Students who complete the Graduate Diploma in Arts (Advanced) in this area of specialisation should:
methodological issues in several key areas of Islamic studies;
the philosophical and theoretical underpinnings of Islamic perspectives on the social sciences such as education, economics, anthropology, politics and sociology;
major trends of contemporary Islamic thought and the social, political, and historical context within which this thought is shaped;
contemporary attempts at reform;
how to design and write a preparatory research dissertation on an Islamic studies topic; and
key issues that arise in interdisciplinary contexts of research in Islamic studies.