Religious Studies Program
Dr. Derek Maher
Office:
Austin 235
Office
Telephone: 328-5332
Assistant:
Mrs. Susan Adams 328-6121
Mailbox:
Brewster Building BA-327
Course
Description:
This
course is an historical and topical survey of the origins and development of
Islam. Special attention will be
given to pre-Islamic Arabia, the life and career of the Prophet Muhammad, the religious
life described in the Qur'an and the hadith, the development of the Muslim
community and its principal institutions, theological and legal schools,
philosophical and mystical developments, and art of the early period. By way of these inquiries, the student
should be able to:
·
Identify the Islamic
beliefs, practices, narratives, history, and art in the early period and
·
Compare and contrast
the assumptions, beliefs, and outlooks of different Islamic traditions and the
practices that result from those cultural assumptions.
Students
in this course will also:
·
Cultivate critical
thinking and reading comprehension skills and
·
Enhance their ability to
communicate more effectively, verbally and in writing.
These
objectives will be attained through lectures and classroom discussions. Challenging readings from a variety of
disciplines will supplement these strategies.
·
Two exams with essays
and short answers (20% each)
·
Four quizzes or film
review (5% each)
·
Attendance and class
participation (10%)
·
Final research paper or
project (15%)
·
Cumulative final exam (15%)
REQUIRED
READINGS:
·
Esposito, Islam:
The Straight Path, Third Edition,
Oxford University Press, ISBN: 0-19-518266-9
·
Tahrike Tarsile, Qur’an:
Text, Translation & Commentary Ali,
ISBN: 0-940368-32-3
Additional readings will be available
on the course Blackboard website. http://ecu.blackboard.com/ Students are
responsible for checking their email address linked to Blackboard system so
that they are assured of remaining up-to-date with reading assignments, exam
dates, and any other information relating to the course.
EXAMS:
Exams
will consist of essays and short questions. Generally, I will provide several essay questions from which
the student may select two to answer.
Short questions may be multiple choice, true and false, and simple
identification. Check the ECU
catalog in order to determine the date and time of the final exam. Students who maintain at least a 94%
average throughout the semester will be exempt from the final.
QUIZZES:
Quizzes
will be brief and focused on a narrow body of information. For example, one quiz will be on
mapping the Muslim world. There is
a series of maps on the Blackboard webpage. Students are expected to become familiar with these maps on
their own time.
FILM
REVIEW:
Students
will be expected to watch a film and write a three page review summarizing and
reacting to the content.
Students
who attend all classes, read all assignments on time, and demonstrate that they
are capable of being fully involved in all class discussions will earn full
marks for participation.
An
absence for a legitimate university-sanctioned reason will be excused. Students should consult the following
site to become familiar with the relevant ECU policies:
http://core.ecu.edu/psyc/wuenschk/docs00/University-Excused-Absence.htm
Quizzes,
exams, and other assignments may be made-up only if the absence is officially
excused by the University or is medically related (See Student Health for a
note).
Students who must be absent – excused or not
– are responsible for obtaining notes from a peer. After they have done so, they may ask
me for further clarification, but they should not ask me first.
Unexcused absences will result in grade reduction. After the 3rd unexcused
absence, 3% will be deducted from the final grade. Each additional absence will result in a deduction of a
further 3%. Please plan on
attending our class.
A
research paper is a particular form of writing that articulates and then argues
for a thesis. A thesis is a clear
and unambiguous statement that a research paper proves; it has the form, “I
will argue that X is true.” For
example:
·
This paper will demonstrate
that in the development of Islam in the classical period was largely a result
of Muhammad’s strategic choices.
·
Islamic norms relating
to the social and legal roles of women elaborated in the classical period made
them the most liberated women in the world at that time.
A
thesis must be controversial enough to raise interesting questions, a test that
is failed by the statement, “ECU students are human beings.” However, it does not need to be
something utterly revolutionary. A
thesis is a statement about which the author could be wrong. A matter of taste, such as the
statement, “Jimi Hendrix is the greatest guitarist in history,” does not count
as a thesis. Also off limits would
be an argument in favor of some normative posture, such as, “People throughout
the world should practice democracy.”
In
preparation for writing papers, each student will submit a two-page proposal
for their paper on a date to be specified. Each student will write a critique of the paper proposals of
three other students according to standards I will make available later. The final papers should be 12-15 pages. Please see the following website for
helpful guidance on writing research papers.
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/hypertext/ResearchW/
Authors
must employ a standardized style for footnotes and bibliography, such as the
MLA style. A paradigm, along with
other helpful information relevant to writing papers is available on-line at:
http://core.ecu.edu/engl/hecimovichg/4170-f03/writerstoolbox/writingtools.htm
See
also:
http://www.ecu.edu/cs-lib/Reference/refdesk/style.cfm
Both
the ideas and the quoted words of others must be footnoted properly. Failure to do so could constitute
plagiarism. While it is fine for
you to share resources and references with your peers, each person must do
their own work. If you are
uncertain as to whether you might be crossing the line between helpfulness and
cheating, please consult with me. On-line
resources, such as web pages, can be extremely unreliable when it comes to
religion. If you have doubts as to
the authenticity of your sources, please ask for my advice. If you use material from the web, the
particular URL of a referenced idea or passage must be footnoted just like any
other source. In no case should
you rely entirely upon websites.
