Graduate Theological Union — Center for Islamic Studies

“ S ince 2007, the Center for Islamic Studies

has provided a home at the GTU where scholars and students can learn about the richness of the Islamic tradition and the diversity of Muslims in their theological, historical, and cultural contexts. The CIS is committed to the scholarly study of Islam within the unique interreligious context of the GTU and advancing dialogue and understanding among the larger public.”

— Dr. Munir Jiwa, Founding Director, Center for Islamic Studies

gtu.edu

Established in 2007, the Center for Islamic Studies educates scholars and students of Islam and other faiths about the richness of the Islamic tradition and the diversity of Muslims.

The CIS generates innovative research and scholarship on Islamic texts and traditions in contemporary contexts, emphasizing study and dialogue within and across religious traditions, where pluralism, interreligious understanding, and public engagement are the basis of scholarship and service.

Academic Programs

Events and Partnerships

The Center for Islamic Studies (CIS) engages in academic study of the Islamic tradition and its theological, historical, and cultural contexts, within an interdisciplinary, intercultural, interreligious and intra-religous environment where practice of faith matters, and religious and cultural diversity are respected and actively nurtured. The CIS offers introductory and advanced courses on Islam to students throughout the consortium and supports MA and PhD students pursuing concentrations in Islamic Sacred Texts, Islamic Studies, and Islamic Philosophy and Theology, as well as numerous interreligious and comparative fields. Additional resources are available to GTU students through CIS collaborations with a wide range of local and global partners, including several departments at the University of California, Berkeley.

The center offers consortial students and community members opportunity to earn a Certificate in Islamic Studies, and supports the GTU’s new Interreligious Chaplaincy Program, which offers a Certificate in Interreligious Chaplaincy alongside an MA in a tradition underrepresented among chaplains. CIS graduates are global leaders, deeply rooted in their own faith tradition with an understanding of and respect for other faiths.

Through a wide range of workshops, lectures, and conferences, the Center for Islamic Studies promotes the positive role of Islam and Muslims in creating the greater good and builds bridges of understanding across religions and cultures with the wider public. With an estimated quarter-million Muslims living in the Bay Area, events sponsored by the CIS attract more than 7500 attendees from local and international communities annually each year. Since 2009, the CIS has collaborated with the GTU Center for Jewish Studies in the interreligious Madrasa-Midrasha program, which explores the richness, diversity, differences, and commonalities of Jewish and Islamic traditions.

The Center’s academic offerings and outreach are furthered through a host of local, national, and global partnerships, including nearly a decade of involvement with the Islamophobia Research and Documentation Project at UC Berkeley and the Public Theology Inquiry Group at the Berkeley Center for the Study of Religion.

LEARN MORE Request Info and Apply: GRADUATE THEOLOGICAL UNION admissions@gtu.edu 510-649-2400 gtu.edu

CENTER FOR ISLAMIC STUDIES cis@gtu.edu 510-649-2562 gtu.edu/cis