The Qur an, Religious Pluralism, and Feminist Theology THEO Fall 2011

Transcription

1 The Qur an, Religious Pluralism, and Feminist Theology THEO Fall 2011 Class Time: Monday and Wednesday, 9:30 AM 10:45 AM Class Location: Healy 104 Instructor: Jerusha Lamptey Office: New North # 117 Office telephone: (202) jtl25@georgetown.edu Office hours: Friday, 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM and by appointment Theology Department: New North #120 Department telephone: (202) Department hours: Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM 5:00 PM COURSE DESCRIPTION What does the Qur an say about Judaism, Christianity, and other religions? Is Islam the only valid religion? Are all religions essentially the same? What perspectives on religious pluralism have been offered by theologians and scholars? Are other perspectives possible? This course will critically engage these questions, beginning with an examination of the Qur anic text. Upon this foundation, we will look at a variety of traditional and contemporary theological approaches to religious diversity, highlighting conclusions as well as methodologies. The final part of the course will be a constructive exploration of Christian feminist theology and the work of various Muslima scholars in an effort to identify new insights into and methods for articulating an Islamic theology of religious pluralism. COURSE OBJECTIVES This course will improve students abilities to: 1. identify and describe the major classifications of religious groups discussed in the Qur an and analyze the relationships among those groups 2. describe, question and contrast an array of traditional and contemporary Islamic approaches to religious pluralism 3. identify and compare the central tenets of Christian feminist theology and Muslima theology in general and specifically in relation to religious pluralism 4. explore new strategies for analyzing the Qur anic view of religious pluralism 5. critically read, research and write REQUIRED TEXTS For Purchase: Abdel Haleem, M.A.S. The Qur'an: English Translation and Parallel Arabic Text. New York: Oxford University Press USA, ISBN-10: , ISBN-13: Blackboard: The majority of class readings will consist of book chapters or articles posted on Blackboard. You are each responsible for downloading these materials. These readings are indicated by (BB) in the course schedule. Syllabus, The Qur an, Religious Pluralism, and Feminist Theology, Fall 2011, Page 1

2 COURSE REQUIREMENTS, ASSIGNMENTS & GRADING Attendance, Participation, Reading Journal 20% Weekly Blog Posts 10% Mid-Term Exam 20% Short Paper 20% Final Paper 30% Attendance, Participation, and Reading Journal Attendance and active participation in class are crucial. You are expected to complete all reading assignments, attend every class, arrive on time, and be prepared to discuss and raise questions about course readings. You are also expected to bring hard copies of the assigned reading to each class. You will be asked to maintain a Reading Journal. For every reading we cover in class, you will briefly summarize the three main contentions of the piece. The Journal is not meant to be a writing exercise. Rather, it is an exercise in critical reading and a tool with which to later refresh your memory about various authors. I will ask for you to periodically submit your Reading Journal via throughout the semester. More than two unexcused absences will negatively impact your final grade. You will be responsible for material covered while absent. Absences will be considered excused if they are due to a university-sponsored activity such as required travel for athletic events, religious observance, or illness. Please notify me as soon as possible via if you will miss class. Laptops will not be permitted in class, except in case of a documented learning disability. Use of other electronic devices/cell phones and texting are also not permitted. Weekly Blog Posts You will be required to post a weekly blog in response to a prompt question related to the assigned reading and class discussion. Blog posts are an opportunity for you to demonstrate comprehension of assigned readings, highlight connections with course themes, and raise questions for future class discussions. Posts should be approximately words and must be posted to the class blog ( fall2011/) by 5:00 PM on Tuesday of each week. Mid-Term Exam The mid-term exam will be a TAKE HOME short essay exam. It will cover topics from the Qur an, Traditional and Contemporary sections of the course. The exam will be given out on Monday 11/9/11 and will be due on FRIDAY 11/11/11 AT 12:00 NOON IN THE THEOLOGY DEPARTMENT. Papers You will be required to write two papers. For the first paper, several general topics will be provided. You will choose a topic and then develop your own thesis statement and argument. Topics and thesis statements must be submitted for review/feedback by 9/28/11 VIA PRIOR TO CLASS. Hard copies of papers will be due IN CLASS on 10/5/11. This paper should be 3-4 pages in length. For the final paper, you will write on a topic of your choice directly related to course themes and course materials. You will be required to submit your topic and a general outline by Wednesday 11/30/11 VIA PRIOR TO CLASS Syllabus, The Qur an, Religious Pluralism, and Feminist Theology, Fall 2011, Page 2

