Spring 2010

ARA 372 • CLASSICAL ISLAMIC STUDIES-W

Course Description

This writing-intensive, upper-division course is designed to provide students with an overview of the core religious disciplines of classical Islam, and to prepare interested students for further study in one or more of these disciplines. We will focus on the history, development and substance of the following four religious disciplines: scriptural exegesis ("tafsir"), study of the Prophetic tradition ("hadith"); systematic theology ("kalam"); and law ("fiqh"). Writing assignments will consist of biweekly reflection papers. This course will assume a basic knowledge of Islam.

Grading Policy

Attendance 14% Class participation 14% 6 response papers 12% each

Texts

An Introduction to the Sciences of the Qur'an Hadith Literature: Its Origin, Development and Special Features The Cambridge Companion to Classical Islamic Theology A History of Islamic Legal Theories

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