Based
on the writing displayed in the paper or project proposal, some students will
be directed to take a draft of their paper to the Writing Center. The final version of the paper will not
be accepted and graded without a note from the Writing Center.
One
of the most powerful resources available for the study of religion is the ATLA (American Theological Library Association) Religion
Database. This valuable tool
provides information from 1949 on many topics in religious studies and includes:
more than one million bibliographic records covering the research literature of
religion in 35 languages, more than 350,000 article citations from 600
journals, more than 200,000 essay citations from 15,500 multi-author works, and
over 360,000 book review citations.
In order to foster research skills, each student is required to use
two resources found through the ATLA system. Please mark those
resources in your bibliography by placing the acronym “ATLA” beside those
sources. Access it at http://www.lib.ecu.edu/erdbs/atla.htm
Students
may employ web page resources, but they should be used sparingly. In no case should they constitute more
than 25% of the sources employed.
Both
the ideas and the quoted words of others must be footnoted properly. Failure to do so could constitute
plagiarism. While it is fine for
you to share resources and references with your peers, each person must do his
or her own work. If you are
uncertain as to whether you might be crossing the line between helpfulness and
cheating, please consult with me. On-line
resources, such as web pages, can be extremely unreliable when it comes to
religion. If you have doubts as to
the accuracy of your sources, please ask for my advice. If you use material from the web, the
particular URL of a referenced idea or passage must be footnoted just like any
other source.
Based
on the writing displayed in the paper or project proposal, some students will
be directed to take a draft of their paper to the Writing Center. The final version of the paper will not
be accepted and graded without a note from the Writing Center.
Additional
resources for research and writing papers in the field of Religious Studies can
be found at www.ecu.edu/religionprogram under
“Resources for the Academic Study of Religion”.
It is possible for Honors
student to take this course for Honors credit. Such students will be required to do an additional project
towards fulfillment of the Honors part of the course. Normally, this will consist of an extra paper on a topic
that is different from their other paper.
Students are free to pitch some other idea to me. Papers or other approved projects are
due on the day the main paper is due.
All
students are expected to comply with the principles of Academic Integrity
embodied in the ECU Honor Code.
Since violations can result in expulsion from the University,
suspension, or a grade of “F” for the course, students should become familiar
with what constitutes plagiarism, cheating, falsification, and other violations. Note also that according to ECU policy
mere attempts to plagiarize, cheat, or falsify qualify as violations. Consult the ECU Clue Book for details. http://www.ecu.edu/studenthandbook/III.htm
The
Writing Center offers students in-person and on-line assistance in
learning writing skills. Contact
the Writing Center for hours and locations at Bate (GCB) 2026 (328-2820). http://www.ecu.edu/cs-acad/writing/writingcenter/index.cfm
In
addition to providing students with personal counseling, the Center for Counseling
and Student Development in Wright Building 316 (328-6661) offers various
resources to assist students in their academic development. These include training in time
management, test taking, overcoming test anxiety, and academic motivation. http://www.ecu.edu/studentlife/counselingcenter/
East
Carolina University seeks to comply fully with the Americans with Disabilities
Act (ADA). Students requesting
accommodations based on a disability must be registered with the Department for
Disability Support Services located in Slay 138 (252) 737-1016 (Voice/TTY).
MEETING
WITH ME:
I
have 5 hours of scheduled office hours a week. Aside from those hours, I can often be found in my office. If the times I have indicated are not
practical, students are encouraged to see me before or after class. If students need to meet at another
time, I am sure I can be accommodating.
I encourage all students to come and see me as they begin to formulate
their research papers. This will
insure that the selected paper topic is appropriate and relevant.
LIBRARY:
All
students at ECU should become proficient in using library resources. The Joyner Library at ECU (accessible
on-line at http://www.lib.ecu.edu/)
has many valuable resources on Islam.
There are hundreds of books on religion in the stacks of Joyner Library. See the following website for help in
navigating your way around the Library.
Books on Philosophy, Psychology, and Religion have call numbers
beginning with the letter B. Books
on Islam have call numbers beginning with BP. Navigate your way around the library with the following
source:
http://geography.miningco.com/library/congress/blb.htm)
Additionally,
you can find information on religious traditions in books in other sections of
the library, including anthropology, art, geography, history, literature,
philosophy, and psychology. You
may also explore the film and music resources the library collects. One of the best resources available is
the library’s collection of journals.
Not only does the library have numerous religion journals in paper and
bound forms, but it is also possible to access a very large number of journals
on-line. (http://www.lib.ecu.edu/locator/main.cfm)
The library staff can be extremely helpful in learning to use all of these
resources. Don’t be shy about
asking for their help.
As
a student of East Carolina University, you also have free use of the Library
system at University of North Carolina — Chapel Hill (www.lib.unc.edu). Moreover, you can access just about any
book, journal or other resource in the world through the Inter-Library Loan. Many resources can be obtained within a
matter of days. Often, journal
articles can be delivered electronically within a day or two. The Joyner Library has a special office
for Inter-Library Loan services, located to the left of the front desk. You can access these resources on-line
at: http://jill.lib.ecu.edu/illiad/logon.html