Department of History
Bashiri
1043 Heller Hall
Telephone: 624-3314
e-mail: bashi001@umn.edu
web: irajbashiri.com
Office hours: M, 11:15-12:00; F, 1:15-2:00
Or by appointment
SYLLABUS
Islam and the West
CAS/MELC 3533; GLOS 3643; HIST 3546; RELS 3714
Conceptual Frame:
This course focuses
on the cultural and intellectual trends that have defined the fundamental
differences between Islam and the West. It examines the development of the
historical, philosophical, and intellectual mindset of both spheres and points
out factors that have contributed and continue to contribute to tension,
anxiety, and hatred between the peoples of the Middle East and Europe and the
Objectives:
- Acquaint the students with the fundamental differences between Islam and Western culture
- Equip students with the means for a better understanding of international events
- Teach students to distinguish different trends and accept them for what they are
- Discuss factors that create tension, anxiety and hatred among peoples and nations
- Examine aspects of Islamic and European cultures that inspire respect and emulation
Class Sessions:
January
21 Introduction
to the course; course content, materials to be covered, office hours; tests;
book report; paper; grades, etc.
Assignment: W121 From the Hymns of Zarathustra to the Songs of
Borbad (beginning to the Achaemenians)
23 The
Indo-European Background of Iranian peoples
Assignment: W121 From the Hymns of Zarathustra to the Songs of
Borbad (Achaemenians to the end);
oral
reports assigned
written
reports assigned.
26
Achaemenian and Sassanian
Assignment: W119 Firdowsi's Shahname; W120 The Role of Farr in
Firdowsi's Shahname
28 Discussion of
the role of Farr as the mainstay of Iranian government
Assignment: B604.
Grimal, pp. 97-110.
E-reserve URL: http://eres.lib.umn.edu/eres/coursepage.aspx?cid=1603
30 The Greco-Roman
and Iranian accounts of creation
Assignment: B602.
Engels, pp. 54-118
February
2
"The Search for Alexander the Great"
Assignment: None
4
Reports
Assignment:
6 Study Guide I; Reports
9 Exam
One
Assignment: B596,
The Cambridge History of Islam, pp. 3-29;
B538, Esposito, pp. 3-36; B540, Farah, pp. 103-124.
11
Prophet Muhammad and the Rise of Islam
Assignment: B538, Esposito, pp. 68-116; B540, Farah,
pp.125-150.
13 The Pillars of the Islamic Faith
Assignment: B538, Esposito, pp.
162-202
16 Schools of Islamic Law
Assignment: W236. Terminology Related to Islam; B589, Schimmel, pp. 98-186
18 Islamic Mysticism
Assignment: W184. Attar's Seven Valleys of Love; B577, Nicholson (optional)
20 "The Sufi Way"
Assignment: W231. "The Hajj Rituals"
23 "Sacred
Assignment: B553. Hunter, pp. 3-28;
51-76; 191-203
25 Islam in
Assignment: B605.
27 Islamic Art and Architecture is discussed.
Assignment: None
March
2 Reports
4 Reports
Assignment: B597. The
6 "The Republic of Plato"; Study Guide II distributed
Assignment: W238.
"The Ahuric Order and the Platonic Form"
9 Background
of Islamic philosophy
Assignment: W240.
"Interplay of Faith and Reason
11 Exam Two
13 Islamic
intellectual heritage is discussed.
Assignment: B575.
Utopia
23 Discussion of
Sir Thomas More's Utopia
Assignment: Animal Farm
25 "Animal
Farm"
Assignment: "The D'Arcy Concession" B563. Landen, pp. 174-177; 253-257.
27 Discovery of Oil
in the
Assignment: B563.
Landen, pp. 3-49
30 Westernization
of
Assignment: B557.
Ismael,(1985) pp. 59-79.
April
1 Reports
3
Reports
Assignment: None
6 Reports
8
Study Guide III distributed.;
10 The White
Revolution in
Assignment: B601.
Abrahamian, pp. 267-325
13 Exam Three
Communist movement in
Assignment: W230.
Muslims and Communists Vie for Power in Tajikistan;
B603. Fakhry, pp. 312-332. B606. Marx, pp. 95-106.
15 Communism in the
Muslim republics of the former
Assignment: B607.
Ismael (1982), pp. 1-41.
17 More's Utopia is
discussed
20 Humanism, Liberalism,
and Socialism are discussed
Assignment: W234.
"The Reforms of the Pahlavis"
22 Soviet response
to the Shari'a is discussed
Assignment: B603. Fakhry,
pp. 312-332.
24 Reports
27 Reports
29
Communist movement in
Assignment: W102.
Afghanistan: An Overview
May
1
Communist movement in
4
Liberal
movements in
Assignment: B603. Fakhry, pp. 333-367; W227. al-Afghani
6 The Brotherhood, Al-Qaeda and the revival of the Caliphate are discussed
8 Final Papers due; evaluate course
Study Guide IV distributed.Final Exam
The Final Exam will be on May 13, 1:30 pm 3:30 pm.
Assignments
There will be four tests, one book report, one oral report, one written report, and one paper. Attendance also carries points.
Book Report
Any book on Islam,
the West, or the interactions among Islamic and Western ideas is acceptable.
The book for the book report must have the instructor's approval. Approved book list. The book report is
due on May 4, 2009. It carries 10 points. Guidelines for Writing Book Reports.
