MU students flock to Islam course that won't be offered

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- After the Sept. 11 attacks, University of Missouri-Columbia officials anticipated that more students would be interested in a newly offered course on Islam.

The number of students who could enroll in Religious Studies 136, Islam, was doubled to 60. The course filled up.

"It's just inevitable after Sept. 11 to have an interest in a class like this," said Jason Forget, a junior journalism and political science major who's taking the class.

But while students are flocking to the class, staffing shortages mean the course won't be offered again in the near future.

The religious studies department has asked the university for years to hire a full-time Islamic studies instructor, only to be told it was not a priority.

Now that it is, the university has imposed a hiring freeze on faculty because of a tight budget.

The "decision to offer individual courses is made in the context of available resources, enrollment patterns and the list of competing priorities," College of Arts and Sciences Dean Richard Schwartz said.

Schwartz left open the possibility of hiring an Islamic studies professor in the near future.

Scholarly view needed

The course, which hadn't been offered since the late 1980s, is taught by Signe Cohen, whose primary area of expertise is comparative religion and Hinduism.

Cohen, an assistant professor of religious studies, said the course is critical to the department's academic mission.

"What students encounter in the media are coming from a pro-Muslim point of view or an anti-Muslim view, and I really feel there is a need for some scholarly points of view as well," Cohen said.

Religious Studies Department Chairman Steve Friesen said that even if the university decided to hire a full-time Islamic studies professor, finding one would be more difficult because Sept. 11 has increased the demand.

"I don't know when we will be successful, but I think eventually it will happen," he said.