Master Class: Computational Hadith Studies: Survey of a New Field

September 17, 2024

Register Here

Description

We are excited to announce a master class titled “Computational Hadith Studies: Survey of a New Field”. This master class will be led by Dr. Mairaj U. Syed.  This session is intended for a discussion among graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and faculty. 

Date, Time and Format

The 3-hour master class will be held in person on Friday, October 4, from 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM. 

Registration

This master class is open to 15 participants, with preference given to graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and faculty from University of Toronto. Seats are limited, registration is required by October 1st. 

Required Texts

Participants are requested to read the following texts in this order:
1. Senturk – Hadith Transmission Network
2. Syed, et. al – Verifying source citations
3. Choudhury, Syed – Trophic Analysis
4. Alkaoud, Syed – Learning to Identify Narrators

The last two can be scanned by the seminar participants.

For ambitious participants: Download and install Visual Studio Code from Visual Studio Code and Python 3.8.3 from Python, and use jupyter notebooks in Visual Studio Code. If you need help, use Google or ChatGPT for guidance. Please bring your prepared laptop to the seminar.

Bio:

Mairaj U. Syed is an associate professor of religious studies and Middle East/South Asia studies at the University of California, Davis, where he also serves as the director of the Middle East/South Asia studies program. He has published extensively on Islamic law, theology, ethics, and hadith literature. His current research includes the use of computational methods to analyze hadith literature and has received numerous awards for his work. He holds an M.A. and  Ph.D. in Religion from Princeton University.