This course examines the forces that transform societies and the frameworks that endure across disruption. Through global case studies and strategic foresight, students explore transitions in ideology, technology, health, and governance. Emphasis is placed on historical patterns, spiritual interpretations of change, and the tension between preservation and progress—equipping students to understand and shape transformation with depth and integrity.

This course introduces the foundations of futures studies, equipping students with tools to explore possible, probable, and preferred futures. Students engage with foresight methods such as scenario building, trend analysis, and systems mapping, while critically examining assumptions and emerging patterns. Emphasis is placed on ethical responsibility, cultural context, and the power of imagination to shape transformational change.

This course offers a chronological and thematic study of the Prophet Muhammad’s ﷺ life, examining major events alongside the development of the sīra tradition. Students explore key sources, narrative methods, and the integration of sīra with hadith, law, and ethics. Emphasis is placed on understanding the Prophet’s ﷺ enduring legacy and the role of sīra in shaping Muslim identity, spirituality, and community across time.

This course traces the rise and transformation of Islamic civilization from the Rāshidūn Caliphate through the Abbasid Golden Age. Students explore political leadership, legal and religious institutions, intercivilizational exchange, and cultural development across Medina, Damascus, and Baghdad. Emphasis is placed on systems thinking, intellectual networks, and the lasting influence of early Islamic empires on visions of governance, ethics, and civilizational renewal.

This course explores the post-Abbasid Islamic world as a period of regeneration and civilizational resilience. Students examine the political, intellectual, and spiritual life of societies such as the Mamluks, Timurids, and early Ottomans, focusing on the rise of Sufi networks, knowledge institutions, and legal-theological pluralism. Emphasis is placed on adaptability, localized power, and the creative potential of post-crisis renewal—offering insight into historical and contemporary models of pluralistic transformation.

This course explores the rise and legacy of the Ottoman Empire as the final expression of the Islamic caliphate. Students examine Ottoman legal, educational, and cultural institutions, their engagement with modernity, and the tensions between tradition and reform. Emphasis is placed on pluralism, civilizational inheritance, and the Ottoman legacy’s impact on contemporary Muslim identity, governance, and ethical renewal.

This course investigates the historical forces of creativity and upheaval that have reshaped societies across civilizations. Students examine case studies of scientific breakthroughs, technological revolutions, religious and cultural reform movements, and economic shifts that disrupted established orders and generated new possibilities. Attention is given to both Islamic and global contexts, highlighting how innovation often emerges in response to crisis, constraint, or visionary leadership. Through historical analysis, foresight methods, and ethical reflection, students consider how patterns of disruption illuminate the relationship between continuity and change, and how past innovations inform present challenges and future opportunities.

This course explores language as a powerful tool for shaping culture, belief, and social change. Students examine rhetorical strategy, discourse, and the metaphysical dimensions of speech across historical, political, and spiritual contexts. Emphasis is placed on Arabic as both sacred and strategic, with attention to how language impacts identity, worldview, and agency in the modern world.

This course explores how change occurs across personal, cultural, and systemic levels, challenging conventional models of activism and reform. Students engage with diverse approaches—from spiritual practice to social movements—and examine the interplay of intuition, trauma, tradition, and Divine will in shaping transformation. Emphasis is placed on critical reflection, interdisciplinary analysis, and the creation of a personalized “Impact Map” for intentional, values-driven action.

This course explores tajdīd—the Islamic tradition of renewal—as a model for ethical, future-facing leadership. Students examine historical figures of reform and study the conditions that give rise to transformative change. Through systems thinking, futures studies, and Islamic scholarship, students learn to navigate crises with clarity, preserve core values, and design adaptive leadership strategies rooted in prophetic and reformist legacies.

This course examines the essential contributions of women to the development of civilizations across time, cultures, and systems. Through historical case studies and futures thinking, students explore women’s roles in scholarship, activism, art, governance, and cultural preservation. Emphasis is placed on intersectionality, resilience, and visionary leadership, inviting students to reimagine history and the future through a gender-conscious, justice-centered lens.

This applied methods course trains students in core foresight tools for strategic engagement with long-term change. Students learn to map trends, develop scenarios, and construct backcasting roadmaps to connect visionary futures with actionable strategies. Emphasis is placed on project-based learning, ethical analysis, and designing culturally grounded responses to complex challenges.

This course trains students in oral history and narrative inquiry as tools for cultural continuity, identity, and future imagination. Drawing on women’s studies, Indigenous methodologies, and decolonial theory, students learn to ethically document and analyze lived experience. Emphasis is placed on storytelling as historical record, spiritual inheritance, and a generative force for shaping communal futures.

This course explores the historical evolution of formal education across cultures and time, with special emphasis on Islamic educational traditions. Students examine how schooling has served diverse social, political, and spiritual aims, from classical madrasas to modern community-led models. Emphasis is placed on critical inquiry into the past and reimagining education for a just, inclusive, and purposeful future.

This capstone course synthesizes historical inquiry and strategic foresight, guiding students to critically examine historical narratives and design future-oriented responses to complex challenges. Through historiography, trend analysis, and creative futures methodologies, students produce original projects—ranging from research to speculative design—that reflect ethical vision and long-term thinking. The course culminates in a public presentation showcasing students as historians of possibility and architects of transformation.