The Islamic Traditions

This was a fantastic introductory course to Islam. If you are in any way interested in comparative religions or Islam specifically, this is a great class to consider. A lot of material is covered (essentially from the days of Muhammad up until modern-day Islam), and the course moves pretty fast, but Professor Anzali does a fantastic job explaining the concepts, especially in the jurisprudence unit where nuances were crucial.

This was a fantastic introductory course to Islam. If you are in any way interested in comparative religions or Islam specifically, this is a great class to consider. A lot of material is covered (essentially from the days of Muhammad up until modern-day Islam), and the course moves pretty fast, but Professor Anzali does a fantastic …Read more

Ata is a friendly professor and clearly has high regard for the classroom environment. No phones or laptops are allowed (besides taking notes on a tablet), and he is serious about timeliness, so you know he values his class. Honestly, that really helped me actually pay attention and not do other things during his class. It really helps to do the readings, because his lectures are usually a summary of the readings then some of his own tangents.

Ata is a friendly professor and clearly has high regard for the classroom environment. No phones or laptops are allowed (besides taking notes on a tablet), and he is serious about timeliness, so you know he values his class. Honestly, that really helped me actually pay attention and not do other things during his class. It really hel …Read more

Professor Anzali is very engaging and covers the most important parts of the readings in class. The load work isn't too heavy, but there's a few quizzes at the beginning of the semester. Would recommend for anyone who's looking for an intro to Islam course and different perspectives.

I found this class to be fairly easy. The readings were sometimes dense got very specific regarding Islam but I took a lot away from the course considering I did not know that much about Islam. Would highly reccomend if you want to learn more about Islam. I preformed well on the essays but I heard some other students did not just stay close to the text and you will be fine.

Taking a class with Professor Anzali is a once in a lifetime experience... like actually. He is the reason I became a religion major, and is genuinely devoted to his work and getting students engaged in the field of religious studies, particularly the Islamic Traditions.

Professor Anzali is truly one of the best professors. I took this class with absolutely no background or knowledge of the Islamic religion. Professor Anzali is so passionate and made it easy for me to grasp the content.

This was a very engaging course for me. I took this course because I was interested in learning more about Islam after studying Arabic for a number of years. The readings are doable in about an hour about 70% of the time and never take more than 2 hours. The class itself is super enjoyable and the discussions are interesting. Definitely would recommend

This course is quite difficult if you're not used to a lot of readings, like I was. The thing is that there's not much homework other than readings so it's not the worst and it gets easier over time. Still, the readings are very dense and hard to understand on your own, especially if you're not familiar with Islam or religion. On the other hand, Professor Anzali is very engaging and passionate about the material so it helps to relieve some of the burdens. He also goes over readings in class so it helps, but pretty embarrassing when you have no idea what everyone's talking about. I did enjoy this course, though; It just takes a lot of brain power to wrap your head around some concepts.

This course is quite difficult if you're not used to a lot of readings, like I was. The thing is that there's not much homework other than readings so it's not the worst and it gets easier over time. Still, the readings are very dense and hard to understand on your own, especially if you're not familiar with Islam or religion. On the …Read more

I had a great experience learning about Islamic Traditions with Professor Anzali. He is very enthusiastic about the course content and ensures that he delivers it well. There were only 4 quizzes in the first 4 weeks of the semester based on the readings. The discussions sessions on Fridays were also fun and never felt like a hassle.

Anzali is a great professor and the course material is not difficult at all. this is one of the most enjoyable classes i have taken so far. material is not hard to understand even though i have never taken a religion class.

I really like professor Anzali because he is so passionate and excited about his teaching. I will say the readings were pretty dense and sometimes a lot to follow/remember. Lectures could be a little boring but he will throw in some fun jokes to keep you present.

Anzali is the best professor at Middlebury. I loved this class. He is so thoughtful and thought-provoking that you will be forced to look at this new material in several different ways another professor wouldn't have you do. He's amazing.

Ata Anzali is a great professor. I had never taken a religion course, so this was a great intro class for religion. His lectures were engaging and the workload was not too much. He does grade the essays pretty strictly, but he let's you revise them. If you don't say exactly what he wants you to write, then you will likely have to revise your essay. Otherwise, class was good. There are four quizzes on the readings at the beginning of the semester. But after that, you basically just need to read in order to do well on the essays. Great intro religion class!

Ata Anzali is a great professor. I had never taken a religion course, so this was a great intro class for religion. His lectures were engaging and the workload was not too much. He does grade the essays pretty strictly, but he let's you revise them. If you don't say exactly what he wants you to write, then you will likely have to rev …Read more

I think Professor Anzali is great! His lectures are very informative, and the reading load is just right—not too little or too much. The due dates for the papers are well spaced, giving you plenty of time to work on them. Plus, he is very funny and nice!

Anzali is a very cool and funny guy. There are a lot of readings but he explains and talks about the readings in class. There are 4 quizzes in the beginning of the semester but the questions are easy if you skim the readings.