Fall 2025
Relevant Courses taught by IWI Faculty
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ARAB 3430 & ARAB 5430 Let Us Sing: Arabic Poetry and Songs
Hanadi Al-Samman
This course aims to introduce students of third-year and fourth-year Arabic to Arabic poetry and culture through classical and contemporary songs. Many Arabic songs are taken from poems and they reflect different literary trends: romantic, religious, patriotic, Sufi, and contemplative poems. We will explore these poems, their impact on the Arabic collective unconscious, and cultural influence when turned into songs.
TuTh 12:30pm - 1:45pm
New Cabell Hall 032
https://louslist.org/sectiontip.php?Semester=1258&ClassNumber=20290
https://louslist.org/sectiontip.php?Semester=1258&ClassNumber=20321
ARTR 3490 & ARTR 5490 Arab Cinemas
Hanadi Al-Samman
The course will concentrate on cinemas of Egypt, the Maghrib (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia) as well as Syrian and Palestinian films. It will examine major moments in the history of these cinemas and the political developments that have inevitably had a major influence on filmmaking in the region.
Tu 3:30pm - 6:00pm
Chemistry Bldg 206
https://louslist.org/sectiontip.php?Semester=1258&ClassNumber=14007
https://louslist.org/sectiontip.php?Semester=1258&ClassNumber=14014
RELG 2820 & RELG 5720 Jerusalem
Jessica Andruss
This course traces the history of Jerusalem with a focus on its significance in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. How has Jerusalem been experienced and interpreted as sacred within these religious communities? How have they expressed their attachments to this contested space from antiquity to modern times? Discussion will be rooted in primary texts from Jewish, Christian, and Muslim sources, with attention to their historical context.
TuTh 12:30pm - 1:45pm
Gibson Hall 141
https://louslist.org/sectiontip.php?Semester=1258&ClassNumber=19298
https://louslist.org/sectiontip.php?Semester=1258&ClassNumber=20590
RELI 2070 Classical Islam
Jessica Andruss
Studies the Irano-Semitic background, Arabia, Muhammad and the Qur'an, the Hadith, law and theology, duties and devotional practices, sectarian developments, and Sufism.
TuTh 9:30am - 10:45am
New Cabell Hall 032
https://louslist.org/sectiontip.php?Semester=1258&ClassNumber=12981
RELJ 5250 Jewish Bible Commentaries
Jessica Andruss
This course explores the Jewish Bible commentary in its formative period, between the ninth and twelfth centuries. Emphasis is given to the exegetical techniques and cultural significance of the genre, its engagement with the rabbinic tradition, and its parallels with Muslim and Christian hermeneutics. By comparing commentaries on a given biblical passage, we will consider the craft of Jewish commentary writing in varied historical circumstances.
Th 2:00pm - 4:30pm
New Cabell Hall 315
https://louslist.org/sectiontip.php?Semester=1258&ClassNumber=20517
RELS 8700 Tutorial in HEBREW CODICOLOGY AND PALEOGRAPHY
Jessica Andruss
This tutorial is designed to introduce students to the study of Hebrew manuscripts. It provides a foundation for codicology and training in paleographic analysis. The tutorial is ideal for graduate students who are preparing to conduct advanced manuscript research.
https://louslist.org/sectiontip.php?Semester=1258&ClassNumber=14316
FREN 4854 Life in Colonial Cities
Maya Boutaghou
This course is about imagining life and sensory experiences of colonized subjects witnessing a changing urban environment. For some cities, imagining its past is naturally inscribed in a continuation meticulously informed. For cities that have been victim of a colonial experience, this haunted past needs to be revived to recreate a perception of historical continuity in the space and a sense of spatial belonging.
TuTh 9:30am - 10:45am
Nau Hall 241
https://louslist.org/sectiontip.php?Semester=1258&ClassNumber=20329
FREN 5585 & FREN 8585 An Archipelagic Approach to Postcolonial Theory
Maya Boutaghou
In-depth studies investigations of cultural topics and research methodologies in French civilization and Francophone studies.
