Promoting Academic Scholarship

Student Study Visits

In July 2024, Contemporary Islamic Studies Oxford (CISO) welcomed 15-20 students from University of California, Berkeley, USA who were visiting various UK universities.

In January 2020, February 2019 and February 2015, Contemporary Islamic Studies Oxford (CISO) convened 3 research study visits, each hosting 4-5 Masters students from the College of Islamic Studies (CIS), part of Hamad bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Doha, Qatar to the Middle East Centre. Students work on their Masters research and theses during their stay. They join our student seminars, attend classes and lectures, meet for one-to-one tutorials with their designated Oxford supervisor and present their own Masters research to students of the Middle East Centre’s graduate taught courses. Students have opportunities to meet with other Oxford academics, guest speakers to Oxford and the wider Oxford community. These study visits are currently on hold in lieu of the COVID pandemic. 

Podcast

Contemporary Islamic Studies Oxford (CISO) has co-convened with St Antony’s College’s Asian Studies Centre, the podcast Oxford Political Thought where guest speakers working on Islam, politics, and history discuss their cutting-edge research on political thought.

Weekend Residentials

Contemporary Islamic Studies Oxford (CISO) helped to facilitate a highly successful weekend residential course ‘An Introduction to Islamic Ethics’ in 2017, hosted by the University of Oxford’s Department for Continuing Education and with guest course tutor from the Islamic Institute for Development & Research (IIDR). Fifty students from various backgrounds and regions of the UK participated.

Teaching Visits

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 2015 Spring semester. Oxford academics met with CIS students and staff, combining guest seminars with public lectures and individual tutorials with CIS Masters students.

Masters 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.