Front Lines: Women’s Mobilization for Democracy in an Era of Backsliding (Washington, D.C.: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2024), pp. 45-52.
Reading 27: Rihab Boukhayatia, “Migrants in Tunisia: The Chilling Reality of Phantom Children,” Nawaat, 2026.
Reading question: How is race defined in Tunisia? Please include two questions for our guest lecturer.
In-class: Virtual conversation with Professor Parikh.

November 3: Music
Reading 28: Hisham D. Aidi, Rebel Music: Race, Empire, and the New Muslim Youth Culture (New York, Pantheon Books, 2014), pp. ix-xxx, 44-69.
Reading question: How is hip-hop Islamic (or un-Islamic)?
In-class: Musical hits, by country.

November 5: Religious Shopping
Reading 29: Marloes Janson, Crossing Religious Boundaries: Islam, Christianity and “Yoruba Religion” in Lagos, Nigeria (Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 2021), Chap. 1.
Reading question: How does the author’s approach to religious assemblage differ from earlier approaches to syncretism?
In-class: Religion and culture in Nigeria.

November 10: Nationalism
Reading 30: Charles Kurzman, “Duplicate Nationalisms and the Asymmetric Tragedy of Israel/Palestine,” Middle East Journal, forthcoming, Autumn 2026.
Reading question: We all know who the real victim is here, don’t we? Discuss.
In-class: Discussion.

Economics

November 12: Oil
Reading 31: Jahangir Amuzegar, “Oil Wealth: A Very Mixed Blessing,” Foreign Affairs, Volume 60, Number 4, Spring 1982, pp. 814-835.
Reading question: What’s the downside of massive oil wealth?
In-class: Current oil production.

November 17: Labor migration to the Gulf
Reading 32: Syed Ali, Dubai: Gilded Cage (New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press, 2010), pp. vii-xv, 135-163.
Reading question: How does it feel to be born and raised in Dubai, with no hope of citizenship?
In-class: Current migrant populations.

November 19: Islamic finance
Reading 33: Ryan Calder, The Paradox of Islamic Finance: How Shariah Scholars Reconcile Religion and Capitalism (Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2024), pp. 1-27.
Reading question: How do Islamic scholars get around the prohibition on interest? Please include two questions for the author.
In-class: Virtual conversation with Professor Calder.

November 24: Labor discipline
Reading 34: Daromir Rudnyckyj, Spiritual Economies: Islam, Globalization, and the Afterlife of Development (Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 2010), pp. 73-130.
Reading question: What is an Islamic motivational speaker doing at a steel factory?
In-class: Economic development.

December 1: Review
Assignment 6 due: Survey-based research paper.
No reading.
In-class: Review.

December 10, 4:00-7:00 p.m.: Final Exam.

Attendance Policy

University Policy: As stated in the University’s Class Attendance Policy, no right or privilege exists that permits a student to be absent from any class meetings, except for these University Approved Absences:

  1. Authorized University activities: University Approved Absence Office (UAAO) website provides information and FAQs for students and FAQs for faculty related to University Approved Absences
  2. Disability/religious observance/pregnancy/short-term military service, as required by law and approved by the University Compliance Office , or in the case of short-term military service, the Dean of Students
  3. Significant health condition and/or personal/family emergency as approved by the Office of the Dean of Students, Gender Violence Service Coordinators, and/or the University Compliance Office.

Code of Conduct

All students are expected to adhere to University policy and follow the guidelines of the UNC Student Code of Conduct. Additional information can be found at https://studentconduct.unc.edu/.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy

Carolina students are expected to follow these AI guidelines:

  1. AI should help you think, not think for you. You may be able to use these tools to brainstorm ideas and research topics, but you must decide what ideas and topics are appropriate and accurate.
  2. Engage responsibly with AI. You must evaluate AI-generated outputs for potential biases, limitations, inaccuracies, false output, and ethical implications. Do not put personal or confidential data into these tools.
  3. The use of AI must be open and documented. You must declare, explain, and cite any use of AI in the creation of your work. Understand that you are ultimately 100% responsible for your final product.
  4. AI cannot be used for reading notes or for the midterm and final examinations in this course. Further details on permissible and impermissible AI usage are listed in the Assignment Guidelines document on the course’s Canvas page.
  5. If you are unsure about AI guidelines for this course, check with the instructor. Guidance offered in this syllabus and in the Assignment Guidelines document will be referenced should an issue be referred to Student Conduct for alleged academic misconduct.

