IV. Islam
and modernity
| For this date |
Reading to do |
Things to do |
Submit Deadline |
| Tue. 10/14 |
No new reading. (Class will be an introduction
to Islam via video.) |
Work on the midterm exam! Don't put it off
to the last minute. |
-- |
| Thur. 10/16 |
Machina, "Understanding
Islam" pp. 1 - 16 |
Make a note of the things you would like to talk
about in class from this reading. There will be a short quiz on the
reading. |
Quiz, Thur. 10/16 |
| Tue. 10/21 |
Machina, "Understanding
Islam", finish. |
In addition to
reading this relatively short material, complete your midterm exam. |
Exam Tue. 10/21 |
| Excerpts from
Al Quran |
| Thur. 10/23 |
Machina, "Secular
vs Islamic Nation-state" |
Write a brief
answer: Why is it reasonable to say that those Muslims who demand that
Muslim countries become Islamic states are fundamentalists? |
Thur. 10/23 |
| al-Khatib, "Why
Islamic States?" |
| Associated Press, "Saudis and the Religious
Police" |
This news article provides some concrete
information about what life under a narrow interpretation of sharia law can
be like. |
-- |
| Tue. 10/28 |
Machina, "Al Quaeda" |
Take the online quiz found
here. What was your score?
What did you learn from this quiz? What are the most important things you learned from the reading?
Print and bring to class. |
-- |
| Anonymous, "Instructions
to the Hijackers" |
No need to try to remember all the
details in this reading. Get the spirit of the document. Think: were the
hijackers insane? religious? What sort of statement did they think
they were making? |
-- |
| PBS Frontline, compilation
of some Usama bin Laden public
statements |
Write: is bin Laden
presenting a coherent religious argument for violent "jihad" against the US?
What is his objection to the US? |
Tue 10/28 |
| Thur. 10/30 |
Tolston, "Defender of the Faith" |
What is it about Prof. el Fadl that makes him
count as a liberal reformer? |
Thur. 10/30 |
| Machina, "Islam
and Democracy" |
Try to understand why
democracy is problematic for some faithful Muslims. |
-- |
|
Here are the instructions for the second major writing project of the
term. Note the change in due date. |
Now Due
Tue. 11/11 |
| Tue. 11/4 |
No new reading. Review and catch up, as needed. |
Class will be about liberal reform and traditionalism in
Islam, so you might want to hold off on completing your essay plan until
you've been in this class. You should start your essay plan, though,
so you can ask questions in class. |
-- |
| See important note
here about the exam and the total points
shown at the top of the exams that were handed back. Some of those
totals were incorrect. |
| Note: Sample
good answers selected at random from the midterm exam are posted
here.
Take a look if you want to see what kinds of answers got full credit.
These were not necessarily the best answers in the class, but they each got
full credit. Each answer came from a different student. The
class as a whole is doing remarkably well, with no D's or F's on the exam,
and nearly 20% of the class working at "A" level taking everything into
account so far. |
| Here
is a list of video clips regarding Islam.
Here (will be posted on
Friday) are a couple of good essays from the first writing project this
semester that might give you some ideas about writing for this course.
Here is a summary of two kinds
of Islamic fundamentalism. |
| V.
Hinduism and modernity |
| Thur. 11/6 |
Machina, "Understanding Hinduism" |
Write a paragraph describing the most interesting things you
learned about Hinduism from the reading, to hand in. Write a list of
questions you have about the reading, to bring with you to class, but not to
hand in. |
Thur. 11/6 |
| Tue. 11/11 |
Brief samples of Hindu scriptures, found
here. |
Class will be about modern pressures on Hinduism. Look
above, at the end of the Islamic section of the course for more information
about the videos we used, and for samples of good essays from the first
writing project this semester. (Essays coming soon.) |
Islam project due. |
| Thur. 11/13 |
Some terms you need |
Keep this as a reference as you read. |
-- |
| Promotional
YouTube video for the Hindutva movement |
This video may or may not have any "official" sanction from
the R.S.S., but it fits the standard R.S.S. public relations stance very
well. Viewing it before doing the reading may help make the reading
come alive. (The R.S.S. is the largest and most prominent group
promoting the Hindutva philosophy.) |
-- |
| R.S.S. "Mission
and Vision" |
Watch for the role of Hinduism in
R.S.S. thinking. Is religion central to their mission? |
-- |
| R.S.S., "Hindutva" |
Write: If you were living in India and
you were a committed Muslim or Christian, how would you be likely to react
to this message? |
Thur. 11/13 |
| Tue. 11/18 |
View videos listed here |
See the thought questions included in the listing of the
videos. If you get interested in checking out further materials on all
this, be warned that there is a considerable amount of extremely biased
material out there. YouTube is full of videos making all sorts of
accusations related to Indian politics and religion. Wikipedia is
having a hard time getting reliable articles written on these subjects. For
example, the Wikipedia article on the R.S.S. appears to be written by an
R.S.S. supporter. |
-- |
| Thur. 11/20 |
Review as needed. |
Class will be devoted to questions and to discussion of the
third writing project.
Here
are the instructions for the writing project. Writing project due Dec.
2. |
Tue. 12/2 |
| Tue. 12/2 |
Review as needed. |
Class will be review and reflection on issues students want
to raise. Thoughtful attendance at this class will be worth one point. If
you are unable to attend
ask about an alternative assignment to complete. |
1 point possible |
| Thur. 12/4 |
Review as needed. |
Class session will be review and reflection, primarily
related to the final exam. Participation in this class will be worth one
point if you fill out the course evaluation form. If you are unable to
attend,
ask about an alternative way to earn the point. |
1 point possible |
|
Here is the final
exam. No in-class exam. You will be able to hand it in early if you
wish by turning it in or slipping it under the door at STV 323E. |
Thurs. 12/11,
noon. |
| Have a good break between semesters. Keep
safe. Congratulations to anyone graduating! |
