original web document: http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~brvs/intro98.html Barbara R. von SchlegellOffice: 212 Logan Hall Telephone:
(215) 898-5838Facsimile: (215) 898-6568 E-mail: brvs@ccat.sas.upenn.edu Office hours: Thursday 12:30-2:30 Web: http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~brvs |
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Introduction to Islamic Religion Religious Studies 143 ( AMES 136) We will meet in Room 421 Williams Hall on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:30 to 12:00
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Course Requirements
You can either write a 10-15 page research paper on a topic chosen in consultation with me (due the day of the final exam) or you can sit for the final exam (questions handed out last day of class). If you choose to write a paper, you may, if you turn the paper in on or before Tuesday Dec 1, re-write it and turn it in again the day of the final exam for a better grade based on my comments and your own revisions.
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Books for Purchase Penn Book Center 3726 Walnut 222-7600
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Reserve Books Rosengarten
Under my name, all the required books, and
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Bulkpack Will be available for purchase
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Course Outline
Thursday Sept 10: Introduction to Islam and the Modern Muslim World Reading (Read for next Tuesday):
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Tuesday Sept 15 & Thursday Sept 17: Muhammad and the
Background of Islam Biography, Family of the Prophet, Mecca and Medina Reading:
Bulkpack: Annemarie Schimmel "The Prophet Muhammad as a Centre of Muslim Life and Thought," from We Believe in One God: The Experience of God in Christianity and Islam, E. Waugh, "The Popular Muhammad"
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Tuesday Sept 22 &
Thursday Sept 24: The Quran Creation and cosmology, Revelation and prophecy in Islam, Oral to written scripture, Major themes of the Quran, Interpretation, Jews and Christians in the Quran Reading:
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Tuesday Sept 29 & Thursday
Oct 1 : Islamic History Conquest and conversion, Imperial civilization, After the caliphs Film "Smithsonian World of Islam" Reading:
BP : N. Levtzion, "Toward a Comparative Theory of Islamization" and B. Lewis, "The Judeo-Islamic Tradition" from The Jews of Islam Windows 223-234
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Tuesday Oct 6 & Thursday
Oct 8: Islamic Legal Studies Codification of the divine law (Shariah), sayings of the Prophet (hadith), Religious professionals and jurisprudence (fiqh) in the sunni law schools (madhabs) Reading:
BP : Law text selections (hadith and fiqh on intoxication; hadith on social interactions; hadith on marriage) Web: Begin "The Ajwiba: An Islamic Catechism" paying attention to norms concerning actions |
Tuesday Oct 13: Theology Heresy and normative beliefs (aqaid), Ontology, Heaven and hell, Free-will and determinism Reading:
Web: Finish "The Ajwiba" paying attention to theological positions, read "Fiqh al-akbar" also on my web page
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Thursday Oct 15: Shiism
Sects in Islam, Religious and political authority, Shii doctrine and practice Reading:
BP : S. Haeri "Temporary Marriage"
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Tuesday Oct 20: Fall Break (no
class)
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Thursday Oct 22: Shiism
(continued) Take-home midterm due in class
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Tuesday Oct 27 & Thursday
Oct 29: Islamic Art and Architecture (slides) Calligraphy, iconoclasm, mosques, tombs and colleges Visit to Overbrook Mosque (on Friday) Reading:
BP: O. Grabar, "Islamic Attitudes toward the Arts" in The Formation of Islamic Art
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Tuesday Nov 3 & Thursday
Nov 5: Mystical Islam/Sufism and Spiritual Experience Mystical Islam, Drunk and sober Sufism, unio mystica, Three masters (al-Ghazali, Ibn Arabi, and Jalal al-Din Rumi), Crystallization of Sufi orders and their role in Muslim societies Film "Sufism in Sudan" Reading:
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Tuesday Nov 10: Mystical
Islam/Sufism (continued) & Thursday Nov 12: The Hajj Pilgrimage Personal and communal responsibilities, rituals Film "Guests of God" Reading:
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Tuesday Nov 17 & Thursday
Nov 19: Muslim Women The "four perfect women," Women in early Islamic history - warriors and scholars, Sufis, Islamic feminism and the revision of tradition Film "Boys, Girls and the Veil" Reading:
BP: R. Hassan, "An Islamic Perspective," from Women, Religion, and Sex; N. Keddie, "Deciphering Middle Eastern Womens History," from Women in Middle Eastern History
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Tuesday Nov 24: Islam in
America Conversion to Islam, the immigrant population, African-American sunni Muslims, The Nation of Islam, media Muslims Reading:
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Thursday Nov 26: Thanksgiving Break
(no class)
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Tuesday Dec 1: Islam in
America (continued)
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Thursday Dec 3 & Tuesday
Dec 8: Islamic Revival Defining fundamentalism, Renewal and reform in Islam, Colonialism and modernism, Militancy and revolution Film "Fundamentalism in Egypt" Reading:
BP : Y. Haddad, "Sayyid Qutb: Ideologue of the Islamic Revival" from J. Esposito, Voices of Resurgent Islam and "The Clash of Civilizations?" (Huntington and Mottahedeh)
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Tuesday Dec 10: Review and Discussion Final exam questions handed out in class |
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