RELI
4302/6302 Islam in the
Modern World, Dr. Godlas Tu/Th 3:30-4:45
Email:
godlas@uga.edu
Website: http://www.uga.edu/islam phone 706-542-1486
Office hours: 6:15
-7:15 Tues.
Writing Teaching Assistant:
Tom Sorlie vertov@uga.edu
Note that everything on this syllabus (like our existence) is
tentative and is subject to change.
Updates will be put on the WebCT website for the class, which you should
regularly check.
Requirements: Junior or Senior standing or
consent of instructor
Course Description
We will be studying the following:
a)
current issues that are important to Muslims in the U.S. and
abroad and issues concerning Islam that are important to non-Muslims.
b)
specific countries of the Muslim world and issue that are relevant
to them
c)
a method of critical thinking that I call "hermeneutical
analysis and understanding," which involves attempting to understand our
inherent biases with regard to Islam (not in order to get rid of such biases
but to understand them), and thereby use our biases to inform and enrich our
understanding of ourselves and Islam and to enhance our ability to speak wisely
about it and any viewpoint.
d)
a method for analyzing worldviews that I call "religiological
analysis" and using this method (in conjunction with "hermeneutical
analysis") to enhance our understanding of the Muslim viewpoints that we
will encounter in class.
Specifically, we will study beliefs of Muslims in the modern world through
the lenses of the following areas of inquiry and questions:
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 belief 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 achieve the purpose(s), methods
such as (a) religio-spiritual; b) legal ; c) ethical ; d) political ; e)
military ; f) social methods?
A WIP Course: Note that this is called a writing
intensive program (WIP) course. This means that you will be coached-- step by
step-- in the writing process by your writing teaching assistant, Tom Sorlie. Sometime next couple of weeks he will
hand out a schedule.
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 many of the major issues in various
regions where there are Muslims, including in the U.S.;
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.
Texts:
1)
Patel, Acts of Faith (AOF)
2)
Esposito and Mogahed, Who Speaks for Islam? (WSI)
3)
Ali-Karamali, The Muslim Next Door (MND)
4)
Ayoob,
The Many Faces of Political Islam (MFPI)
5)
Moezzi, War On Error (WOE)
6)
Various articles Dr. Godlas will assign from his website http://www.uga.edu/islam , and on linked on
the WebCT page for the class. If
you forget the url of his page, you can just google "Islamic
Studies".
Tests and Grading:
1) 15% a midterm, covering the main terms and concepts in the
articles noted in the schedule. A
study guide will be available on the WebCT.
2)
15% final exam on the last day of class: it is comprehensive, covering terms,
name, and concepts used throughout the semester. A study guide will be available on the WebCT.
3) 10% attendance and
participations
4)
35 % major paper in stages
5) 25 % written discussion (WD) of class books, these consist of 5
summaries of the books (1/3) and (2/3) hermeneneutical analysis of a reaction
of yours to each.
Additional Requirements for Graduate and Honors Option
Students:
Graduate students will be required to do additional readings,
submit a well-documented fifteen page analytical and research paper comparing
two modern Muslim authors 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
Class Schedule
Week 1 and 2: Lecture--Hermeneutical and Religiological Analysis:
the case of Islam
Assignments: Week 1, Aug 19-21 Read and learn by
the weekend of the first week.
Esposito, "10
Things Everyone Needs to Know about Islam,"
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/georgetown/2007/07/muslims_speak_out.html
and Kaltner,
"Talking With Churches About Islam," (Professr Kaltner teaches at
Rhodes College in Memphis, TN. The article is on a Christian website, the
Congregational Resource Guide.)
http://www.congregationalresources.org/kaltner.asp
Assignment: Week
2, Aug 26-28 Read Article by Prof. John Voll,
"Islam" (Surveys Islamic
history)
http://www.cqpress.com/context/articles/epr_islam.html (Professor Voll teaches at George
Washington University. This
article was published in Congressional Quarterly, 2001.) A term sheet for this article is
on WebCT.
Read Dr. Godlas' article
on "Islam and Hermeneutical and Religiological Analysis" posted on
WebCt
Week
3: Sept. 2-4 In class discussion of website-based assignments
Due Sept. 2, Pick out at least three articles of interest on the
main page of Dr. Godlas' website, read them, jot down some notes (to be handed
in to Mr. Sorlie), and be prepared to give two minute-long reports on each of them,
and discuss them briefly in class.
Due for Sept. 4 Look at the section on his site called
"Islam, the Modern World, and the West" http://www.uga.edu/islam/islamwest.html
, surf through at least three of the topics in the table of contents on this page,
jot down some notes (to be handed in to Mr. Sorlie, and be prepared to discuss
them briefly in class.
Week 4 Tues. Sept. 9
Roundtable discussion with FLTAs and Islamic Studies Grad. Students, due Sept
11, responses to discussion posted on WebCt
Due Sept. 9 Religiological analyses of self, a male and female
peer (not in this class and who has not taken Dr. Godlas' classes), and someone
of an older generation. (Try to
find people who you think may have views different from your own.) Your religiological self-analyses will
form the basis of one of part of your final paper.
Sept. 11, In class discussion of religiological analyses, bring a
copy of yours to class.
Week 5 Tues Sept. 16 review lecture and discussion of hermeneutical
and religiological analysis of Islam
Thurs, Sept. 18, Test One on Esposito, Kaltner, and Voll articles
and hermeneneutical and religiological analysis in general and as they pertain
to Islam.
Week 6-7 lecture, read, and discuss (orally and in writing) AOF, at end WD 1 due
Week 8-9 lecture, read, and discuss WSI, WD 2 due
Week 10-11 lecture, read, and discuss MND, WD 3 due
Week 12-13 lecture, read and discuss MFPI, WD 4 due
Week 14 read and discuss WOE, WD 5 due
Week 15 review, and paper due.
Week 16 Final Exam Tues, Dec. 4
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.