Promoting Academic Scholarship
Critical Thinking
The Oxford Islam and Justice seminar series aims to provide a grounding in the academic and debates about the relationship between Islamic views of justice and the modern political order, through regular 2-hour guest seminars:
- core short pre-readings provide the richest possible learning experience
- additional optional readings for students who want to explore topics in greater depth
- taught by leading guest speakers in the field – 2025 series includes Professor Mohammad Fadel (University of Toronto), Dr Ramon Harvey (Cambridge Muslim College), Dr Mohammed Allehbi (Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies) and Professor Andrew March (University of Massachusetts Amherst)
- exploring some of the deepest questions about Islam and political justice – including political liberalism, natural law, statecraft, political theology and ‘secularism’
- exposing students to a variety of competing perspectives that are grounded in the Islamic tradition
- co-convened for Oxford students by Oxford students (external participants are welcome at the discretion of the course convenors)
- with the kind permission of the speakers, edited recordings of their presentations are available through the Contemporary Islamic Studies podcast (Q&A discussion not included):
Podcasts
- Contemporary Islamic Studies podcast includes edited recordings of guest speakers to the programme since early 2025
- Oxford Political Thought, co-convened with St Antony’s College Asian Studies Centre where guest speakers working on Islam, politics, and history discuss their cutting-edge research on political thought
Student Study Visits
- In July 2024, we welcomed Professor Hatem Bazian and 15-20 students from University of California, Berkeley, USA as part of their wider visit to various UK universities
- In January 2020, February 2019 and February 2015, we hosted 3 research study visits of graduate students from the College of Islamic Studies (CIS), part of Hamad bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Doha, Qatar to the Middle East Centre
- 4-5 Masters students
- 4-weeks duration
- students worked on their thesis research and writing, joined Modern Middle Eastern Studies student seminars and lectures, met for weekly one-to-one tutorials with their designated Oxford supervisor
- opportunities to meet with other Oxford academics, guest speakers to Oxford and the wider Oxford community
- culminating in a presentation of their own Masters research to Oxford Modern Middle Eastern Studies graduate students
Student Study Weekend Residentials
Contemporary Islamic Studies Oxford (CISO) helped to facilitate a highly successful weekend residential course ‘An Introduction to Islamic Ethics’
- hosted by the University of Oxford’s Department for Continuing Education
- with guest course tutor from the Islamic Institute for Development & Research (IIDR)
- over 50 students from various backgrounds (academic and non-academic) and regions of the UK participated
Short-Term Teaching beyond Oxford
Contemporary Islamic Studies Oxford (CISO) coordinated a teaching visit for academics of the Middle East Centre to the College of Islamic Studies (CIS) as part of their Spring semester – guest seminars, public lectures, individual tutorials with CIS Masters students
Course Development
Contemporary Islamic Studies Oxford (CISO) has facilitated the development of course modules prepared by academics of the Middle East Centre and the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies for one of the College of Islamic Studies (CIS) Masters of Arts courses on contemporary Islamic thought and societies