Freie Universität Berlin

Application Deadline: May 31, 2017

Intellectual richness and unparalleled variety characterize the world of Islam throughout its history. From the 9^th century CE onwards, Muslims, Christians and Jews shared a common every day and cultural language, Arabic, which they used to circulate ideas, concepts and texts. The ensuing exchange was mutually enriching. For centuries, individuals belonging to the three religious communities read a very similar canon and thus equally contributed to its development. This dynamic was multi-dimensional in character: Christian and Jewish authors influenced Islamic thought, while the writings of Muslim thinkers had a major impact on non-Muslim thinkers.

The blended-learning MA program Intellectual Encounters of the Islamicate World is dedicated to the study of this extremely rich and diverse intellectual heritage. Unlike traditional academic approaches, that tend to study the intellectual history of the Muslim world according to separated and rather monolithic disciplines, our MA program systematically crosses disciplinary, religious, cultural and philological boundaries in order to gain new and innovative insights.

The overall goal of the one-year, English spoken MA program is to provide its international graduate students with a thorough understanding of the deep and manifold interconnections between the Muslim, Jewish and Christian intellectual output during Medieval times. The program is therefore characterized by a strongly research-driven and interdisciplinary approach. Students will become acquainted with a broad spectrum of aspects of the Islamicate world, such as rational theology and philosophy, law and legal methodology as well as material culture and social history with an emphasis on primary texts in the original language (Arabic). They will be trained and mentored by internationally renowned guest lecturers who are counted among the leading experts in their respective fields of research. The primarily web-based MA program also includes three face-to-face sessions per academic year during which the students and teachers will actually come together for several days/a couple of weeks for discussion, teaching and examination.

Freie Universität Berlin (Free University of Berlin) acts as degree awarding university and constitutes the academic, strategic and organizational heart of this unique and innovative MA program that is realized in close collaboration with its bilateral regional partners in Israel and Palestine. Free University of Berlin offers the one-year full-time MA program of 60 ECTS to an expected number of 20 students, many of whom from the Middle East.

The application period for the respective academic year is always from 15 April until 31 May. Applications reaching us after this deadline will not be accepted.

More information at: Freie Universität Berlin’s website