Arabic and Islamic Studies has been a part of the Department of Russian & Eastern Studies at the University of Kentucky since the early eighties and the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures and Cultures for over 10 years. The growing interest in understanding the worldwide development of Islam since the mid-nineties, the rapid increase of student enrollment, and the support of the Muslim community encouraged the efforts to further develop course offerings. With the financial sponsorship of the local Muslim community two endowments of Islamic Books at the UK Libraries were created.
Since the spring semester of 2000 a new phase in the development of Islamic Studies at UK began with the creation of a full-time lectureship position in the department and a new faculty member joining in the Fall of 2015. The approval of a major and minor in Islamic Studies in the spring of 2002 and the creation of a two more faculty positions in Islamic Studies emphasize the timely response of the university to the growing interest in understanding Islamic culture.
General Goals:
- Develop basic understanding of Arab and Islamic culture.
- Cultivate a sense of multi-cultural environment and diversity in the light of the growing Muslim community in the USA.
- Enable students to acquire international perspectives prepared to make wise decisions in light of the increasing political and economic ties with the Muslim nations around the world.
- Develop an informed appreciation of the contributions of the Islamic civilization to the accumulation of knowledge in the history of humankind.
- Develop skills in accessing worldwide resources in different fields of interest.
Students interested in Arabic or Islamic Studies may contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies for additional information.
Officers of the Department of Modern & Classical Languages, Literatures and Cultures are:
- MCLLC Chair - Jeffrey Peters (jnp@uky.edu)
- MCLLC Associate Chair - Harald Höbusch (hhoebu@uky.edu)
- MCLLC Director of Undergraduate Studies - Julie Human (julie.human@uky.edu)
- MCLLC Director of Graduate Studies - Milena Minkova (mmink2@uky.edu)
Contact:
1055 Patterson Office Tower
University of Kentucky
Lexington KY 40506-0027
ph: 859-257-3761
fax: 859-257-3743