Women Studies (Women’s Rights in Islam)

The master’s program “Women Studies, Specialization in Women’s Rights in Islam” is a comprehensive educational package in line with the regulations and decisions made by the Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology of Iran. This program, as an interdisciplinary specialization with a law approach, covers not only law and jurisprudence courses, but also courses in sociology, psychology, history, art, health, culture, society, economics, and research methods in the field of women and family. Today, topics related to women, including women’s rights, are one of the main issues in the legal and political assemblies in the world. Since women have a special position in the evolution and maturity of societies, the identity crisis in women and families has damaged the international community. Therefore, educations on the rights of women and family and explaining the excellence of women’s position in the eyes of Islam can remarkably help solve the identity crisis in women and families.

One of the main goals of this field of study is to train committed experts and theorists in policy making and planning for jurisprudential and legal issues. This program seeks to enhance research in women’s legal and jurisprudential issues through in-depth Islamic studies and to explain the different dimensions of women’s rights system based on the principles of Islamic law. The scholarly approach and social, cultural attitudes toward women’s rights are also revised and enhanced. As a result, the expansion of knowledge aligned with Islamic fundamentals, teachings, and values is made possible in the field of women’s legal issues.

The graduates of this program obtain a true understanding of the Islamic perspective regarding women’s rights within the framework of the intellectual and social system of Islam based on the original resources of religious thoughts. Moreover, they are competent in addressing the scholarly issues and answering questions about the legal issues of women and family by citing religious resources and modern sciences. These graduates will also be able to conduct scholarly research on the topics related to the rights of women.

Holding a bachelor’s degree or an equivalent is sufficient for enrollment in this program. The previous degree of the applicant must be verified by the consulate of Iran in the issuing country. Also, matching the applicants’ previous field of study with the current program is not necessary. Upon establishing the applicants’ scholarly competency and the committee’s agreement, the applicants are eligible to study in this program regardless of their previous field of study. Previous publications including books, research papers, and journal articles can positively influence the committee’s judgment.

The master’s degree in “Women Studies, Specialization in Women’s Rights in Islam” takes 2 years and is accomplished in 4 academic semesters; each semester lasts for 16 weeks. Every one-unit class requires one hour of instruction per week. In case the department decides that extra time is needed for a student to pass the prerequisites or finish the thesis, at most 2 extra semesters will be added.

The MA program “Women Studies, Specialization in Women’s Rights in Islam” consists of 44 credits; 12 credits in core subjects, 12 credits in prerequisites, 16 credits in basic courses, and 4 credits for the thesis.

The courses “Jurisprudential rules of woman and family”, “Women’s health”, and “Philosophy of women’s rights in Islam” are among the prerequisite courses. Some of the basic courses include “Woman in the Quran”, “Psychology of women”, “Sociology of gender”, “Principles of the family law system in Islam”, and “Woman in religions and schools versus Islam”. Also, the following courses are among the core courses: “Family procedural law”, “Women’s political-social rights and responsibilities”, “Principles of inference of Islamic law”, and “Criminal law of women in Islam”.