REL 331/331H
Islamic Religion
بسم اللة
الرحمن
الرحيم
Instructor: Scott S. Reese
Office: BIO 208
Phone: 523-9049
Email: scott.reese@nau.edu
Class Time:MWF
Room: LA 117
Office Hours: MWF
Islam. Say this word and a plethora of images come
to mind, masked gunmen, shouting Mullahs, women in veils. Such images permeate
our views of the faith in the West. The primary goal of this course is to push
past these superficial and generally misleading images to explore the rich
social, historical and intellectual evolution of the Muslim faith across both
time and space.
Required Texts:
Carl Ernst, Teachings
of Sufism
John L. Esposito,
Islam: The Straight Path 3rd edition
Fatima Mernissi, The
Veil and the Male Elite
Michael Sells, Approaching
the Quran
Optional Text: Jane
I. Smith, Islam in America (Columbia University Press, 1999)—we will be
reading extensive selections from this at the end of the semester—those who
choose to write one of their essays on this week should read the entire book.)
The above books are
Required Readings for all students
in the course and are available at the NAU Bookstore. 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 electronic reserve which
can be accessed via the following link: http://www.nau.edu/library/courses/religion/rel331-reese/reserve/
Assessment of Outcomes and
Course Requirements: A
Variety of tools will be used to help you achieve the objectives of the course:
1) Two Analytical Essays (1000-1500 words)
The two
essays encourage you to study a particular topic carefully and in its context. Essays
are intended to hone your ability to analyze primary sources and historical
arguments while refining your own ability to write
clearly and argue persuasively.
Students will be
required to write two out of four (2 of 4) essays based on questions
relating to the following topics: 1) The Qur’an and the early community; 2) The
place of women in Muslim societies; 3) Sufism and Muslim interpretations of the
universe and; 4) the development of Islam as an American religion. Essays will
be 1000-1500 words in length, and must be typewritten, double-spaced with
one-inch margins and font no larger than 12 point. The essay topics and
criteria sheets will be handed out in advance of the paper due dates.
Late papers will
lose one full letter grade per day late, NO
EXCEPTIONS (this will include weekends when applicable). Make and retain a copy of your essay before
handing it in-- the instructor is not responsible for “lost” papers. (Also,
back-up all computer work on at least 2 separate disks).
You may, if you
wish, write 3 or even all 4 of the essays and take your two best grades.
Note: Papers delivered as e-mail attachments
will not be accepted without prior approval of the instructor.
3) Take Home Mid-Term and Final Exams—The objective of
these exercises are two fold. First, they are meant to test your knowledge and
understanding of the material covered in class. Second, they are intended to
measure your ability to synthesize this information into meaningful arguments
about the Muslim faith. As such they are assessments
of your critical thinking abilities.
The Mid-Term will
be distributed on a Friday and will be due the following Monday. The final will
be distributed on the last day of class and will be due on the date and time
scheduled for the final exam. Detailed instructions will accompany both tests.
4) Intellectual Journal
The
purpose of the assignment is to encourage you to keep up with your reading,
enliven discussion and offer a forum to record your personal responses to the
readings, while also sharpening your skills in thinking critically and writing
fluidly. Journal entries should be typed, and you should keep a copy on the
hard drive of your computer. They should be approximately 250 words, one typed
page. Entries must be typewritten, double spaced and in a font no larger than
12 point. In addition each one should be headed with your name, the class, a
brief citation for the readings and the date. When your journal entries are
returned to you (normally within 7 days) you should collect them in a thin
binder or folder. On the last day of class you will turn in the whole journal.
The journal entries are due Fridays at the beginning of
class. These cannot be turned in late. There is no way to make up for
lost work in this project. Each journal entry should (1) quote or summarize one
passage in one assigned text for that week, and (2) record your honest and
informed reflections on the reading. Each entry should engage the ideas expressed
in the text in some direct and thoughtful way. These entries will be graded as
either acceptable (check) or unacceptable (minus). A check means that you
handed it in on time (at the start of the class session) and followed the
instructions fully. Journals are not graded for thesis or grammar, as done for
other written work. You control how well you do on this journal assignment
since your grade is determined by how many acceptable journal entries you
submit (ones with a check, that is). Here is the scale:
A=14 entries (scattered over at least 10 weeks);
B=11 entries (scattered over at least 8 weeks);
C= 8 entries (scattered over at least 6 weeks);
D= 6 entries (scattered over at least 5 weeks);
F= 4 or fewer entries.
Up to 2 journal entries may be devoted to
either in-class films or those screened as part of the evening film series
listed in the syllabus below.
As with other written assignments journal entries MAY
NOT be submitted via email attachment.
5) Participation/Attendance
Class attendance is not a graded
portion of the course. However, as a discussion oriented course participation is
graded. You are required to show up to each class period having read the
material and ready to engage it in a meaningful manner.
It
should be noted that missing more than 3 class periods will have a serious
impact on your participation grade. If
you are not here, you cannot—by definition—participate.
If
you must miss class for whatever reason, it is your responsibility to obtain that day’s notes and any other
pertinent information from one of your classmates. If circumstances dictate (e.g. family or
medical emergency) that you must miss more than 3 classes, it is also your
responsibility to discuss this situation with the instructor.
