Gypsy_Heart

Hi, I've been looking for some PhD students in Islamic history and found this blog. I'm interested in pursuing a PhD in Islamic history, and I'm looking for some guidance. I'm a recent graduate from Columbia University's MFA program in Creative Writing. I completed my undergraduate, with a 3.7 GPA, from Michigan State University in English and a minor in Philosophy. The History professor that I met at Columbia told me that I need at least 4 years of Arabic, including ancient Arabic and Persian to get into an Islamic studies doctorate program. It seems pretty steep considering that it's a 6 year program with ample time to perfect my Arabic skills. I'm fluent in Urdu, and have been learning Arabic. I can read and write Arabic, and can speak it at an elementary level. And secondly, I've been told that I must include in my application a focused dissertation topic. I know that I'm interested in early Islamic history, and have been reading books about that period, but still, my curiosity about that period remains broad. I've been reading Sahih Bukhari lately, and I can say that I'm curious about the contradictions in it, and how they've been interpreted. And I'm confused about the differences between a university's History program and Religious studies program. What's the difference? Where am I better of applying? Regards, Syed