TuTh 9:30am - 10:45am
New Cabell Hall 042
https://louslist.org/sectiontip.php?Semester=1258&ClassNumber=14139
https://louslist.org/sectiontip.php?Semester=1258&ClassNumber=14140
HIAF 4501 Seminar in African History: Gender & Sexuality in African History
Emily Burrill
The major seminar is a small class (not more than 15 students) intended primarily but not exclusively for history majors who have completed two or more courses relevant to the topic of the seminar. Seminar work results primarily in the preparation of a substantial (ca. 25 pp. in standard format) research paper. Some restrictions and prerequisites apply to enrollment. See a history advisor or the director of undergraduate studies.
MoWe 3:00pm - 4:15pm
New Cabell Hall 207
https://louslist.org/sectiontip.php?Semester=1258&ClassNumber=19193
HIST 2011 History of Human Rights
Emily Burrill
This course surveys the modern history of human rights, focusing on political, legal, and intellectual trends from the late 18th century to the present.
MoWe 1:00pm - 1:50pm
Nau Hall 101
https://louslist.org/sectiontip.php?Semester=1258&ClassNumber=13598
HISA 2559 New Course in South Asian History: Slavery & Dignity: From Ancient to Modern Societies
Indrani Chatterjee
This course provides the opportunity to offer a new topic in the subject area of South Asian history.
TuTh 9:30am - 10:45am
New Cabell Hall 389
https://louslist.org/sectiontip.php?Semester=1258&ClassNumber=19211
HISA 3501 Introductory History Workshop: Women and Wealth in South Asia 16th-20th Century
Indrani Chatterjee
Required for history majors, to be completed before enrollment in the Major Seminar. Introduces a variety of approaches to the study of history, methods for finding and analyzing primary and secondary sources, and the construction of historical arguments. Workshops are offered on a variety of topics each term.
Th 2:00pm - 4:30pm
New Cabell Hall 111
https://louslist.org/sectiontip.php?Semester=1258&ClassNumber=19338
MDST 2200 Introduction to Film
Jülide Etem
This course explores the world of cinema through storytelling, technique, and cultural influence. It covers key concepts in film analysis, including cinematography, editing, sound, and lighting, helping students understand how filmmakers craft powerful narratives. Students exploring how films reflect societal values and address complex issues. The course traces the history of cinema and offers hands-on experiences in writing and production.
Th 2:00pm - 4:30pm
Nau Hall 101
https://louslist.org/sectiontip.php?Semester=1258&ClassNumber=11828
MDST 7220 Documentary and the Politics of Truth
Jülide Etem
In an era of AI-generated content, deepfakes, and algorithmic bias, documentary media plays a crucial role in interrogating the politics of truth. This seminar explores how documentary engages with truthmaking and emerging technologies. Through key studies and films, students will examine how filmmakers expose and hide infrastructures of control, while provoking ethical dilemmas.
Mo 2:00pm - 4:30pm
New Cabell Hall 187
https://louslist.org/sectiontip.php?Semester=1258&ClassNumber=20479
ANTH 3559 New Course in Anthropology: Palestine: Knowledge, Power, and People
Tessa Farmer
Mo 3:30pm - 6:00pm
New Cabell Hall 303
https://louslist.org/sectiontip.php?Semester=1258&ClassNumber=19436
GSGS 2000 Introduction to Global Studies
Tessa Farmer
This interdisciplinary course introduces students to critical global economic and cultural issues and examines globalization at a variety of scales of analysis (planetary, regional, national, individual). The goal is to provide understanding of the main conceptual approaches to global studies and thus enhance their ability to understand and evaluate important real-world issues and problems.
MoWe 2:00pm - 3:15pm
Wilson Hall 301
https://louslist.org/sectiontip.php?Semester=1258&ClassNumber=13886
RELA 2750 African Religions: Christianity in Africa
Cynthia Hoehler-Fatton
Introduces the mythology, ritual, philosophy, and religious art of the traditional religions of sub-Saharan Africa, also African versions of Christianity and African-American religions in the New World.
TuTh 12:30pm - 1:45pm
Gibson Hall 142
https://louslist.org/sectiontip.php?Semester=1252&ClassNumber=19252
RELA 3730 Religious Themes in African Literature and Film
Cynthia Hoehler-Fatton
An exploration of religious concepts, practices and issues as addressed in African literature and film. We will examine how various African authors and filmmakers weave aspects of Muslim, Christian and/or traditional religious cultures into the stories they tell. Course materials will be drawn from novels, memoirs, short stories, creation myths, poetry, feature-length movies, documentaries and short films.
