TH 9507b 2015-16
HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN-MUSLIM RELATIONS
Course Outline
Instructor:
Ingrid Mattson, PhD
London and Windsor Community Chair in Islamic Studies
imattson@uwo.ca
Department of Theology, Room A227
519-438-7224, ext. 269
*Email is the preferred method of communication.
Day and Time: Thursdays, 6-9pm, W17
Prerequisites: Undergraduate major in Religious Studies, Islamic Studies or Theology or postbaccalaureate courses in both Islamic Studies and Christian history and thought. If you are unsure if
you fulfill the prerequisite, contact the instructor.
Description: This course explores the history of Christian-Muslim Relations from the origins of
Islam to contemporary times. Topics covered will include: the state of Christianity in Late
Antiquity immediately preceding the rise of Islam, Qur’anic references to Christianity and how
these references have been variously interpreted, the relationship between Christians and
Muslims in various periods from the perspective of politics, law and culture, the relationship
between Islamic and Christian empires, the impact of European colonialism and modernity on
religious identity, and the development of Christian ecumenism and interfaith movements on
Christian-Muslim relations.
Learning Goals
 To be able to conduct academic research on topics in Christian-Muslim Relations.
 To know the historical trajectory of Christian-Muslim encounters.
 To be able to identify the major theological debates, understandings and
misunderstandings most frequently articulated by Christian and Muslim theologians
about each other.
 To be able to identify some of the ways that various political, economic and intellectual
movements have affected Christian-Muslims relations so that relationships between
Christians and Muslims in different times and locations have greatly varied.
 To identify the political, ethical and theological dimensions of modern Christian-Muslim
dialogue and interfaith engagement and some of the leaders of these developments.
Required Text:
Muslim and Christian Contact in the Middle Ages: A Reader. Edited by Jarbel Rodriguez. University of
Toronto Press, 2015.
Grading
Book report: 20%
Case Study Presentation: 30 %
Final paper: 50%
Book Report
Each student is required to submit one 1000-1200 word book report. Books must be
chosen from the list provided, and only one student will be permitted to review any book. You will
also give a 5-10 minute oral presentation of your book to the class. Contact me asap about the book
you would like to review and the date you will post your report. A good book report should address at
least the following aspects of the book: 1) bibliographic aspects (i.e., who is the author, his or her
relevant credentials, etc. 2) originality or importance of the book relative to other published studies
3) accuracy of the facts 4) quality of the publication. Due date will be assigned in class
Case Study Presentation
The project is to research Christian-Muslim relations in a particular modern nation-state from a list
supplied on the first day of class. You will make a presentation to class on an assigned date. Only one
country may be selected per student so the assignments will be determined in class among all the
students.
You have 20 minutes for your presentation with an additional 5 minutes for discussion.
Your presentation should cover the following topics:
- Brief historical overview of religious identities and affiliations in this region (include preIslamic and pre-Christian religions)
- Key historical moments in Christian-Muslim interactions
- Legal or constitutional status of Christianity and Islam at the founding of the nation-state; any
changes to that status since then
- Current state of C-M relations
- External influences on C-M relations
- Internal pressures on C-M relations
- Notable leaders and ideas in C-M relations
You must submit a bibliography of sources used to the instructor on the day of the presentation.
Final papers
Papers should be about 15-20 pages (12 point font; 1.5 spacing; Chicago-style preferred for
citations but other forms accepted). Paper topics must be approved in advance by the instructor. The
student is expected to use not only monographs, but a number of peer-reviewed academic articles
and/or chapters as sources for the paper. You must search through JSTOR or the Index Islamicus for
specialized studies relevant to your topic. Students must inform themselves about the definition
of plagiarism and the sanction that will be applied to those who plagiarize, including by
copying text from internet sites.
In addition to consulting relevant works from the supplied “Christian-Muslim Relations Bibliography”
and searching JSTOR for published research on your topic, the following publications should be
consulted in case JSTOR misses their contents:

The MuslimWorld (previously The Moslem World) published since 1911 by Hartford Seminary.

