MES 316/REL 316 Early and Medieval Islam

 

Fall 2005

T, Th  10:00 to 11:15

Emerson E102

 

Instructor: Gordon D. Newby

Office: S-312 Callaway Center

Telephone: 404-727-2717

Email: gdnewby@emory.edu

 

Office Hours: By Appointment

 

Description

 

MES 316/REL 316 Early and Medieval Islam is an introduction to the civilization surrounding the religion of Islam from its beginnings to the near modern period.  The course will be historical in frame and discuss religious phenomenology within that perspective. 

 

The rapid rise of Islamic civilization at the end of the ancient world is one of the major events in world religious and political history.  Historians and theologians have debated the rapid rise of Islam and its successful overtaking of major portions of the empires that formed the ancient world.  In a little over a century, Muslims spread their religious and political culture to cover the area from the Pillars of Hercules to the Indian Sub-Continent, and soon well beyond that.  In this course, we will explore the theories that have been advanced for this expansion as well as the historical events themselves.  We will look at primary as well as secondary sources to understand this fascinating period in world civilization.  We will also explore the relationship of IslamÕs foundational events to our own religious, civilizational and cultural discussions and experiences.

 

Texts

 

Marshall G. S. Hodgson, The Venture of Islam, Chicago: Chicago University Press, 3 vols.  Volumes 1 and 2 are required for this course.  Volume 3 is available in the bookstore and is highly recommended as an addition to your personal library

 

Muhammad Marmeduke Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran.  This translation of the Quran is one of the most widely accepted translations of the Quran into English by English speaking Muslims.  If you are able to read the Quran in Arabic, please feel free to do so.

 

Andrew Rippin and Jan Knappert, Textual Sources for the Study of Islam, Manchester, Manchester U. Press.

 

Gordon D. Newby, A Concise Encyclopedia of Islam, Oxford: One World Press.  This work is not required but might prove useful for students who wish a single-volume encyclopedia of terms related to Islam.

 

Other resources, including electronic resources will be posted from time to time on the class LearnLink conference.

 

Learner Outcomes

 

Students who successfully complete this course will have

¬              a general knowledge of the basic beliefs of Islam

¬              the relationship of Islam to other religions, such as Judaism and Christianity

¬              a knowledge of the historical development of Islamicate civilization

 

Students will also learn how to

¬              assess complex primary and secondary historical material relating to Islamicate civilization

¬              write critically about what they have read

¬              present clear, cogent, fact-based arguments about complex ideas

¬              research and write an academic term paper

 

Assessments

 

Students will be assessed on

¬           Class attendance and participation  20%

¬           Weekly writing assignments 30%

¬           A term-end research paper on a topic approved by the instructor 50%

 

Schedule*

 

1. September 1 Ð Introduction to the course and to the Study of Islamic Civilization

 

2. September 6 Ð Introduction to Islamic Civilization

              Assignment: Read Marshall Hodgson, The Venture of Islam, (hereafter Venture) vol. 1, pp. vi to 100 and write a one page summary of the authorÕs point of view.

 

3. September 8 Ð The World before Islam

              Assignment: Read Venture, vol. 1, pp. 101 Ð 145 and look at a copy of the Nicene Creed and the Chalcedonian Creed

 

4. September 13 Ð The Life of Muhammad and the Beginning of Islam

              Assignment: Read Venture, vol. 1, pp. 146 Ð 186; Quran, Surahs 1, 2, 4, 5, 12, 96 Ð 114; A. Rippin & J. Knappert, Textual Sources for the Study of Islam (afterward TSSI), pp. 42 Ð 58.  Write a one-page comparison between Surah 12 and the story of Joseph in Genesis.

 

5. September 15 Ð The Early Islamic State

              Assignment: Read Venture, vol. 1, pp. 187 Ð 230

 

6. September 20 Ð The Early Islamic State (Continued)

              Assignment: Review material read to date.

 

7. September 22 Ð The Struggle for an Islamic State

              Assignment: Read Venture, vol. 1, pp. 231 Ð 314.  Write a two-page paper describing and critiquing the role of religious minorities in the Islamic state.

 

8. September 27 Ð The Shar”Õ” Vision

              Assignment: Read Venture, vol. 1, pp. 315 Ð 358; TSSI, pp. 105 Ð 114.

 

9. September 29 Ð Muslim Personal Piety

              Assignment: Read Venture, vol. 1, pp. 359-409; TSSI, pp. 89 Ð 104.  Write a one-page thought paper on the relationship between personal piety and communal religious obligations in Islam.

 

10. October 6 Ð Falsafah, Kal‰m, and the Hellenistic Heritage

              Assignment: Read Venture, vol. 1, pp. 410 Ð 443

 

11. October 20 Ð The Development of Arabic Literary Culture

              Assignment: Read Venture, vol. 1, pp. 444 Ð 472; TSSI, pp. 115 Ð 133.

 

12. October 25 Ð Challenges to Absolutism

              Assignment: Read Venture, vol. 1, pp. 473 Ð 496; TSSI, pp. 134 Ð 147.