3 for review and feedback. Final papers must be submitted in hard copy by 12:00 NOON ON WEDNESDAY 12/14/11 in the Theology Department Office, NN #120. This paper should be approximately 7-9 pages and must include footnotes and a bibliography. Please reference the Chicago Manual of Style. Papers will be assessed based upon ideas, structure and clarity of argument, writing style, incorporation of appropriate resources, and mechanical/grammatical components. Late papers will result in the automatic lowering of the actual earned grade. ed papers will not be accepted. Extra Credit Throughout the semester, you will have the opportunity to earn extra credit. These opportunities mostly will be connected to participation in non-classroom activities, such as lectures, field-trips, and seminars. Such activities will be announced in class, and you will be asked to write a brief (2 page) reflection on your participation in order to earn extra credit. Reflections must be submitted within one week of the extra credit activity. Each of you may submit up to two extra credit assignments, with each assignment potentially worth 2 points (2%). Undergraduate Honor System You are expected to abide by the Georgetown University Undergraduate Honor System. If you have not already done so, please familiarize yourself with the material and information posted on the Honor Council's website: Specific information on and examples of plagiarism are available at: Academic Resource Center If you believe you have a disability, then you should contact the Academic Resource Center (arc@georgetown.edu) for further information. The Center is located in the Leavey Center, Suite 335. The Academic Resource Center is the campus office responsible for reviewing documentation provided by students with disabilities and for determining reasonable accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and University policies. COURSE SCHEDULE This schedule may be revised as needed and as appropriate. Readings and assignments are due on the date on which they are listed. INTRODUCTION 8/31/11 WEDNESDAY INTRODUCTION 9/5/11 MONDAY LABOR DAY: NO CLASS 9/7/11 WEDNESDAY WHAT IS THEOLOGY OF RELIGIONS? WHAT IS RELIGIOUS PLURALISM? Paul Knitter, Introduction, in Introducing Theologies of Religion (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2002): (BB) Veli-Matti Karkkainen, ed. Introduction, in An Introduction to the Theology of Religions (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2003): (BB) Syllabus, The Qur an, Religious Pluralism, and Feminist Theology, Fall 2011, Page 3

