The International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) invites applications for its 2nd annual Workshop in Islamic Studies Pedagogy. The workshop is designed to provide a forum and support for pre-tenure faculty in Islamic Studies and related disciplines, and to help them navigate the straits of tenure-track and pre-tenure faculty life – both personally and professionally. This 2-day workshop will be held at IIIT office in Herndon, VA. The workshop will take place over two full days on May 15 and 16, 2017 (Monday and Tuesday). Participants are required to attend all sessions.
Faculty Mentors:
Prof. Jonathan Brown (Georgetown University)
Prof. Maria Dakake (George Mason University)
Prof. Walid Saleh (University of Toronto)
Workshop Description and Purpose:
The Workshop in Islamic Studies Pedagogy will bring together pre-tenure scholars of Islam (post PhD but not yet tenured) and tenured faculty mentors for a candid, substantive, and meaningful conversation on various professional and pedagogical aspects and challenges of being a pre-tenure scholar of Islam in North American colleges and universities. We imagine this to be a workshop that generates important conversations and possible breakthroughs on pressing questions of navigating the academy as a pre-tenure scholar of Islam.
The workshop will strive to engage the following pertinent topics:
- Designing and teaching courses on Islam in increasingly diverse and at times conflicting undergraduate classrooms
- Navigating the questions of violence, race, the Israel-Palestine conflict and other controversial questions as untenured scholars on college campuses
- Balancing and negotiating personal research and teaching with the public projections and responsibilities that come with being a scholar of Islam in the post 9/11 context
- Addressing specific challenges associated with being a female scholar of Islam with respect to research, teaching, and both formal and informal advising
- Tackling obstacles posed by academic norms of socialization, such as in academic conferences, for many Muslim scholars of Islam
These issues are much discussed, debated, and talked about in private conversations and hallways but rarely in the form of a systematic, formal, yet candid fashion. In addition to generating an important and much needed dialogue, we also hope to build a community and network of scholars to serve as a peer support group for many years to come. The format of the workshop will be largely interactive with a mix of individual reflections, group discussions and exercises, and faculty mentor-led sessions.
Qur’an/tafsir and Hadith workshops:
A special feature of this year’s program will be workshops on research methods and sources in the Qur’an and tafsir, as well as the Hadith studies. These workshops will hone research skills while also offering insights into building a research trajectory and profile. The workshops will be conducted by faculty mentors.
Research in Tafsir and Qur’anic Studies – Walid Saleh and Maria Dakake
Research in Hadith and Sunnah Studies – Jonathan Brown
Applicant Prerequisites:
- Applicants must have attained their PhD
- Applicants must NOT yet be tenured
- Applicants must primarily specialize in and teach Islam and Muslim societies
- Both tenure track and non-tenure track faculty will be considered
- Applicants must be affiliated with an institution in North America
Applicants from all disciplines in the humanities and the social sciences, broadly conceived, will be considered.