Sex and Sexuality in Islam (FYS)
COL 102F
Spring 2026
| Section:
01
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| Crosslisting:
FGSS 102F, RELI 102F, HIST 120F |
Islamic societies have long traditions of commentary about the body and sexuality. Islamic texts are replete with references to homosexual and erotic love that challenge the assumption, common today, that Islamic society is restrictive by its very nature. In this course, we will explore how the body and connected understandings of sex and sexuality have been conceptualized by Muslims throughout time. Instead of essentializing the Islamic "viewpoint" on sexuality, we will survey the variety of opinions and ideas about sex from medieval Islam to the modern world. We will draw on the Quran, early Abbasid erotic poetry and literature, Islamic medical manuals, philosophical works, belles-lettres, and modern sex manuals and debates, among other sources, in order to trace how different understandings of the body and sexuality have unfolded over time. In particular, we will focus on the notion of complementarity between the sexes, the role of marriage and procreation, the effects of medical theories on understandings of bodily health and illness, the ethical and legal frameworks governing sexual conduct in Islam, and the references to homoeroticism, pederasty, and female same-sex desire found in Arabic and Persian love poetry and literature. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA COL |
| Course Format: Lecture / Discussion | Grading Mode: Student Option |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: None |
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Past Enrollment Probability: 90% or above |
| SECTION 01 | | Special Attributes: FYS |
| Instructor(s): Jarada,Hadel Times: .M.W... 02:50PM-04:10PM; Location: BOGH110; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 15 | | SR major: X | JR major: X | | |
| Seats Available: 10 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: X | JR non-major: X | SO: X | FR: 15 |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
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