His 460

Reform and Revolution in Islam

 

 

Instructor: Scott S. Reese

Office: BIO 208

Phone: 523-9049

Email: scott.reese@nau.edu

Class Time:MWF 11:30-12:20

Room: LA 204

Office Hours: MW 9:30-11:00 or by appointment

Instructor's URL: http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~ssr7/

 

Course  Description

 

Shouting Mullahs, suicide bombers and gun toting mujāhidīn. These are the images that first come to mind when we think of Muslim “fundamentalism.” But is this all there is to it? This course will explore the importance of social and religious reform within the Islamic tradition.  While beginning with the inception of the faith in the 7th century the majority of the course will focus on the evolution of reformist discourses within in Islam in the so-called “modern” era. Topics to be covered will include both an examination of individual reformist movements (from MuÊammad to the Taliban) an exploration of the various ideologies that have informed Muslim reformist thought since the time of the Prophet but we will also devote a considerable amount of time towards problematizing  the idea of “reform” itself and what the term means and how it should be understood within a Muslim context.

 

Required Texts:

Cambridge University Press, 2003 (13th Printing--though earlier printings are acceptable)

 

The above books are Required Readings for all students in the course and are available at the NAU Bookstore. However, often you can find these titles (e.g. Unthinkable Revolution) on Amazon.com for significantly less.

 

*This book was added after the bookstore deadline. It is also available via Amazon or Powells, given its price ($35.00) I would recommend purchasing one  of the many used copies that appear to be available.

           

 

Optional Texts:

 

 

 Other weekly readings are listed within the body of the syllabus.  These include both primary documents in translation and secondary readings intended to add depth and texture to our understanding of the Islamic faith. As such, they will form an integral part of class discussions and students will be expected to arrive for class meetings having read and digested the material and be ready for discussion.  All or most of these readings can be found through Cline Library print or electronic reserve which can be accessed via the following link: http://www.nau.edu/library/courses/spring05/his460-reese/

 

 

Class Format

 

            HIS 460 will be conducted as a largely seminar style class.  Seminar format means that discussion rather than formal lectures will constitute the major part of the course. At most, the instructor will lecture during only half of each weekly class meeting. In general, the remainder of class time will be devoted to discussions surrounding issues raised by the readings for a given week. To do well, you must keep up with the readings and prepare in advance to discuss and reflect on issues contained in them. To help you prepare for these discussions, the instructor will occasionally provide “focus questions” for you to concentrate on while completing the readings.

 

Assessment of Outcomes and Course RequirementsFirst, the good news-- there are no exams in this course!! Instead, a variety of other tools will be used to help you achieve the objectives of the course:

 

  1. Four (4) 1000 word review essays (of weekly readings)-- During the course of the semester each student is required to submit four (4) critical evaluations of the week’s readings. These should be at least 1000 words in length, double-spaced (1 inch margins, font no larger than 12 point). Essays should not merely recapitulate the arguments of the author/s, but should approach the readings with a critical eye and seek to identify both the strengths and weaknesses of a given author’s point of view. Papers on a given set of readings are due in class on the day they are discussed. Papers for readings other than those being discussed during a given week will not be accepted.

 

Note—Individuals taking this course for graduate credit are required to complete six (6) critical evaluations.

CRITERIA SHEET

 

 

  1. One (1) Critical Book Review -- Each participant is required to write one (1) 5-7 page review of a book relating to their larger research project.  As part of a scholarly endeavor, books from popular presses (generally written by polemicists rather than scholars) are NOT acceptable. Only books published by reputable scholarly or academic presses will be acceptable. Books also should have been written in the last 10 years, older works (though acceptable for use in your larger project) will NOT be acceptable for this assignment.  All books for review must be first cleared with the instructor. Reviews for books not okayed by the instructor will not be accepted.

 

 As with the review essays, these should not simply survey the arguments of the author, but should be approached with a critical eye and seek to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the argument. Towards this end, each review must also cite 2-3 reviews of the book published in academic journals providing some idea of how a particular work has been received by the scholarly community. A more detailed criteria sheet will follow.

BOOK REVEW CRITERIA SHEET

 

  1. Historiographic Essay: All students will be required to write a 15-20 page historiographic essay on a subject related to the topic of the course. Each essay should be aimed at delineating the major arguments and schools of thought regarding a particular issue as well as a detailed overview of the current literature on a given topic.  As this is an assignment designed to acquaint you with the scholarly literature on a given topic the use of web sources will not be permitted.  Essays will be due at the last class meeting. Criteria sheets will follow.

 

 

  1. Discussion Leader: Each week one or two seminar participants (depending on class size) will be responsible for initiating that week’s discussion. Discussion leaders are neither expected nor asked to provide a synopsis of the readings. Rather, the role of the discussion leader/s is to provide their own “take” on the readings and posit thoughtful questions in order to stimulate the exchange of ideas.

 

 

  1. Participation:  The idea of the seminar is based on the notion of a free and open (and spirited!) exchange of ideas through discussion. Hence, arriving to class prepared and ready to engage the material through active participation is a crucial part of the course. Those who come to class unprepared or fail to take an active part in discussion on a regular basis will be docked accordingly.  Missing more than one class will also have a severe impact on your participation grade.

 

 

Note 1: Late policyAll assignments must be handed in at the beginning of class on the date they are due. Lateness will result in the deduction of one letter grade per day late.