Islam and Christian Muslim Relations, published since 1990 by Routledge.
The following is an important resource but might not be available in our libraries at this time:
 Christian-Muslim Relations. A Bibliographical History. Multiple volumes. Series edited by David
Thomas. (Leiden: Brill, 2009-2015).
For Arabic, Persian, Turkish and other Middle Eastern languages, you must use the most commonly
used current academic transliteration system established by IJMES and described in detail here:
http://ijmes.chass.ncsu.edu/IJMES_Translation_and_Transliteration_Guide.htm. All non-English
words must be italicized upon first usage. A “non-English” word is a word not found in the Oxford
English Dictionary.
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OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION
1. Statement on Use of Electronic Devices
It is not appropriate to use technology (such as, but not limited, to laptops, PDAs, cell phones)
in the classroom for non-classroom activities. Such activity is disruptive and is distracting to
other students and to the instructor, and can inhibit learning. Students are expected to respect
the classroom environment and to refrain from inappropriate use of technology and other
electronic devices in class.
2.
Statement on Academic Offences: Scholastic offences are taken seriously and students are
directed to read the appropriate policy, specifically, the definition of what constitutes a
Scholastic Offence, at the following web site:
http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/handbook/appeals/scholastic_discipline_grad.pdf”.
Plagiarism-detecting Software/Computer Marking
All required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to the
commercial plagiarism detection software under license to the University for the detection
of plagiarism. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source
documentation in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers
subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing
agreement, currently between The University of Western Ontario and Turnitin.com
(http://www.turnitin.com).
3. Support Services:
 UWO Registrar’s Office: http://www4.registrar.uwo.ca
 School of Graduate and Post-Doctoral Studies: www.grad.uwo.ca
 Huron’s Faculty of Theology, Office of the Dean:
http://www.huronuc.on.ca/faculty_of_theology/info_for_current_students
 Faculty of Theology Grad Assistant: srice@uwo.ca, 519-438-7224, ext. 289
 Huron’s Writing Skills Centre: http://www.huronuc.on.ca/student_life/writing_services
 UWO Student Support and Development Services:
http://communications.uwo.ca/current_students/student_services.htm
 Mental Health website at Western: http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/
4. Accommodation for absences:
If documentation is required for either medical or non-medical academic accommodation, then
such documentation must be submitted by the student directly to your Faculty’s Dean’s office (or
academic counselor), and not to the instructor. For the Faculty of Theology, all such
documentation must be submitted to room A120. It will be the Dean`s office that will determine if
accommodation is warranted.
a) Non-medical absences and late work:
2 points/class will be deducted from the participation grade after two non-medical
absences from class.
5% will be deducted per day for late assignments.
A request for relief must be submitted to the Dean’s Office in order for accommodation for
non-medical absences from tests and examinations to be considered.
b) Medical absences: See also the Policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness:
http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/handbook/appeals/medical.pdf)
For work representing 10% or more of the overall grade for the course, a student
must present documentation indicating that the student was seriously affected by illness
and could not reasonably be expected to meet his/her academic responsibilities.
Documentation must be submitted as soon as possible to your Faculty Dean’s office (Huron
Arts & Social Science students should take their documentation to the Academic Counsellor,
through the Academic Services Centre at Huron), together with a Request for Relief
specifying the nature of the accommodation requested. The request and documentation
will be assessed and appropriate accommodation will be determined by the Dean’s office in
consultation with the instructor(s.) Academic accommodation will be granted ONLY where
the documentation indicates that the onset, duration and severity of the illness are such
that the student could not reasonably be expected to complete his/her academic
responsibilities.
The UWO Student Medical Certificate (SMC) and Request for Relief are available at the
Student Centre website (https://studentservices.uwo.ca/secure/index.cfm), Huron
University College Academic Counselling website (www.huronuc.on.ca) or from the Dean’s
Office or Academic Services Centre at Huron.