4 QUR AN AND RELIGION(S) 9/12/11 MONDAY WHAT IS THE QUR AN? Farid Esack, The Qur an as Written Word, in The Qur an: A User s Guide (Oxford: Oneworld, 2007): (BB) 9/14/11 WEDNESDAY BELIEVER (MUʾMIN) AND COVERER (KĀFIR) Qur an 2:285, 3:195, 8:2-4, 8:19, 8:63, 8:72-4, 33:73, 9:71, 9: , 10:103, 13:19-29, 23:1-11, 24:51, 24:62, 26: , 27:2-3, 27:53, 32:15-19, 40:28-45, 41:18, 42:26, 42:39, 47:2-3, 47:35, 48:5, 48:29, 49:10, 49:15, 51:35-36, 52:18, 52:27, 55:11-12, 58:22, 64:9, 66:5, 70:22-35, 76:11, 90:17, 98:7, 103:3. Qur an 2:19, 2:24, 2:34, 2:89-104, 2:250, 3:28-32, 3:100, 3:131, 3:141, 3:147, 4:37, 4:101, 4: , 4:151, 4:161, 5:67, 5:102, 6:89, 6:122, 7:50, 7:93, 7:101, 8:7-18, 9:2, 9:26, 9:49, 10:86, 11:42, 13:14, 13:35, 14:2, 16:27, 16:107, 17:8, 18: , 19:83, 22:44, 25:26, 25:52, 26:19, 27:43, 28:86, 29:54, 29:68, 30:13, 30:45, 33:1-8, 33:48, 33:64, 35:39, 36:70, 38:74, 39:32, 39:59, 40:25, 40:50, 40:74, 46:6, 47:10-11, 48:13, 58:4-5, 67:28, 69:50, 70:2, 71:26, 74:10, 76:4, 86:17. 9/19/11 MONDAY SUBMITTER (MUSLIM) AND ASSOCIATOR (MUSHRIK) Qur an, 2: , 3:52, 3:64, 3:80, 3:84, 3:102, 4:131, 5:111, 6:109, 6:163, 7:126, 8:26, 10:72-90, 11:14, 12:101, 16:89, 16:102, 22:78, 28:53, 33:35, 41:33, 43:69, 46:15, 66:5, 68:35, 72:14. Qur an, 2:105, 2:135, 2:221, 3:67, 3:95, 6:14, 6:23, 6:79, 6:106, 6:121, 6:137, 6:161, 9:1-7, 9:17, 9:28, 9:33, 9:113, 10:105, 12: , 15:94, 16:100, 16:120, 16:123, 22:31, 24:3, 28:87, 30:31, 30:42, 33:73, 40:84, 41:6, 42:13, 48:6, 61:9, 98:1-6. 9/21/11 WEDNESDAY NON-DENOMINATIONAL MONOTHEIST (ḤANĪF) AND HYPOCRITE (MUNĀFIQ) Qur an, 2: , 3:67, 3:95, 4:125, 6:79, 6:161, 10:105, 16:120, 16:123, 30:30. Qur an, 2:8-20, 2:217, 4:38, 4:61-64, 4:88-91, 4: , 5:61, 8:49, 9:61-113, 24:47-50, 24:53, 29:10-11, 33:1, 33:12-20, 33:25-26, 33:48, 33:60-62, 33:73, 47:16, 48:6, 57:13-15, 58:8, 58:14-19, 59:11-17, 63:1-8, 66:9. FIRST PAPER TOPICS DISTRIBUTED 9/26/11 MONDAY PEOPLE OF THE SCRIPTURE (AHL AL-KITĀB), JEWS (YAHŪD), CHILDREN OF ISRAEL (BANĪ ISRĀʾĪL), NAZARENES (NAṢĀRĀ), SABIANS (ṢĀBIʾŪN), MAGIANS (MAJŪS) Qur an, 2:62, 2:213, 2:146, 3:19-20, 3:64-80, 3:98-101, 3: , 3:187, 3:199, 4:44, 4:51, 4:123, 4:153, 4:162, 4:171, 4:159, 5:5, 5:16-5:19, 5:51-59, 5:65-68, 5:77, 5:82, 6:20, 9:29, 27:76, 28:53, 29:46-47, 32:25, 33:26-27, 41:45, 42:14, 43:65, 45:17, 57:27-29, 59:2-4, 59:11-14, 74:31, 98:1-6. Syllabus, The Qur an, Religious Pluralism, and Feminist Theology, Fall 2011, Page 4

