introductiontoislam.docVIP

Introduction to Islam Religion 025 Fall, 2005 M, W 11:00AM – 12:15PM 104 Saunders Hall Instructor: Ben White benjaminlwhite@ Office Hours: M, W 1:30PM – 2:30PM Credit/Prerequisites: 3 hours/none Course Purpose: Muslims are the second largest religious population in the United States, a statistic that holds true in the broader world, as well. Islam also happens to be the most rapidly growing religious system on the face of the earth. The expansion of media outlets, the gravity of current political events, and growing Muslim immigration to the US has sparked a rise in interest in the study of Islam from a variety of perspectives. This course is designed as an introduction to the histories, praxes, and beliefs of Islam. A second purpose of the class is to alert students to the problems that exist in studying religion, particularly religions that are “other”. Course Goals/Objectives: You will have successfully completed this course if/when you meet these course objectives: Understand the basic history, beliefs and practices of Islam; Understand the problems that have faced the study of Islam in Europe and North America over the past two hundred years; Master key Arabic terms; Gain familiarity with the varieties of classical Islamic primary texts; Are able to distinguish between various Muslim religious groups, such as Sunni, Shi’ite, Sufi, Ismaeli, etc.; Can conceptualize the social and religious milieu out of which Islam arose; Have personally wrestled with your own knowledge and conception of Islam through the reading, writing and mosque visit assignments; Understand the varieties of relationships which have and still exist between “the West” and Islam; Find yourself entering into informed, and sustainable, inter-religious dialogue with positions/persons which you consider as “other”. Required Materials: Frederick Mathewson Denny, An Introduction to Islam (2nd edition; New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1994); F.E. Peters, A Reader