The way women are treated and regarded in Muslim cultures is one of the most controversial issues on the planet today. This course will include modules on women and Islam in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia, and Thailand, each taught by a well-known Southeast Asian female researcher, including the following: Barbara Andaya, author of The Flaming Womb: Repositioning Women in Early Modern Southeast Asia; Amina Rasul Bernardo, a founding member of the Women in International Security-Philippines and the Muslim Women Peace Advocates-Sulu; Yayah Khisbiyah who researches social psychology of peace building and gender studies among Muslim groups in Indoneisa; Zainah Anwar, executive director of Women in Islam, in Malaysia; Amporn Marddent, author of Sexual Culture Among Young Migrant Muslims In Bangkok. Gender roles in Southeast Asia can look quite different from those in the Arab cultural world, and are different from what many Americans have come to expect of the role of women in Islam. This course is open to both undergraduates and graduate students, and is a one-time offering. No pre-requisites or previous knowledge of Southeast Asia or Islam is required.