Welcome

“We will provide an environment for vigorous debate and deep thought while pushing ourselves and our students to experience and understand the cultural landscape we are studying. The Center will be a place where we can use our creativity to increase our understanding."

Lehigh University President, Alice P. Gast, Inauguration Speech, April 13, 2009

Welcome to the Center for Global Islamic Studies (CGIS) at Lehigh University. Launched in the fall of 2009, the Center is an intellectual community committed to the study of Islamic civilization. With the support of a generous grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, CGIS promotes interdisciplinary teaching and research designed to take Islamic Studies into and beyond the classroom by offering students, faculty and the broader community a variety of forums for dialogue, debate and experiential learning. At its core, the Center's is distinguished by three distinct signatures:

  • an integrated undergraduate academic program that provides Lehigh students with multiple outlets to encounter the diversity and dynamism of global Islam
     
  • a comparative, interdisciplinary approach to Islamic studies that goes beyond narrow geographic areas and political issues to explore the broader landscape of Islamic civilization, both past and present
     
  • the translation of theory into practice, linking rigorous scholarship on the Muslim world to direct, practical, hands-on learning beyond the boundaries of the Lehigh campus
     

The Center for Global Islamic Studies welcomes you to our virtual home—and encourages you to learn more about our ongoing efforts to expand the undergraduate educational experience at Lehigh University.
 
Events

Lehigh's Center for Global Islamic Studies will be sponsoring (and co-sponsoring) a wide range of events in 2012-2013.

For more information on upcoming events, click here...