5 Qur an, 2:62, 2:79, 2:87, 2:912:96, 2: , 2:120, 2:135, 4:46-47, 4: , 5:18,5:41-44, 5:59, 5:70, 9:30, 59:2-4, 62:6-8. Qur an, 2;40, 2:47-54, 2:93, 2:122, 2:211, 2: , 3;49, 3:93,4:153, 5:12, 5:20 5:32, 5:46, 5:72, 5:110, 7: , 10:93, 17:2, 17:101, 19:58, 20:77-80, 26:17, 26:22, 26:60-67, 26:197, 27:76, 32:23-24, 40:53, 45:16, 46:10, 61:5, 61:14, 62:5. Qur an, 2:62, 2: , 2:120, 2:135, 2:140, 3:67, 5:14, 5:18, 5:51, 5:69, 5:82, 9:30, 22:17. Qur an, 2:62, 5:69, 22:17. 9/28/11 WEDNESDAY DISCUSSION OF QUR AN AND RELIGION(S) INTERPRETING THE QUR AN: METHOD, CONTEXT, AND CONTENT Farid Esack, Understanding and Interpreting the Qur an, in The Qur an: A User s Guide (Oxford: Oneworld, 2007): (BB) FIRST PAPER: TOPIC AND THESIS STATEMENT DUE TRADITIONAL PERSPECTIVES 10/3/11 MONDAY POLEMICS, APOLOGETICS & DIALOGUE Wadi Haddad, A Tenth-Century Speculative Theologian s Refutation of the Basic Doctrines of Christianity: Al Baqillani (d. AD 1013), in Christian-Muslim Encounters, eds. Haddad and Haddad (Gainesville, FL: University of Florida, 1995): (BB) Theodore Pulcini, Exegesis as Polemical Discourse: Ibn Hazm on Jewish and Christian Scriptures (Atlanta; Scholars Press, 1998): and (BB) 10/5/11 WEDNESDAY DEFINING BELIEF (ĪMĀN) Abu Ubayd, On Faith, in Classical Islam, eds. Calder, Mojaddedi, and Rippin (London: Routledge, 2003): (BB) Al-Nawawi, Faith and Divine Decree, in Classical Islam, eds. Calder, Mojaddedi, and Rippin (London: Routledge, 2003): (BB) Ibn al-jawzi, Edicts of the Caliph al-qadir, in Classical Islam, eds. Calder, Mojaddedi, and Rippin (London: Routledge, 2003): (BB) FIRST PAPER DUE 10/10/11 MONDAY COLUMBUS DAY: NO CLASS 10/12/11 WEDNESDAY QUR AN COMMENTARY (TAFSĪR) Ibn Kathir, Tafsir Ibn Kathir, excerpts on Surah al-mu minun, Surah al- Munafiqun, and Surah al-kafirun (online at Syllabus, The Qur an, Religious Pluralism, and Feminist Theology, Fall 2011, Page 5

6 10/17/11 MONDAY MYSTICISM & UNITY OF RELIGIONS CONTEMPORARY PERSPECTIVES 10/19/11 WEDNESDAY TOLERANCE AND DIALOGUE Excerpts from Jalaluddin Rumi s Mathnavi and Farid Ud-Din Attar s Conference of the Birds. (BB) William C. Chittick, Diversity of Beliefs, in Imaginal Worlds: Ibn al- Arabi and the Problem of Religious Diversity (New York: State University of New York, 1994): (BB) Abdulaziz Sachedina, The Qur'an and Other Religions, in The Cambridge Companion to the Qur an, ed. Jane Dammen McAuliffe (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2006): (BB) Mohamed Talbi, Islamochristiana excerpt and A Community of Communities, in Encounters and Clashes (Rome: PISAI, 2000): and (BB) 10/24/11 MONDAY ISLAMIC EXCLUSIVISM, INCLUSIVISM, AND PLURALISM? (1) Asghar Ali Engineer, Islam and Pluralism, in The Myth of Religious Superiority: A Multifaith Exploration, ed. Paul Knitter (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 2005): (BB) Joseph Lumbard, Qur anic Inclusivism, in The Religious Other: Towards a Muslim Theology of Other Religions in a Post-Prophetic Age, ed. Muhammad Suheyl Umar (Lahore: Iqbal Academy Pakistan, 2008): (BB) 10/26/11 WEDNESDAY ISLAMIC EXCLUSIVISM, INCLUSIVISM, AND PLURALISM? (2) Muhammad Legenhausen, A Muslim s Non-reductive Religious Pluralism, in Islam and Global Dialogue: Religious Pluralism and the Pursuit of Peace, Edited by Roger Boase (Surrey: Ashgate, 2005): /31/11 MONDAY MYSTICISM REVISITED 11/2/11 WEDNESDAY (RE)DEFINING FAITH Mahmut Aydin, A Muslim Pluralist: Jalaluddin Rumi, in The Myth of Religious Superiority: A Multifaith Exploration, ed. Paul Knitter (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 2005): (BB) Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Religion & Religions, in The Religious Other: Towards a Muslim Theology of Other Religions in a Post-Prophetic Age, ed. Muhammad Suheyl Umar (Lahore: Iqbal Academy Pakistan, 2008): (BB) Syllabus, The Qur an, Religious Pluralism, and Feminist Theology, Fall 2011, Page 6