Extensions,
incompletes and make-up exams will be granted only in accordance with
University and departmental policy.
Note: University standards
against plagiarism and cheating will be strictly upheld. Cheating includes, but
is not limited to, copying, paraphrasing, or summarizing the work of another
(including a fellow student) without proper acknowledgment. ANY course
work found to have been dishonestly completed will result in a failing grade
for the course.
Course Evaluation:
Your course grades
will be based on the following distribution:
Mid-Term Exam – 20%
Analytical Essays –
40% (20% ea.)
Final Exam – 20%
Journals -- 15%
Participation 5%
A standard grading
scale will be in use
90%+= A; 80-89% =B;
70-79%=C; 60-69%=D; below 60%=F
Schedule and
Topics
Make certain you
have the readings done in advance of each class session. Also, remember, the
following is merely a guideline and adjustments may be made to the schedule as
necessary
Wk. 1 Aug. 25-29
Overview -- Islam
and the West – Our own preconceptions.
Wk. 2 Sept. 01-05 (No
Class Monday – Veterans Day)
An Era of Monotheism – Abrahamic Religion and
Islam’s Antecedents
Lapidus, A
History of Islamic Societies, pp. 3-17 (e-reserve)
Video—The
Abraham File
Wk. 3 Sept. 08-12
Seal of the
Prophets—Muhammad and his message
Esposito, Islam,
The Straight Path, pp. 1-17
Lapidus, A
History of Islamic Societies, pp. 18-28 (e-reserve)
Wk. 4 Sept. 15-19
Creating the
Umma – the Community of Believers
Stowasser, “The Hijab:
How a Curtain Became an Institution and a Cultural Symbol” in Afsaruddin, Asma
and A.H. Mathias Zahniser, eds. Humanism, Culture and Language in the
Film: Ramadan,
Fast of Faith
(Also, Taste of
Cherry Sept. 16,
Wk. 5 Sept. 22-26
The Quran
Sells, Approaching
The Qur’an Introduction and selected Suras.
Ernst, Teachings
of Sufism, Preface and pp. 1-14
Esposito, 17-31
Essay #1 Due
Wk. 6 Sept. 30-Oct.
03
Life After the
Prophet—Political Expansion and Sectarian Divisions
Esposito, Islam,
The Straight
Spellberg, “Early
Islam and the Position of Women: A’isha and the
Wk. 7 Oct. 06-10
Women in early
and medieval Islam, Oppressed minority or equal opportunity?
Mernissi, The
Veil and The Male Elite
Keddie,
“Introduction: Deciphering Middle Eastern Women’s History” in Keddie, Nikki and
Beth Baron eds. Women in Middle Eastern History, Shifting Boundaries in Sex
and Gender. pp. 1-22 on e-reserve
Essay #2 Due
Film: Secret
Ballot (this is a public performance on Oct. 7,
Wk. 8 Oct. 13-17
Evolution of the
Religious Sciences (The Zahir) – Law and Theology
Esposito, Islam, The
Straight
Goldziher, “The
Development of Law”, in Introduction to Islamic Theology and Law
pp.31-66 (on e-reserve)
Wk. 9 Oct. 20-24
Dogma, Cosmology
and Sectarian Belief
Take Home
Mid-Term Due
Web texts –TBA
(Film: Children
of Heaven, Oct. 21,
Wk. 10 Oct. 27-31
Sufism (The
Batin) I
Ernst, Teachings of
Sufism, Chs. 2-5
Schimmel, Sufism
and the Islamic Tradition, pp. 130-147 (on e-reserve)
(Recommended—Christopher
Melchert, “The Transition From Asceticism to Mysticism at the middle of the
ninth century C.E.” in Studia Islamica 1996/1 (Fevrier) 83 pp. 51-70 on
e-reserve)
Wk. 11. Nov. 03-07
Sufism (The
Batin) II
Ernst, Teachings of
Sufism, Chs. 6-8
Schimmel, “The
Light of Muhammad and the Mystical Tradition” in And Muhammad is His Messenger pp. 123-143 (on e-reserve)
Essay #3 Due
Wk. 12 Nov. 10-14
Reform and
Revolution I: The Prophet to Ibn Abd al-Wahhab
Cook, “On the Origins
of Wahhabism” in Journal of the Royal
Asiactic Society v.2 no. 2 (1992) pp.191-202. (on e-reserve)
Little, Donald,
“Did Ibn Taymiyyah have a screw loose?” in Studia
Islamica (
Peters, The
Battered Dervishes of Bab Zuwayla, A Religious Riot in Eighteenth-Century
Andre and Overfield
“The continuing vitality of Islam” in
The Human Record v. II Since 1500 pp. 228-233. (on e-reserve)
Wk. 13 Nov. 17-21
Reform and
Revolution II: Reform in the 19th,
20th and 21st Centuries
Esposito, The
Straight Path, chs. 4,5,6
(Film: 100%
Arabica, Nov. 18,
Wk. 14 Nov. 24-28
(Thanksgiving, No Class Friday)
Film: Ways of
Faith
Wk. 15 Dec. 01-05
Islam in
Smith, Islam in
America chs. 3-6 (on print reserve)
Wk. 16 Dec. 08-12
Islam Today
Essay #4 Due