Syllabus Changes

The instructor reserves the right to make changes to the syllabus including project due dates and test dates. These changes will be announced as early as possible.

Acceptable Use Policy

By attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, you agree to abide by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill policies related to the acceptable use of IT systems and services. The Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) sets the expectation that you will use the University’s technology resources responsibly, consistent with the University’s mission. In the context of a class, it’s quite likely you will participate in online activities that could include personal information about you or your peers, and the AUP addresses your obligations to protect the privacy of class participants. In addition, the AUP addresses matters of others’ intellectual property, including copyright. These are only a couple of typical examples, so you should consult the full Information Technology Acceptable Use Policy, which covers topics related to using digital resources, such as privacy, confidentiality and intellectual property.

Additionally, consult the Safe Computing at UNC website for information about data security policies, updates, and tips on keeping your identity, information, and devices safe.

Data Security and Privacy

UNC-Chapel Hill is committed to fulfilling its responsibilities of transparency as a state-sponsored institution of higher learning, protecting certain types of information, and using information Carolina collects only for appropriate purposes. Consult the UNC-Chapel Hill Privacy Statement for additional information.

Grade Appeal Process

If you have any concerns with grading and/or feel you have been awarded an incorrect grade, please discuss it with me as soon as possible. If we cannot resolve the issue, you may talk to the Department of Sociology’s director of undergraduate studies or chair.

University Compliance Office – Accommodations

University Compliance Office (UCO) Accommodations Team (Accommodations – UNC Compliance) receives requests for accommodations for disability, pregnancy and related conditions, and sincerely held religious beliefs and practices through the University’s Policy on Accommodations. UCO Accommodations team determines eligibility and reasonable accommodations consistent with state and federal laws.

Counseling and Psychological Services

UNC-Chapel Hill is strongly committed to addressing the mental health needs of a diverse student body. The Heels Care Network website is a place to access the many mental health resources at Carolina. CAPS is the primary mental health provider for students, offering timely access to consultation and connection to clinically appropriate services. Go to the CAPS website or visit their facilities on the third floor of the Campus Health building for an initial evaluation to learn more. Students can also call CAPS 24/7 at 919-966-3658 for immediate assistance.

Title IX Resources

Any student who is impacted by discrimination, harassment, interpersonal (relationship) violence, sexual violence, sexual exploitation, or stalking is encouraged to seek resources on campus or in the community. Reports can be made online to the UCO or by contacting the University’s Title IX Coordinator, Elizabeth Hall, or the Report and Response Managers in the University Compliance Office (UCO) (formerly the Equal Opportunity and Compliance Office).  Please note that I am designated as a Responsible Employee, which means I must report to the UCO any information I receive about the forms of misconduct listed in this paragraph.  If you’d like to speak with a confidential resource, those include Counseling and Psychological Services, the University’s Ombuds Office, and the Gender Violence Services Coordinators. Additional resources are available at safe.unc.edu.

Policy on Non-Discrimination

As set out in the University’s Policy Statement on Non-Discrimination, the University is committed to providing an environment where all members of our community can learn, work, and thrive. Consistent with these principles and applicable laws, it is therefore the University’s policy not to discriminate on the basis of age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or veteran status as consistent with the University’s Policy on Prohibited Discrimination, Harassment and Related Misconduct. No person, on the basis of protected status, shall be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to unlawful discrimination, harassment, or retaliation under any University program or activity, including with respect to employment terms and conditions. The University will consider only relevant factors such as individual abilities and qualifications in admissions, hiring, disciplinary action, and all other decisions and will apply consistent standards of conduct and performance.

If you are experiencing harassment or discrimination, you can seek assistance and file a report through the Report and Response Coordinators (email reportandresponse@unc.edu or see additional contact info at safe.unc.edu) or the University Compliance Office. Please note that I am designated as a Responsible Employee, which means that I must report to the UCO any information I receive about harassment or discrimination.  If you’d like to speak with a confidential resource, those include Counseling and Psychological Services and the University’s Ombuds Office.

This file was last updated on August 5, 2026.