In this course we will investigate the historical origins of Sufism and the construction of authority and piety in the Sufi tradition. We will also chart the evolution of Sufism from personal spiritual practice and experience to the establishment of mystical brotherhoods in which, depending on time and place, a large portion of Muslim society participated.  Finally, we will turn to the continued importance that Sufism has played in the contemporary Muslim-majority world as well as in North America.