Syllabus Religion 4301, Fall 2009
Islamic Thought in the Caliphal Age
Dr. Godlas
Class time: Tu/Th 3:30-4:45 Peabody 219a.
Office hour:
Thursday, 2:30-3:30, 217 Peabody,
phone 706-542-1486
Email: godlas@uga.edu ; website:
www.uga.edu/islam
Orientation of the Course:
We will study
Islamic thought in the Caliphal Age through the lenses of what I call
Religiology. Namely, we will following a specific analytical method, emphasizing
the categories of inquiry and questions noted below:
1) Epistemology: What do the
people in question believe the basis of valid knowledge should be? And what
should they rely on to help them interpret and understand that knowledge? (i.e.
the field of hermeneutics)
2) Ontology: What do they believe is really real?
(a) Theology: What do people believe about God?
(b) Cosmology; What do people believe are the characteristics
of the whole of existence/cosmos?
(c) Cosmogony: What do people
believe about the beginning of existence?
(d) Eschatology: What do people believe about existence
during the "last days", leading up to and during the hereafter?
3) Anthropology: What do they believe human nature
is? Who are we as human beings? What
do they believe their identities are?
4) Psychology: What do they believe human
consciousness consists of?
5) Teleology: What do they believe the purpose(s) of
life is?
6) Methodology: What do they believe should be the
various methods of achieving the purpose(s), methods such as (a)
religio-spiritual; b) legal ; c) ethical ; d) political ; e) military ; f)
social methods?
Objectives of Course:
1)
To learn a methodology for
the scholarly study of religion and to apply it; and
2)
To gain a broad knowledge of the
major theological and theology-related beliefs of Muslims during the Caliphal
age.
3)
To learn a basic vocabulary
of concepts and names that are crucial to understanding Islam and Muslims.
Prerequisites:
Junior or Senior standing or
permission of the department.
Required Text:
Tim Winter, ed. The Cambridge
Companion to Classical Islamic Theology.
(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008).
Various additional short readings
as needed.
Recommended:
www.uga.edu/islam Dr. Godlas' Islam and Islamic
Studies Resources website.
Homework:
You will be expected to have read
the week's chapter during the weekend prior to classroom discussion of that
chapter.
Review Sheets:
Dr. Godlas will distribute a list
each week of approximately 20 important words, names, and concepts. You will be tested on both these and
sometimes other material during the two midterms and final.
Group projects:
In teams of three, pick a total of 6 key names, terms, or
topics in the week's chapter, those that are not on Dr. Godlas' review lists,
and construct an oral and written report for the class as follows:
After listing one key name, term,
or topic note the following:
1)
why it is significant
2)
something brief concerning what is said about it in the chapter
3)
at least a few sentences that the Encyclopedia of Islam or the Encyclopaedia of Religion says about it. This must go beyond what was said in
the book.
4)
At least a few sentences that the author of an online article
found through JSTOR or an article found through Index Islamicus says about it; and include the bibliographical
information for the article
Research paper:
7 pg. minimum, after a one page brief historical-contextual
discussion, a religiological analyis of a book written by or about one of
the authors of the Khalifal age
Additional Requirements for
Graduate and Honors Option Students:
Graduate/Honors and/or option
students will be required to do additional readings, submit a well-documented
fifteen page analytical and research paper comparing two Caliphal age Muslim
authors (chosen after consulting with Dr. Godlas), and meet periodically
outside of class with Dr. Godlas, among other responsibilities.
Grading:
90-100 = A,
80-89 = B, 70-79 = C, 60-69 = D, and less than = F
2% initial religiological analyses
8% attendance
15% group project
20% research paper
30% midterms
25% final exam
WEEKLY PLAN
Week 1: August
17-20
Esposito,
"10 Things Everyone Needs to Know about Islam,"
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/georgetown/2007/07/muslims_speak_out.html
Week 2: August 24-27, CIT Introduction, pp. 1-16.
Aug 27 Religiological Analyes due
Week 3: August
31- Sept 3 CIT ch. 1
Qur'an and Hadith
Week 4 Monday
Sept. 7 holiday; classes Sept. 8-10, CIT ch. 2
The Early Creed
Week 5- Sept. 14-17, CIT ch. 3
Islamic Philosophy
Week 6- Sept. 21-24 CIT Ch.4
The Developed Kalam Tradition
Week 7- Sept. 28-Oct. 1 Test, CIT ch.5
The Social Construction of Orthodoxy
Week 8 Oct. 5-8 CIT ch.6
God: Essence and Attributes
Week 9 – Oct. 12-15
CIT ch.7
Creation
Week 10 – Oct. 19-22 CIT ch.8
Ethics
Week 11 – Oct 26-Nov. 5 CIT ch.14
Epistemology and Divine Discourse
Week 12 Nov.
9-12 CIT ch.11
Worship
Week 13 – Nov. 16- 19 Test 2 CIT ch.12
Theological Dimensions of Islamic Law
Week 14 -- Nov. 23-27 Thanksgiving Break, no class
Week 15 – Nov. 30- Dec. 3 CIT ch.13
Theology and Sufism
Week 16 - Dec.
7 Monday last day of class
Review
Final exam: Exam: Tues., Dec. 15, 3:30 - 6:30 pm
Honesty Policy: The
UGA Academic Honesty Policy will be followed. In other words, all academic work
must meet the standards contained in "A Culture of Honesty." Students are responsible
for informing themselves about those standards before performing any academic
work. The link to more detailed information about academic honesty can be found
at http://www.uga.edu/ovpi/honesty/acadhon.htm
Changes
to this Syllabus: The instructor reserves
the right to make any changes to this syllabus. The course syllabus is a
general plan for the course; deviations announced to the class by the instructor
may be necessary. Changes will be posted on WebCT.