Islamic Constitutionalism, Law, and Culture

A 10-week online course

with Professor Wael Hallaq at BT Academy
Starts 5 May 2026 | Applications open now

BTA is pleased to announce a new 10-week course taught by Professor Wael Hallaq, one of the most influential contemporary scholars of Islamic law and modern political order.

Across live teaching and guided discussion, students will examine how “constitutionalism,” sovereignty, legality, and moral authority look when approached through the categories of the Islamic legal tradition rather than those of the modern state. The course situates legal reasoning within its broader cultural and intellectual setting, and addresses the modern transformation of law, governance, and legitimacy.

Format

• Live online seminars with Professor Hallaq

• Structured readings and guided discussion

• Bookable individual tutorials with Prof. Hallaq, for tailored guidance and academic direction

What the course covers

• Law, moral authority, and political order in the Islamic tradition

• The modern state, sovereignty, and the reconfiguration of “law”

• Constitutionalism as a concept and as a historical project

• Culture, institutions, and the conditions of legal life

• Modernity and its critiques, and the philosophical and historical implications

Who this is for

• Students of Islamic studies in traditional or university settings

• Applicants preparing for MA/MPhil/PhD work who want sharper conceptual tools and direction

• Serious readers who want a coherent framework for understanding law, governance, and modernity, and who value direct scholarly engagement

About the syllabus
A detailed week-by-week outline is currently being finalised with Professor Hallaq and will be released ahead of the start date. The core aims, themes, and teaching format above reflect the settled direction of the course.

Start date
5 May 2026

Apply now
Early applications are open. If you want a place in the first cohort, apply now to secure early-bird access.