Teaching Islam Today

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – It was an idea whose time had come, and it took hold at Wofford College – a new book on how to teach high school and college students about Islam in an age where misinformation and fear are heightened through social media and the internet.

Dr. Courtney Dorroll, assistant professor of religion, was the editor and co-author of the introduction and a chapter in the new book, “Teaching Islamic Studies in the Age of ISIS, Islamophobia, and the Internet.” Two other Wofford professors, Dr. Kimberly Hall, assistant professor of English, and Dr. Philip Dorroll, assistant professor of religion, also contributed to the book. Emily Witsell, research librarian and instruction coordinator in Wofford’s Sandor Teszler Library, served as the copyeditor and indexed the book. Both Courtney Dorroll and Philip Dorroll are coordinators for Wofford’s Middle Eastern and North African Studies Program (MENA).

“There hadn’t been a book about Islamic pedagogy since the early 2000s,” Courtney Dorroll explains, “so the field was ready for an update on how teachers cover these topics.”

The idea for the book was born in 2015 when Dorroll’s mentor, Dr. Richard Martin, professor emeritus of religion at Emory University, spoke at Wofford on the topic. “The talk attracted a large audience and after the talk concluded, over dinner, Dr. Martin and I started to discuss the idea of creating a book focused on his talk’s main points.” Martin helped Dorroll find appropriate sources in the field of Islamic studies who could contribute to the book, and he authored the book’s forward.

Read more at the source: Teaching Islam Today