 

Note 2: Extensions, incompletes and make-up exams will be granted only in accordance with University policy.

 

Notes 3:  As in any course plagiarism is completely unacceptable. Any form of academic dishonesty may result in a failing grade for the course (this will include weekend days).

 

Course Evaluation:

Your course grades will be based on the following distribution:

 

Reviews of the readings--30%

Book Review—20%

Historiographic Essay—25%

Participation (including turn as discussion leader) --25%

 

A standard grading scale will be in use

90%+= A; 80-89% =B; 70-79%=C; 60-69%=D; below 60%=F


Weekly Topics (Bear in mind this is a guide. Readings and assignments may be subject to modification):

 

Wk. 1 01/19 Introduction: Religious Discourse as Social Discourse

 

Wk. 2 01/26 Setting the Base Line--

 

Reading: Cook—Forbidding the Wrong in Islam-- entire

 

Wk. 3 02/02 Reform, Government and the Medieval Context

 

Reading:

 

Cook, review chs. 6-7

Evstatiev, “Ibn Khaldūn on the Correlation ‘Spiritual Authority—Secular Power’ in the Theory and Historical Practice of Medieval Islam” (on e-reserve)

 

Wk. 4 02/09 Reform, proper conduct and the popular context before the 19th century (and a bit later…)

Homerin, “Sufis and Their Detractors in Mamluk Egypt” (on e-reserve)

 

Little, “Did Ibn Taymiyya have a Screw Loose?” in Studia Islamica (Paris), v. 41 (1975) pp. 93-111 (on e-reserve)

 

Peters, “The Battered Dervishes of Bab al-Zuwayla,” in Eighteenth-Century Renewal and Reform in Islam, Nehemia Levtzion and John O. Voll eds. (on print reserve) pp.93-116

 

Cole, “Mafia, Mob and Shi’ism in Iraq” in Sacred Space and Holy War

 

Wk. 5 02/16  The under-rated 18th century—roots of modern reformist thought

Readings:

 

Metcalf, Islamic Revival in British India, pp. 3-86 (on print reserve)

Cole, “The Shi’ite Discovery of the West” in Sacred Space and Holy War

 

Wk. 6 02/23  Ibn Abd al-Wahhab

           

Readings:

De Long-Bas, Intro., chs. 1-3

Cook, “On the origins of Wahhabismin Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, no. 2, pp. 191-202, 1992 (on e-reserve)

 

Wk. 7 03/02  Uthman dan Fodio

 

Readings:

 

Levtzion and Voll, Eighteenth-Century Renewal and Reform in Islam, Intro, chs. 1-3, pp.1-68 (on print reserve)

 

 

Wk. 8 03/09  The Era of Muhammad Ali and the early response to colonialism

 

Reading:

Hourani, Arabic Thought in the Liberal Age, chs. 1-4

Kurzman, Modernist Islam, 1840-1940: A Sourcebook chs. 1,4

 

Wk. 9 03/16  al-Afghani, Abduh et. al.

 

Readings:

Hourani--  Arabic Thought in the Liberal Age, chs. 5-8

Kurzman, Modernist Islam, 1840-1940: A Sourcebook chs. 3,6,11

 

 

 

03/23  Spring BreakHooray!!!

 

Wk. 10 03/30  The Salafiyya and anti-colonialism

 

Readings:

 

Hourani--  Arabic Thought in the Liberal Age, chs. 9-13

Haddad, “Arab Religious Nationalism in the Colonial Era,” in The Journal of the American Oriental Society, v. 117 no. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1997) pp. 253-277 (on e-reserve)

Encylopaedia of Islam, “Islah  on print reserve

 

Critical Book Review Due

 

 

Wk. 11 04/06  The Iranian Revolution-A Post colonial response

 

Readings:

Kurzman, The Unthinkable Revolution -- entire

Cole, “The Modernity of Theocracy,” in Sacred Space and Holy War

Cole, “Shi’ites as National Minorities,” in Sacred Space and Holy War

 

 

Wk. 12 04/13  Afghanistan and the Taliban

 

Readings:

Maley  Fundamentalism Reborn? Afghanistan and the Taliban  pp.v-x, 1-132 (on e-reserve)

 

Wk. 13  04/20 Hamas, Hizbullah and the Palestinian Conflict 

 

Readings:

 

Robinson, “Hamas and the Islamist Mobilization,” in Building a Palestinian State: The Incomplete Revolution, (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1997) pp. 132-173 (on e-reserve)

 

Usher, “What kind of Nation? The Rise of Hamas in the Occupied Territories,” in Dispatches from Palestine: The Rise and Fall of the Oslo Peace Process (Pluto Press, 1999) pp. 18-33 (on e-reserve)

 

Andoni, “Searching for Answers: Gaza’s Suicide Bombers,” in Journal of Palestine Studies, v. 26 no. 4 (summer, 1997) pp. 33-45 (on e-reserve)

 

Wk. 14  04/27  Recent Perspectives: Politics and “Jihad”

 

Readings:

Safi, Progressive Muslims pts. I and III

DeLong-Bas, chs. 5-6

 

Wk. 15 05/04  Recent Perspectives on Gender

 

Readings:

Safi, Progressive Muslims, Pt. II

DeLong-Bas, Wahhabi Islam, ch. 4