REL 1150 - Introductions to Islam (4)

Tuesday,Thursday

01:00 PM - 02:47 PM

Main Campus Campus | Mathematics and Science Center | Room 130

Pre-Islamic Arabia, Muhammad and early Islamic history; the Qur’an and basic beliefs, practices and law; the Islamic Caliphate; Islam in the modern world and Muslims in America; women in Islam and other contemporary issues.

This course satisfies the General Education requirements in the Global Perspective Exploration and Writing Intensive in General Education.

Completion of the University Writing Foundation Requirement (WRT 160).

Office hours: By appointment 

The development of Islamic civilization during the late antiquity and medieval eras.

The foundational textual sources of Islam, specifically the Qur’an and Sunna.

The core beliefs and practices of the Islamic tradition and its theological and ethical underpinnings.

The development of key Islamic intellectual traditions such as theology and law.

The development of Sufism, or Islamic mysticism.

Muslims’ encounter with modernity and some of their responses to it, including the development of political Islamism.

The intertwining of Islamic and European civilizations and the experiences of western Muslims, especially in the US. 

The ways in which different sociohistorical contexts have impacted the interpretations and expressions of Islam.

Texting or using your cell-phone in any form during class is not tolerated and will result in an absence for the day and potential dismissal from the classroom.

1- John Esposito, What Everyone Needs to Know About Islam, 2nd ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2002).

2- Excerpts of primary sources and/or article(s) to be handed out or posted on Moodle.

Suggested Supplemental Readings:

1- Sayyed Nasr, Islam: Religion, History and Civilization (New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 2003). 

2- Hammudah Abd al-Ati, Islam in Focus, 3rd ed. (Maryland: Amana Publications, 1998).

3- John Esposito, Islam, the Straight Path, 5th ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2011).

Reading: Class will be lecture based with a strong focus on course texts. Texts will be the basis for lectures; it is crucial that students keep up with assigned readings. 

Evaluation Components (Please see detailed description below):

Examinations (50%):

Midterm Exam (20%): There will be a Midterm Exam on Thursday, February 20 at 1:00 pm. The midterm is worth 20% of your overall grade and will cover all the material presented to that point.  The exam will consist of six essay questions, of which each student must select three. The questions should be answered with an essay of 150-250 words each (for a total of 450-750 words).

Final Exam (30%): There will be a Final Exam on Tuesday April 21, 12:00 to 3:00 pm. The Final exam will consist of six essay questions, of which each student must select three. The questions should be answered with an essay of 150-250 words each (for a total of 450-750 words for the final exam.) 

The final exam will be cumulative and is worth 30% of your overall grade.  If you are unable to attend the exam on the specified date, you must inform and gain approval from me at least one week prior to the exam.  If you simply do not attend, you will receive a failing grade for that exam, no exceptions. 

Be sure to check your final exam schedule for all your classes at the beginning of the semester, so that you can adequately prepare yourself in the event that you have more than one exam in a single day. 

Alternative testing accommodation will only be made for those who are registered with Student Disabilities Services (SDD) as requiring such accommodations. (See below, “Recommendations for Success,” for more info.) 

Term Paper (30%):

Each student is expected to write a final paper. The paper must be 4000 words long (approximately 10-15 double spaced pages).  This paper is not to be simply a book report, but the student should formulate an argument, demonstrating knowledge and understanding of the subject matter chosen and making a point of his/her own. While the student should formulate an argument, the paper should be grounded in the literature/resources used and not a long/personal rant. You should elect your research topic on or before Thursday February 13. The graded term paper is due on Thursday, April 16.  Papers received after this date will not be accepted.

The argument should be introduced in the first paragraph(s) of the paper, and then move on to a discussion of the available literature on it. After surveying appropriate scholarship on the subject, then a conclusion should be formulated in the final part of the paper. The bibliography for the paper should include at least five books. Only web articles from peer-reviewed academic journals will count. The topic is up to the student, but topics should be cleared and approved with the instructor in advance.  

Quizzes (10%)

There will be a brief quiz at the end of every session. These will not be “pop quizzes” since each session will be concluded with a quiz. However, only 5 of these will be graded. Each graded quiz is worth 2% of your final grade. Quizzes will cover major points presented during lecture, and serve to reinforce these major points (as well as encourage students to attend all lectures). No make-up quizzes will be offered unless the absence is due to a religious holiday (communicated to the professor well in advance) or an illness documented by a physicians’ note; for all other excuses please consult with the professor in advance.

Attendance and Participation (10%)

Attendance, involvement and participation in the discussion, showing personal initiative and keeping up with the readings will also be evaluated.  Students entering class later than 10 minutes after the start of class will be considered absent- so don’t be late!