Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2017 - HIST 469 D100

Islamic Social and Intellectual History (4)

Class Number: 4114

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 5 – Dec 4, 2017: Wed, 1:30–5:20 p.m.
    Vancouver

  • Prerequisites:

    45 units including nine units of lower division history. Recommended: one of HIST 249 or 352.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Advanced analysis of specific problems in Islamic social and intellectual history, with an emphasis on traditional patterns and on their transformation in the modern world.

COURSE DETAILS:

A Martian visitor in the 16th century “might well have supposed that the human world was on the verge of becoming Muslim,” says historian Marshall Hodgson, in surveying the civilizational thriving of the Ottomans, Mughals and Safavids.  What drove this rise, and the very different modernity that came to pass?  We will explore cultural, political, economic, spiritual and scientific themes in the making of Muslim societies and civilizations — beyond the traditional focus on the Arab Middle East, and including the Euro-North American diaspora.  How have communities of women and men shaped, and been shaped by, ideas which lie at the heart of “Islamic” dispositions, including the shari’a?  Is the secular-religious divide a useful tool of understanding?  What do we learn from the multitude of historical encounters with other faith traditions, including the Judeo-Christian and Hindu-Buddhist, into modernity?  Our survey will draw on multimedia resources in covering such features of the landscapes of Muslim history as the umma (community), the city, gender, ethics and justice, learning, art, charity, and jihad (striving).  These have been invoked and transformed by Muslim communities — Shi’a and Sunni alike — amid the interplay of colonialism, technology, nationalism, globalization, and identity politics into the post-9/11 era.

Grading

  • Active participation in class is expected, with attendance in all sessions. Weekly readings for presentation & discussion will be assigned, on the basis of working groups formed at the outset. Three short reports that provide an analysis of selected readings are required. The final essay (3000 words) will be based on a selection of topics from the course.
  • Reading Reports 30%
  • Presentations 20%
  • Participation 10%
  • Final Paper 40%

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Ira Lapidus.  A History of Islamic Societies.  3rd ed (pbk). Cambridge University Press, 2014 (ISBN 0521732972).

Library Reserves: J. Esposito, ed.  The Oxford History of Islam (1999, e-book); C. De Bellaigue, The Islamic Enlightenment: The Struggle Between Faith & Reason, 1798 to Modern Times (Norton, 2017); A. Sajoo, ed. A Companion to the Muslim World (2009); A. Rippin, ed. The Islamic World (2011); A. Singer, Charity in Islamic Societies (2008).                    

Registrar Notes:

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://students.sfu.ca/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS