This class is a great option for the philosophical and linguistic analysis GE. Professor Sayeed's lectures are highly informative and use very interesting examples, and she is very open to advice about planning the course. Weekly assignments can seem daunting, with readings often approaching 100 pages, but most of these readings can simply be skimmed for quotes to use in the short reading response assignments that are assigned most weeks. These reading responses can be graded fairly harshly; make sure to follow the directions exactly and ask questions if they seem too vague. There are online quizzes pertaining to lecture material and other sources that can sometimes be a bit challenging, but they shouldn't hurt your grade too much. Also lumped in with these are short discussion assignments that don't really add much to the course. Discussion sections are really weird; they're synchronous, but almost nobody participates. You should definitely try to speak at least once, however, as your weekly participation in discussion sections is tracked and graded. There's also a very easy final paper that uses sources that are provided to you by the professor to discuss a term relevant to how people talk about Islam.

The grade breakdown is as follows: 35% online discussions and quizzes, 15% short reading responses, 15% Perusall "annotations" (this is really just writing a few short blurbs throughout a reading assignment; there are only a few of these and they aren't time-consuming), 20% discussion participation, and 15% final paper.

Overall, despite the few challenges I listed with this class, most of it is essentially free points. If you can manage your time decently, this class is a very easy A. It's also a great survey-style introduction to Islamic studies, and it touches upon aspects of the religion from the Quran to contemporary practices. Take this class if you're at all interested in the subject matter or just want to avoid taking a hard class for this GE requirement.

Professor Sayeed is one intelligent person. This class is an online course and it was not what I expected. Her lectures are professionally recorded which makes it easy to follow and understand the material (Impressive!). I have taken numerous Islamic courses (Art History/Architecture) but this was my first religious class. YOU WILL LEARN A LOT! Which is great but don't be fooled on the workload. There is quite a bit of reading and exercises that need to be done every week. Could feel like a burden after a while to be honest. However, I loved the lectures and Professor Sayeed.
As far as the discussion portion with the TA...ehhh. It's honestly not necessary. Just more busy work. My TA specifically sounded like she woke up half the time and made the hour seem like two. Nevertheless, I'm glad I took this course. Do I still have my opinions on the Islamic faith? Yes, but that goes towards all organized religions.

The workload for this class is intense and overwhelming. You do have to buy a textbook. Participation and attendance in the discussion sections are vital. Overall, if you have a lot going on in your life, this class is gonna be hard to manage. You have a series of lectures (3-6), quizzes (2-3), discussions, long readings, AND reading responses that make you quote each reading in one module/per week. Plus, you have to prepare to answer additional questions during the discussion sections. I like the lectures because they are clear and to the point, but this class would benefit from reduced assignments.