A new Islamic Studies minor joins the ranks of Fordham’s 70-plus majors and minors after student petitioning.
“[I was] approached by both Muslim and Catholic students,” said Sarah Eltantawi, Ph.D., associate professor of Modern Islam in the Department of Theology. “They were all saying, ‘we’ve been taking all these Islamic Studies classes, and there’s no way to formalize what we’re learning, no way to get any kind of degree.’”
Fordham already offers many classes in the Islamic studies field, so creating the minor was just a process of refining which classes students should take.
“We entertained a number of different models for what the minor might look like, surveyed students, met with interested faculty, wrote a number of drafts, refined those drafts, and then finalized a version we were happy with before the minor was in good enough shape to be read and approved by our colleague representatives in the two college councils, and in the Arts & Sciences council,” said Kathryn Kueny, theology professor and director of Fordham’s Middle East Studies program.
The minor requires students to take six classes: a foundational/sacred texts class, a class in Islamic Theology, history or philosophy, a class in arts, culture, politics and then three electives.
“Taking Islamic Studies courses in the humanities and social sciences, as well as one in a foundational survey course, provides the necessary breadth to understanding Islam as a global faith and civilization that takes different forms in different cultural and historical contexts,” said Kueny.
The minor is recommended for anyone interested and is available for both Fordham College and Gabelli Business School students.
“There’s no limitation that I can think of whatsoever for who would benefit from this minor,” said Eltantawi. “It gives you that skill set to look at the world from a different paradigm.”
The minor is still new, but the idea of it becoming a major is not impossible.
“If there is enough interest in the minor, we could make a good case in the future for a major,” said Kueny.
Both Kueny and Eltantawi, along with students, worked to create this minor. There has been interest for a while, but momentum picked up in 2020, which is when the duo began to work on fully creating the minor.
“There is the option for Jewish and Orthodox Christian minors, but there was never one for Islam,” said Amira Motair, FCLC ’25. “I believe that having a specific minor with eligible professors who don’t reflect Islamic studies in a bad light is a very significant addition to Fordham.”
There are plans for events to spread information about the minor and connect with interested students.
“We are looking to host a number of kick-off events this year and plan to promote the minor in the context of courses and through advertisements,” said Kueny.
“I wasn’t involved with petitioning the minor, but I did sign it and share it with other students when Professor Eltantawi told us about it. I would recommend it because I think having the option of an Islamic minor is very important,” said Motair.
Eltantawi said she regularly mentions the minor in class, and the students who petitioned for it also share it with their peers.
“It’s a grassroots project, it always has been,” said Eltantawi.
Interested students should keep an eye on their email or contact Kueny or Eltantawi.