Tests
There will be four tests. The dates for the tests are geared to the completion of the sections of the course devoted to each main topic. The exams will cover classroom discussions, reading assignments, and oral report. There will be no make-up tests. Exceptions will be made for hardship cases on an individual basis. The instructor should be informed of the reason for not taking the test in advance. Each test carries 10 points. The tests altogether are worth 40 points.
Reports
Each student participates in the gathering and delivering of information for two reports: an oral report and a written report. The topics for reports are assigned early in the course.
Oral Report
Oral Reports are
delivered on the day assigned. After the presentation, the report is emailed to
the instructor for review. When the instructor returns the corrected report,
the student reviews the changes and, by the next session, distributes
the report among the other members of the class, including the instructor. All
students are responsible for knowing the contents of all reports before a given
test. The oral report is graded for the quality of its overall contribution to
the class. Failure to participate at the time assigned results in the loss of 3
points. Failure to provide the class with a typed, final copy of the report
results in the loss of the rest of the points. The oral report carries 10
points. Look at Guidelines for Oral
Reports for further information.
Written Report
The rules for the Written Report are the same as for the Oral Report. Rather than presenting the report to the class in person, the report is turned in directly to the instructor. After review, it is distributed the same way. The written report carries 10 points. Altogether the reports carry 20 points.
Paper
The paper should be 10
pages double-spaced, typed, and presentable. It should deal with aspects of
Islam and its interaction with the cultures of the West. The paper should
include an introduction, a reasonable development of the topic proposed, and a
clear indication of diligent research. Look at Guidelines
for Writing Papers for information on writing the paper. The Paper is
due on May 8, 2009. The paper carries 27 points
as follows:
|
Aspects of paper |
# of points |
|
presentability |
2 |
|
relevance and originality |
5 |
|
introduction |
2 |
|
structure |
4 |
|
content |
8 |
|
conclusion |
2 |
|
footnotes & bibliography |
4 |
|
Total |
27 |
Attendance
Attendance is taken by passing a roster to be legibly signed. Each absence is worth half a point. Attendance carries 3 points.
Grading Scale
|
# of points |
Grade |
# of points |
Grade |
|
95-100 |
A |
65-70 |
C/S |
|
90-95 |
A- |
60-65 |
C-/S |
|
85-90 |
B+ |
55-60 |
D+ |
|
80-85 |
B |
50-55 |
D |
|
75-80 |
B- |
45-50 |
D- |
|
70-75 |
C+/S |
40-45 |
F |
Note on
Readings:
The following readings
are available at the Reserve Room at Wilson Library:
1. Abrahamian, Ervand. Iran Between Two Revolutions, Princeton University Press, 1982.
2. Esposito, John L. (1991). Islam: The Straight Path, NY: Oxford University Press.
3. Fakhry, Majid. (1970, 1983). A History of Islamic Philosophy, Columbia University Press.
4. Farah, Caesar. (1970, 1992). Islam: Beliefs and Practices, Barron's Educational Series. Engels, Donald W. Alexander the Great and the Logistics of the Macedonian Army, University of California Press, 1978.
5. Grimal, P. (1965). "Greece: Myth and Logic," in Larousse World Mythology, Hamlyn Publishing Group Limited, pp. 97-177.
6. Hunter, Shireen T. (ed.). Islam, Europe's Second Religion: The New Social, Cultural, and Political Landscape, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Praeger, 2002.
7. Irfan, Shahid. "Pre-Islamic Arabia," The Cambridge History of Islam, Vol. Ia, Cambridge U Press, 1970
8. Ismael, Tareq Y. and Jacqueline S. Ismael. Government and Politics in Islam, St. Martin's Press, 1985.
9. Landen, Robert G. The Emergence of the Modern Middle East, Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 1970.
10. Marx, Karl and Friedrich Engels. The Communist Manifesto, with an Introduction by A.J.P. Taylor, Penguin Classics, 1967.
11. More, Sir Thomas, Utopia, Penguin Classics, 1965 or any edition available.
12. Nicholson, Reynold A. The Mystics of Islam: An Introduction to Sufism, Schocken Books, 1975.
13. Orwell, George: Animal Farm, New York, New American Library, 1946.
14. Rogers, Michael (1976). The Spread of Islam, Elsevier Publishing.
15. Schimmel, Annemarie (1975) Mystical Dimensions of Islam, University of North Carolina Press.
16. The Republic of Plato, translated by Francis MacDonald Cornford, Oxford University Press, 1964 or any edition available.
The following
readings are from the general collection at Wilson Library:
Jihad: The Rise of Militant Islam in Central Asia,
Yale University Press.
Ali, Tariq (2000). The Clash of Fundamentalisms: Crusades, Jihads and
Modernity, Verso, 2002.
Chambers, James (1979). The Devil's Horsemen: The Mongol Invasion of Europe,
Oxford University Press.
Enloe, Cynthia (1989). Bananas, Beaches and Bases: Making Feminist Sense of
International Politics, U of California Press.
Hiro, Dilip. (1994 & 1995). Between Marx and Muhamad: The Changing Face
of Central Asia, Harper Collins Publishers.
Ismael, Tareq, and Jacqueline S. Ismael (1985). Government and Politics in
Islam, St. Martin's Press.
Lewis, Bernard (2002). What Went Wrong?, Oxford University Press.
Marx, Karl and Friedrich Engels. The Communist Manifesto, with an
Introduction by A.J.P. Taylor, Penguin Classics, 1967.
Said, Edward W. (1978). Orientalism, Vintage Books.