Online Courses

Today, we are so excited and proud to announce the launch of a set of online courses, inspired by ISPU’s research and developed by our partners at ReligionAndPublicLife.org. Learning is a life-long pursuit. And with these courses launching today, millions of Americans will have the opportunity to engage with ISPU research in a brand new way.

ISPU has collected and published research on Muslims in America for nearly 20 years. That research provides the bedrock and context for these five American Studies online courses, created by ReligionAndPublicLife.org and supplemented by a collection of resources from other institutions and scholars. Drawing from scholarship published by the ISPU, these online courses developed by ReligionAndPublicLife.org equip adult learners, educators, and leaders to apply solution-seeking research in cultivating their understanding of the legal and political challenges faced by American Muslims.

The courses on ReligionAndPublicLife.org are open to college students and serve as professional development for working adults both online and onsite. Online, learners may complete courses at their own pace or join a cohort that connects them with experts via live video conferences. Onsite, college professors may assign these courses as digital textbooks to enrich their onsite teaching. No matter your learning needs, ReligionAndPublicLife.org has made the next step of your educational journey accessible and interactive.

Offered ISPU courses in American Studies (AMST) include:

• AMST 2501 Muslim Religious Liberty in Early America: Students will examine the origins of Muslims in Early America and the legal history of religious liberty in the United States.
• AMST 2502 Who Are American Muslims?: Students will examine the contemporary demographics of American Muslims, their values and views.
• AMST 2503 How are Muslims Represented?: Students will examine studies that document the systematic discrimination faced by American Muslims in the news media, multiple branches of government, and in public schools.
• AMST 2504 How are American Muslims Treated?: Students will explore the various ways American Muslims have been resilient in the face of adversity by examining their social contributions to American society and civic engagement.
• AMST 2505 Resilient Communities: Pathways Forward: Students will reflect on ways Muslims recover from set-backs by cultivating rich internal lives while performing acts of generosity, service, solidarity, and belonging.

Together, the five classes developed by ReligionAndPublicLife.org make up the coursework for a Certificate in American Muslim Life, which is available to anyone interested—and students can also seek and receive academic credit!

We are so excited for this project to launch today—and so grateful to you for supporting our work that has made this project possible. We also want to thank you to the long list of scholars, practitioners, and others at ReligionAndPublicLife.org and elsewhere who have made this work possible.

Thank you,

Meira Neggaz

ISPU Executive Director