POLI2615 · Islamic Civilization & Societies
Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences
We will take advantage of current geopolitical controversies in order to unearth the theoretical core of the debate between Islam and the West. Materials related to the Islamic heritage will be placed next to arguments made on behalf of the West in relation to certain key issues, such as rights versus duties; religion and freedom; and democracy and progress. Modern, pre-modern, sacred, and secular texts will be studied. How can the secular world defend itself against a critique that begins from a position of faith and emphasizes virtue, God, and justice?
Course experience
Averages use the original five-point historical evaluation scale.
Organization
4.8 / 5
How well the course was organized
Challenge
5.0 / 5
How intellectually challenging students found it
Attendance
4.9 / 5
How necessary attendance was
Assignments
— / 5
How helpful assignments were
Weekly effort
—
hours per week
Estimated from the original workload response buckets. Individual sections may differ.
Instructor options
Ratings below reflect only recovered evaluations connected to this course.
Student perspective
Recovered and new anonymous comments are shown as written and may reflect different course formats.
May 19, 2026 · Historical comment
What a character. Most I’ve ever learned in a class at BC and would 100% take again. Hard exams, heavy workload, and I would have appreciated more emphasis on essays rather than tests, but I really did thoroughly enjoy this class and have high respect for Professor Dipasquale. Don’t expect an A.
Across time
Section-level results available in the recovered archive.
Fall 2020
1 section