7 Farid Esack, Redefining Self & Other: Iman, Islam, & Kufr, in Qur an, Liberation and Pluralism: Am Islamic Perspective on Interreligious Solidarity Against Oppression (Oxford: Oneworld, 2002): (BB) 11/7/11 MONDAY THEOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY & RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY Ismāʿīl Rājī Al-Faruqi, The Role of Islam in Global Inter-Religious Dependence and Islam and Other Faiths, in Islam and Other Faiths (Leicester, UK & Herndon, VA: The Islamic Foundation & The International Institute of Islamic Thought, 1998): and (BB) 11/9/11 WEDNESDAY CONTEMPORARY METHODS, CONCEPTION OF DIFFERENCE, INTEGRATION None MID TERM ASSIGNED 11/11/11 FRIDAY MID TERM DUE AT 12:00 NOON IN THEOLOGY DEPARTMENT MUSLIM WOMEN INTERPRETERS, FEMINIST THEOLOGY & MUSLIMA THEOLOGY: NEW RESOURCES AND DIRECTIONS 11/14/11 MONDAY MUSLIM WOMEN INTERPRETERS OF THE QUR AN (1): HERMENEUTICAL METHOD Amina Wadud, Introduction and Conclusion, in Qur an and Woman: Rereading the Sacred Texts from a Woman s Perspective (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1999): 1-14 and (BB) Riffat Hassan, Feminism in Islam, in Feminism and World Religions, eds. Arvind Sharma and Katherine K. Young, eds. (Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1999): (BB) 11/16/11 WEDNESDAY MUSLIM WOMEN INTERPRETERS OF THE QUR AN (2): (RE)CONCEPTION OF DIFFERENCE Amina Wadud, In the Beginning, in Qur an and Woman: Rereading the Sacred Texts from a Woman s Perspective (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1999): (BB) Asma Barlas, The Qur an, Sex/Gender, and Sexuality, in Believing Women in Islam: Unreading Patriarchal Interpretations of the Qur an (Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 2002): and (BB) 11/21/11 MONDAY WHAT IS FEMINIST THEOLOGY? (GUEST LECTURE) Rosemary Radford Ruether, Feminist Theology: Methodology, Sources and Norms, in Sexism and God-talk: Toward a Feminist Theology (Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 1993): (BB) Syllabus, The Qur an, Religious Pluralism, and Feminist Theology, Fall 2011, Page 7

8 11/23/11 WEDNESDAY SEXUAL DIFFERENCE TO RELIGIOUS DIFFERENCE: CONCEPTUAL EXTENSIONS Jeannine Hill Fletcher, Shifting Identity: The Contribution of Feminist Thought to Theologies of Religious Pluralism, Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion 19, no 2 (Fall 2003): (BB) Kate McCarthy, Women s Experience as a Hermeneutical Key to a Christian Theology of Religions, Studies in Interreligious Dialogue 6, no. 2 (1996): (BB) 11/28/11 MONDAY HOLISM TO RELATIONAL INTERPRETATION: METHODOLOGICAL EXTENSIONS Toshihiko Izutsu, Semantics in the Qur an, in God and Man in the Qur an (Malaysia: Islamic Books Trust): (BB) 11/30/11 WEDNESDAY THINKING OF DIFFERENCE DIFFERENTLY: MUSLIMA THEOLOGY OF PLURALISM TBA FINAL PAPER TOPIC AND OUTLINE DUE 12/5/11 MONDAY THINKING OF DIFFERENCE DIFFERENTLY: MUSLIMA THEOLOGY OF PLURALISM TBA 12/7/11 WEDNESDAY COURSE REVIEW & EVALUATION None 12/14/11 WEDNESDAY FINAL PAPERS DUE AT 12:00 NOON IN THEOLOGY DEPARTMENT Syllabus, The Qur an, Religious Pluralism, and Feminist Theology, Fall 2011, Page 8