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In the Name of God,
Infinite Tenderness, Eternal Kindness
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Class Description
This voyage
into the symbolic realm of Islam is intended to introduce
students to the intellectual and spiritual experience of
Islam without assuming any prior knowledge on their
behalf. While an "introductory" class, our
venture shall touch upon some of the deepest metaphysical
ideas, loftiest poetic utterances, most complex issues of
modernity, gender, and nationalism, and most wondrous literature
in all of Islamdom.
A premise of this class is that different Muslims have had vastly differing (at times complementary, at times opposing) interpretations of Islam: at times they refer to different texts as authoritative, at times they offer radically different interpretations of the same texts. Given this spectrum of interpretations, we will never assume that any one Muslim's perspective is somehow "orthodox" to the exclusion of all other perspectives.
Our readings
will literally include samples of primary sources from
all 1400 years of Islamic civilizations which have been
written in many regions of the Muslim world. Another key
feature of this class shall be the integration of the
above primary sources with visual material, musical
selections, web sources, and films shown in class.
A
note on what this class will
be: The key component of this class are learning
about the essential sources of the Islamic tradition as
articulated, experienced, and lived by Muslim. To that
end, we will spend the majority of the semester learning
about the Qur'an, the life of the Prophet Muhammad, and the spiritual
tradition of Muslims (law, Sufism, etc.). Of particular interest
to us is the contested experiences of different Muslim women both as agents
and subjects.
I should also emphasize what this class will not be: This class will not be an exhaustive survey of "Muslim politics", while we will of course touch on it. Also, it is not a "regional" approach to Islam, i.e. it will not be exclusively an Arab, Iranian, South-Asian, or American interpretation of Islam. The focus is unapologetically global and comparative.
Grading:
This is a reading-heavy class. I take it seriously that the class is listed at the 300 level, and will treat it accordingly. You do not need to be a "P&R" concentrator to take this class. However, I do expect you to work hard, and to contribute to class discussions.
While I will lecture for part of the class almost every day, it will be conducted much more on a seminar model of examining your reactions to the reading material. The readings are engaging, and heavy: On average, there is about 75 pages of reading per class. If you have not done the readings, it will simply be impossible for you to participate in the discussion. While we will suffer from that, the main damage will be done to your own learning, and your participation grade (30% of class grade).
Class
participation: 30%
(composed of in-class discussions, and "talking points")
"Talking
papers": Which you will bring with you to every
class. A typed, one page paper consisting of two components:
1) one paragraph about the main thesis of the author, and one
paragraph about how it relates to previous material you have
read.
2) Three typed questions or comments you have about the assigned
readings for that day. These summaries "talking points" will
be handed in, and you will get them back with a check, check plus, or check
minus. They will not receive a letter grade. You will be
accountable, however, for how many of them you have done, and the type of check
plus or minus you receive on them.
Take home Midterm
30%
Take home Final: 40%.
The assignments that I tend to give are not "factual" exams, but analytical essays. If you have not done the readings before you get the exam, and if you have not been in class, I can promise you that no amount of "pulling all nighters" will help you. On the other hand, if you have kept up with the material and have participated in the discussions, I think you will find them engaging, and dare I hope, pleasant, opportunities to analyze and synthesize your own reflections. All exams are take-home, open book, but not "open friend"! [See Honor Code]
Grading Scale:
So that there are no mis-understandings later on, I find it useful to share with you my definitions of what I expect for various grades:
A: Superb, Excellent. An ability to offer original and insightful analysis of the facts.
B: Solid Work. The facts have been grasped, and significant moves have been made to interpret the material in an analytical fashion. A "good" paper.
[The above point is important. The most common type of grade disputations that I get are for students who reproduce the facts, and show some analytical grasp, and still get a B+. Please read the descriptions for an A and a B carefully.]
C: The student has made a reasonable attempt to attend the class, and has a fair grasp of the factual material presented. The analysis of these facts, and an attempt to contribute towards an original interpretation, however, is severely missing.
D: A simplistic familiarity with the subject mater can be gleamed through the assignments which have been turned in.
F: A disappointment—no attempt being shown on the behalf of the student to engage the material, to respect the parameters of the class and its schedule, or the turning in of assignment.
Required Sources:
Required for the class, bring the readings with you to each class.
1) Michael Sells, Approaching
the Qur'an
2) Annemarie Schimmel, And Muhammad is His Messenger
3) Charles Le Gai Eaton, Islam and the Destiny of Man
4) Martin Lings, Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest
Historical Sources
5) Sherman Jackson,
Islam and the Blackamerican
6) Gisella Webb, Windows
of Faith
7) Qur'an, translation by Yusuf Ali.
8) Omid Safi, ed., Progressive Muslims
Recommended for purchase CD: ocean of remembrance.
Web resources:
You would do well to
acquaint yourselves with the following web-page,
and use it as a frequent point of entry and exploration around
many of the issues we will be discussing:
Web Resource for Islamic Studies
(Courtesy of Dr. Alan Godlas)
Guide to Writing:
Many of us struggle at various times with writing analytical papers, and you might also find yourself at times struggling with one aspect or another of writing. In that case, you might find it useful to refer to a page I have put together, titled: "Research and Writing Guide for Students."
Now, click below to see the reading syllabus for this class:
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