Tu 3:30pm - 6:00pm
New Cabell Hall 111
https://louslist.org/sectiontip.php?Semester=1258&ClassNumber=19278
RELA 5750 Introduction to African Religions
Cynthia Hoehler-Fatton
An introduction to African religions that originated south of the Sahara. Drawing on ethnographic, historical, and religious studies scholarship, we explore indigenous religious systems, institutions, and ways of knowing ¿ including cosmologies, rituals, healing and devotional practices. We assess the impact of colonialism on African religious cultures, consider developments in the postcolonial era, and discuss Islam and Christianity.
TuTh 12:30pm - 1:45pm
Gibson Hall 142
https://louslist.org/sectiontip.php?Semester=1258&ClassNumber=14315
HIME 2002 The Making of the Modern Middle East
Caroline Kahlenberg
What historical processes that have shaped the Middle East of today? This course focuses on the history of a region stretching from Morocco in the West and Afghanistan in the East over the period of roughly 1500 to the present. In doing so, we examine political, social, and cultural history through the lens of "media" in translation, such as manuscripts, memoirs, maps, travel narratives, novels, films, music, internet media, and more.
TuTh 2:00pm - 3:15pm
Nau Hall 211
https://louslist.org/sectiontip.php?Semester=1258&ClassNumber=13677
MEST 3240 Israel/Palestine Through Literature and Film
Caroline Kahlenberg
This course will approach the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the lens of literature and film. We will study memoirs, short stories, documentaries, and feature films in order to think about several broader historical themes, including: the relationship between religion and nationalism, the role of colonialism in the Middle East, the links between history and memory, and the meaning of homeland.
We 2:00pm - 4:30pm
New Cabell Hall 315
https://louslist.org/sectiontip.php?Semester=1258&ClassNumber=14092
ARH 3500 & ARTH 3591 Medieval Mediterranean
Amanda Phillips & Lisa Reilly
TuTh 12:30pm - 1:45pm
Fayerweather Hall 215
https://louslist.org/sectiontip.php?Semester=1258&ClassNumber=19131
https://louslist.org/sectiontip.php?Semester=1258&ClassNumber=19784
HIME 3191 Christianity and Islam
Kristina Richardson
Studies Christianity in the Middle East in the centuries after the rise of Islam.
MoWe 2:00pm - 2:50pm
McLeod Hall 1004
https://louslist.org/sectiontip.php?Semester=1258&ClassNumber=19196
MEST 3270 History and Culture of the Ancient Near East
Kristina Richardson
The primary purpose of this course is to explore the history and culture of the ancient Near East, focusing on Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Syria-Palestine, with emphasis on its cultural legacy. Considerable attention will be given to primary sources (Kramer, Arnold and others) and archaeological contributions (with slide illustrations).
Mo 3:30pm - 4:20pm
New Cabell Hall 168
https://louslist.org/sectiontip.php?Semester=1258&ClassNumber=19196
RELG 5880 Religion, State, Sovereignty
Noah Salomon
The modern state is often depicted in irreparable conflict with visions of sovereignty and ethical goals of diverse religions, earthy and transcendent. However, recent research has pointed not only to shared genealogies between state and religion, but also how both have come to shape one another. Readings will consist of ethnographic and micro-historical cases of religions within and beyond the state from the dawn of modernity to the present.
We 3:30pm - 6:00pm
Brooks Hall 103
https://louslist.org/sectiontip.php?Semester=1258&ClassNumber=20475
SOC 3400 Gender and Sexuality
Esra Sarıoğlu
Focuses on the construction of gender and sexuality, and of the many ways human groups regulate and attach meanings to these categories. Some general themes addressed will be: contemporary and historical definitions of gender, sex, and sexuality; gender socialization; the varieties of sexual identities and relationships; embodiment, childbearing, and families in the contemporary United States. Prerequisite: At least 3 credits in Sociology or permission of instructor.
TuTh 9:30am - 10:45am
New Cabell Hall 168
https://louslist.org/sectiontip.php?Semester=1258&ClassNumber=13736
SOC 4510 Topics in Sociology of Work: Professional Work
Esra Sarıoğlu
Studies the division of labor, occupational classification, labor force trends, career patterns and mobility, occupational cultures and life-styles, and the sociology of the labor market. Prerequisite: Six credits of sociology or instructor permission.
