On September 16, world renowned philosopher, scholar of Islam, and University Professor at George Washington University, Seyyed Hossein Nasr will deliver the Inaugural Digital Islamic Studies Curriculum Distinguished Lecture at the University of Michigan. Regarded globally as a leading scholar of Islamic studies, Nasr will deploy his vast and varied personal and intellectual expertise to situate the importance of Islamic Studies in America: Past, Present, and Future. “We are honored to have such a distinguished guest and eminent scholar deliver the inaugural lecture for DISC. Professor Nasr’s work is a testament to the expansiveness of Islamic studies,” says Pauline Jones Luong, U-M professor of political science and DISC director.

Nasr’s public lecture formally marks the launch of the Digital Islamic Studies Curriculum (DISC), a collaborative initiative between the U-M International Institute and the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC). DISC leverages the existing synchronous-learning infrastructure and longstanding area studies capacities of the CIC, making it possible to provide a broader Islamic studies curriculum than any one campus can offer. Housed at the U-M Global Islamic Studies Center with generous support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, DISC aims to deepen and broaden global Islamic studies to make it more accessible to undergraduate students at participating universities.

The DISC Distinguished Lecture coincides with the launch of the first DISC course offering, Islam in Africa, which will be taught by Rudolph (Butch) Ware, U-M professor of history. The course will be hosted at U-M and offered simultaneously at the University of Iowa and the University of Minnesota.

Seyyed Hossein Nasr’s lecture, “Islamic Studies in America: Past, Present, and Future,” is open to the public and will be held on September 16 at 7:00 pm in the Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre, located at 911 N. University Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48109. For more information, visit ii.umich.edu/islamicstudies/digital-curriculum.

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Contact: Bryon Maxey
Digital Islamic Studies Curriculum
University of Michigan
Phone: 734.615.9558
E-mail: Digital.Islam@umich.edu