 

13. October 27 Ð The Establishment of an International Islamic Order

              Assignment: Read Venture, vol. 2, pp. vi Ð 61.  Write a one-page thought paper on the nature of ethnic and religious identity within Islamic empires.

 

14. November 1 Ð The Islamic Social Order

              Assignment: Read Venture, vol. 2, pp. 62 Ð 151

 

15. November 3 Ð The Intellectual and Scientific Traditions

              Assignment: Read Venture, vol. 2, pp. 152 Ð 200

 

16. November 8 Ð Institutional Sufism

              Assignment: Read Venture, vol. 2, pp. 201 Ð 254; TSSI, pp. 158 Ð 174.  Write a one-page thought paper on some aspect of Islamic asceticism and/or mysticism.

 

17. November 10 Ð Sunni Internationalism and its Challenges

              Assignment: Read Venture, vol. 2, pp. 255 Ð 292

 

18. November 15 Ð The Development of Persian Literary Culture

              Assignment: Read Venture, vol. 2, pp. 293 Ð 328.  Prepare a two-page proposal for your term paper.

 

19 November 17 Ð Comparing Islamic and Western Cultures

              Assignment: Read Venture, vol. 2, pp. 329 Ð 368  Submit an annotated bibliography for your term paper.

 

20. November 29 Ð The Mongols and After

              Assignment: Read Venture, vol. 2, pp. 369 Ð 436. 

 

21. December 1 Ð Court Culture and the Arts

              Assignment: Read Venture, vol. 2, pp. 437 Ð 531

 

22. December 6 Ð Islamic Expansion to 1503

              Assignment: Read Venture, vol. 2, pp. 532 Ð 575

 

23. December 8 Ð Course Review

 

24. December 13 Ð Course Review

 

25. December 15 Ð Term papers due on or before this date.

 

*Note that there are some Tuesdays and Thursdays on which the class will not meet.  These days are not listed on the schedule.  If there are questions, please consult the class LearnLink conference or the instructor.

 

General Policies and Requirements for this course

 

If you find that you are having any difficulties with the material in this course or its method of presentation, I will be pleased to discuss this matter with you or refer you to an appropriate source of help.  Emory University complies with the regulations of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and offers accommodations to students with disabilities. If you are in need of a classroom accommodation, please make an appointment with me to discuss this as soon as possible. All information will be held in the strictest confidence.

 

During the semester, I will be available by appointment to discuss matters related to the course with each student.  You can make an appointment by calling me at my office number, 404-727-2717, or by emailing me at gdnewby@emory.edu or gdnewby@learnlink.emory.edu.  During the semester, you will be expected to make a minimum of two appointments with me, one of which should be toward the end of the semester to discuss your research project.  My office is located in Callaway S-312, inside the Middle Eastern and South Asian Studies Department office.

 

Regular attendance is expected of all students, and will be a component of your grade.  If you find that you must be absent, please send a notice to the confidential LearnLink conference for this class indicating the reason for your absence.  If you cannot post your reason before your absence, please do so as soon as you can after you are able.

 

All reading assignments must be completed before the class period they are due.  They will form the basis for class discussion.

 

Writing assignments are due at the beginning of class on the day they are due.  They should be submitted electronically to the appropriate LearnLink conference for this course as well as handed in as printed hard copy at the beginning of class.  The electronic version should be in Microsoft Word© or, if you use another word processing software, in RTF format.  The printed version should be double spaced in 12-point type on white paper.  Your name and the date of the assignment should appear in the upper left-hand corner.

 

This course, like all courses in Emory College, is under the Honor Code.  You must do your own work, even though collegial collaboration is encouraged.  Please retain evidence of your own work (research notes, drafts, etc.) until the end of the course and a grade has been assigned.  If asked, you should be prepared to produce evidence that you have adhered to the Honor Code and done your own work.

 

Please note that the latest version of the syllabus will be the one posted on the class LearnLink conference.  Please refer to that version for any changes and additions.

 

 

 

 

 

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MES 160/REL 150: Introduction to Sacred Texts

  Professors Gordon Newby and Vernon Robbins,

Fall 2006: MWF 9:35-10:25, MAX 50

 Cross-listed with REL150

 

 Content: An introduction to the life of oral and written sacred traditions in Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Hindu communities in various periods. We explore sacred texts in translation and investigate their origins, their transmission, and the processes by which they became authoritative for their communities. We will study ways the texts were interpreted in the past, how they are used and understood today,  and we will visit local worship communities to observe contemporary uses  of sacred texts. In addition to the written texts we will delve into the sights, sounds, feel, and in some cases, the taste of some of the world's most sacred texts.

 

Texts: 

 

¥   Willard G. Oxtoby, World Religions: The Western Traditions

¥   Muhammed Marmaduke Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran

¥    New Oxford Annotated Bible

 

Particulars: There will be short written assignments on LearnLink, some short site visit reports, three short examinations during the semester, and a comprehensive final examination. The course fulfills General Education Requirements IV.A. (Humanities) and V.C. (Historical, Cultural, and International Perspectives).