TuTh 12:30pm - 1:45pm
New Cabell Hall 209
https://louslist.org/sectiontip.php?Semester=1258&ClassNumber=19888
HIEU 1501: Crafting Imperial Lives and Life Stories
Jennifer Sessions
How did women and men who lived within European colonial empires build their lives and how can we tell their stories? This course will explore the ways that imperial networks of exploration, conquest, and trade and colonial systems of race, law, and governance created and constrained the options available to individuals. We will examine the historical processes that shaped individuals’ life stories, the ways that these stories can be shared, through academic history, museums, films, comics, music, and more, and what we can learn from these stories about understanding and navigating complex systems of global power. Fulfills the Second Writing Requirement.
TuTh 11:00am - 12:15pm
Nau Hall 142
https://louslist.org/sectiontip.php?Semester=1258&ClassNumber=19205
HIST 5002 Global History: Microhistory, Macrohistory, and the Historian’s Craft
Jennifer Sessions
Reading, discussion, and analysis of classic as well as contemporary works of scholarship on global history.
Mo 3:30pm - 6:00pm
Nau Hall 242
https://louslist.org/sectiontip.php?Semester=1258&ClassNumber=13635
AAS 3500 Intermediate Seminar in African-American & African Studies: Race, Religion & Citizenship
Fatima Siwaju
Reading, class discussion, and written assignments on a special topic in African-American and African Studies. Topics change from term to term, and vary with the instructor.
Tu 2:00pm - 4:30pm
New Cabell Hall 315
https://louslist.org/sectiontip.php?Semester=1258&ClassNumber=20410
GSGS 2100 Introduction to Islamic Worlds
Fatima Siwaju & Amir Syed
This course will introduce students to the multifaceted worlds of Islam, through an interdisciplinary survey of its diverse instantiations across more than1400 years of history, and geographies that span the globe. Drawing on the resources we have at UVA across multiple departments, students will be offered a pluralistic engagement into social, artistic, intellectual, economic and political worlds infused with Islamic sensibilities and ethics.
TuTh 11:00am - 12:15pm
Wilson Hall 142
https://louslist.org/sectiontip.php?Semester=1258&ClassNumber=20257
HIST 3501 Introductory History Workshop: Race, Religion, & Resistance in Atlantic History
Amir Syed
Required for history majors, to be completed before enrollment in the Major Seminar. Introduces a variety of approaches to the study of history, methods for finding and analyzing primary and secondary sources, and the construction of historical arguments. Workshops are offered on a variety of topics each term.
Th 2:00pm - 4:30pm
New Cabell Hall 283
https://louslist.org/sectiontip.php?Semester=1258&ClassNumber=19223
HIME 3501 Introductory History Workshop: The Ottoman Empire and the Modern Middle East
Baris Unlu
Required for history majors, to be completed before enrollment in the Major Seminar. Introduces a variety of approaches to the study of history, methods for finding and analyzing primary and secondary sources, and the construction of historical arguments. Workshops are offered on a variety of topics each term.
Tu 4:00pm - 6:30pm
New Cabell Hall 415
https://louslist.org/sectiontip.php?Semester=1258&ClassNumber=20530
SOC 2010 Principles of Sociology
Baris Unlu
Focusing on the fundamental concepts of sociology with special attention to sociological theory and research methods, this course is a more advanced version of introductory sociology. The course is designed to enable students to learn more deeply about the various ideas and concepts of the sociological tradition and to develop their capacity to use them. This course counts in place of SOC 1010 for sociology major and minor requirements.
MoWe 2:00pm - 3:15pm
New Cabell Hall 032
https://louslist.org/sectiontip.php?Semester=1258&ClassNumber=19857
SOC 4730 Race, Ethnicity and Nation from a Global Perspective
Baris Unlu
Our current notions of race, ethnicity and nation were developed in conjunction with nation-states. As such, people use them as a basis through which to define territorial, social, ethical and emotional boundaries. In this course, we will leverage a global comparative perspective to better understand the organizing principles of modern nations and nation-states and how they affect the ways we act, classify, think and feel.
MoWe 3:30pm - 4:45pm
New Cabell Hall 211
https://louslist.org/sectiontip.php?Semester=1258&ClassNumber=19857