Islamic Studies provision in UK higher education

Working in partnership with the Subject Centre for Philosophical and Religious Studies, a team based at LLAS has carried out research funded by HEFCE on the provision of Islamic Studies-related modules at all UK Higher Education Institutions. The research showed that Islamic Studies is located in a wide variety of disciplines and departments, but that the bulk of provision is concentrated in a small number of pre-1992 universities. However, some provision was found at the majority of universities investigated. This research will inform further work to support academics working in Islamic Studies by providing clear data on the breadth and scope of current provision.

Timescale

May, 2009 - September, 2009

Key contact(s):

Lisa Bernasek
Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies
l.bernasek@soton.ac.uk

John Canning
Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies
j.canning@soton.ac.uk

Funded by:

The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE)
www.hefce.ac.uk

Project partners:

Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies (LLAS)
www.llas.ac.uk/

Subject Centre for Philosophical and Religious Studies (PRS)
www.prs.heacademy.ac.uk

Project aims:

The research aimed to fill a gap in knowledge about Islamic Studies provision, as previous statistical research was able only to identify student numbers based on named Islamic Studies programmes. (1) Previous research carried out by the Subject Centres for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies and Philosophical and Religious Studies on International Approaches to Islamic Studies had shown that Islamic Studies provision is located in a wide variety of departments and centres in the UK and internationally. This project provided data to support this, and gave more specific details about the places and disciplines in which Islamic Studies provision can be found.

(1) See (2008) HEFCE. Islamic Studies: trends and profiles, Bristol: HEFCE.
www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2008/08_09

Outcomes:

The research identified 1,098 modules related to Islamic Studies at 109 of 161 institutions investigated. The main findings of the research were:

Provision of Islamic Studies is concentrated in a small number of pre-92 universities, but limited provision can be found at most universities surveyed.
Although a large amount of provision takes place within a core of disciplines and departments traditionally associated with Islamic Studies (Theology and Religious Studies, Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies, Politics, History), provision also takes place in a wide range of disciplines and departments.
Most Islamic Studies teaching takes place at level 2 and above. In terms of numbers of modules, the greatest provision is at Masters level.
A relatively small proportion of the modules identified contribute to named degrees in Islamic Studies.
Although many modules are devoted entirely to Islamic Studies topics, Islamic Studies is also taught in many modules for which Islam is not the primary focus.
The full report is available on The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) website.