Welcome to the Consortium for Educational Resources on Islamic Studies, designed for students, educators, and community members in the Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia area.

We encourage you to explore our pages and stop back often for programming news and updated announcements about educational events and funding opportunities.

Announcing...

2012 CERIS Undergraduate Research Symposium
The CERIS Undergraduate Research Symposium is designed to provide undergraduate students at CERIS member institutions with research experience and an opportunity to develop presentation skills, as well as to provide recognition of excellent student scholarship. Total prizes of up to $500 will be awarded. For full details, visit this page.

New Mini Course: Muslims in a Global Context
First in a six-part series on Muslims in the Global Context, The Arab Spring is a one-credit weekend course taking place March 30 - April 1, 2012. The Arab Spring mini-course will provide the historical context and explore the current movements for political reform in the Arab world.  For more information, please visit this page.

Faculty Readers Forum
Faculty at CERIS member institutions and K-12 educators are invited to participate in the CERIS Faculty Book Discussion on February 24, 2012 at the University of Pittsburgh.The book will be Journey into America by Akbar Ahmed. The discussion will focus on Part II: Islam in America, chapters 4,5,6,. pages 157-350. We are pleased to have the discussion facilitated by Dr. Mike McKale, Professor Religious Studies and Director of the Institute for Ethics at Saint Francis University. A light dinner served at 5:30 PM with book discussion to follow at 6:00 PM. 10 copies available at no cost to faculty at CERIS member institutions or K-12 educators; contact Elaine Linn (eel58@pitt.edu) to request a copy.

Maktaba
Maktaba is a resource on the Islamic World for educators and the general public. The goal of the Web site is to provide Islamic Studies resources for not only K-16 educators but also to students of all ages and the general public. Islamic Studies extends from the seventh century to the present and across broad geographical areas of the world. It includes the history and cultures of Muslim majority countries from Morocco to Indonesia as well as Muslim minorities living in Europe and the United States. It encompasses many languages, literatures, and disciplines, including geometry, law, economics, music, and architecture. Maktaba is a joint project created by the Global Studies Center at the University of Pittsburgh and CERIS. Visit the Resources page or Maktaba for more information.

New CERIS Curriculum Development Grants Program
designed to enable faculty from member institutions to pursue curricular development and enhancement projects related to Islamic Studies. Applications are accepted year-round, and awards are made twice yearly (fall and spring). Read more.