Islamic Studies Courses at the Graduate Theological Union

Summer 2007
Spring 2007
Fall 2006

Summer 2007

Conflict Resolution and Islam, Judaism and Christianity

This course will explore the interplay between religion and conflict resolution and transformation, through an examination of both 'religious' and 'secular' paradigms of communication skills building in Islam, Judaism and Christianity. We will examine religious texts and rituals from each religion that discuss interaction with the 'other' (both the human and divine 'other'), in a way that makes clear that none of these traditions is monolithic in belief or practice. In addition to being introduced to historical examples of religious conversations between individuals across the previous chasm of the religious 'other', students will also look at the role religious institutions have played in this process, both successfully and unsuccessfully. Finally, students will learn the ABCs of the school of Compassionate Listening, as well as other communication skills, along with the role of identity formation in creating and detracting from reaching out to the religious 'other'.

Spring 2007

Experiencing Islam

“If I could tell you what it meant, there would be no point in dancing it.” --Isadora Duncan. This course engages Islam with curiosity through film, poetry, food, music, guest lectures, group practice, and dialogue with the Muslim community in the Bay Area. How does this tradition from Hagar, Sarah, and Abraham feel in practice, in what ways does it inform or challenge your tradition, how is this experience different than what is written.

Andalusia: Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, Part 2 (Online)

Prerequisite: Fall Part 1 class is required.

Islam and the World’s Religions

This purpose of this course will be to provide a socio-historical and phenomenological analysis of five of world’s great religions with a special emphasis on Islam. The worldviews of Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism will be contrasted and compared to Islam by referencing fundamental constituents, including each religion’s metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, eschatology, and unique cultural psychology. Special attention will be given to how “unitive awareness” as cultivated by each of these traditions can foster inter-faith communication and cooperation.

Islam, Buddhism and Christianity

An investigation of faith and practice in Islam, Buddhism and Christianity through texts that are seminal to all, as well as through issues that arise in the present day. The traditional views of both Islam and Buddhism will be presented in the first half of the class by the instructors. Students will then respond from their Christian perspectives. Students will be evaluated in the following manner: 1/3 class participation, 1/3 paper, 1/3 a formal oral presentation.

Introduction to Sufism

Sufism, a holistic path of mystical union in Islam, is an inner reflection of the outer shari’ah (the Revealed Law). Islam was carried to many parts of the world through Sufi practice. In addition to an overview of the history of Sufism, this experiential course will include a study of the narratives about the lives of sufi saints and their teachings. Central to Sufism is the practice of dhikr Allah (the remembrance of Allah) through the recitation of the Divine Names and of certain prayers. The daily practices of ritual ablutions, prostrations, recitations, etc. make up the dhikr of the body. Since it is of vital importance to experience lived Sufism, the class will participate in a collective practice of dhikr. Students will also have the opportunity to experience a local Sufi mosque.

Islam in India: Islam in a Context of Religious Pluralism (Online)

This online course will examine the history of Islam in India, with a particular emphasis on how its interactions with other religious traditions. We will look in particular at the dynamics of religious interactions in contexts that challenge notions of religions in neatly defined and oppositional relationships. How are religious identities articulated in colonial/post-colonial contexts? What are their implications? We will also look at how this plays out in the South Asian diaspora. For example, how are contemporary "Hosay" traditions of Trinidad connected to Shi'i Muslim practices in India?

Islamic Philosophers

This course will survey the development of philosophical thought in Islam and its impact on medieval Christian theology. In particular, it will investigate writings from seven philosophers, Al Kindi (d. 866), Ar Razi (d. 932), Al-Farabi (d. 950), Miskawya (d. 1030), Ibn Sina (Avicenna, d. 1037), Al-Ghazali (d. 1111), who challenged philosophers, and Ibn Rush'd (Averroes, d. 1198), who challenged the challenger. The course will also explore the way philosophy found new accomodations in the east with the emergence of philosophic religion [writings of Suhrawardi (d. 1191)]; mystic teaching [writings of Ibn Arabi (d. 1240)]; and pantheistic existentialism [writings of as-Shirazi (Mulla sadra, d. 1640)]. The course format will be lecure and discussion, including weekly preparations of reading materials. Students will be evaluated on their class participation and three short papers; two papers will discuss a specific topic or issue in the work of two different philosophers. One paper will investigate the way Aquinas may have incorporated a Muslim philosopher's ideas, argument or discussion in his "Summa theologiae."

Orthodox Christianity and Islam

A survey of the impact of the 700-year struggle between Byzantium and the Islamic world on the Orthodox Church and its believers, with particular attention to theological justifications for war and resistance, conditions of life for Christian communities under Islamic rule, and the process and mechanisms of dechristianization. The course will employ both lecture and seminar formats and will draw extensively on primary sources in translation. Evaluation will be based on participation in seminar discussions, in-class presentations, and a final synthesis paper.

Islam, Christianity and Science

This course will bring insight into the relationship between Islam, Christianity and science through historical, philosophical and theological development, with an emphasis on using recent science-religion discourse. Topics include Creation & Evolutionary Biology, Ethics & Genetics, Inter-religious dialogue & Science and covers themes such as agency, causality, free will, transcendence and the unity of God. This class is co-taught by Ph.D. student Daren Erisman with a Newhall Award.

Fall 2006

Introduction to Islam

This course is an introduction to the history and theology Islam. It will introduce the student to Islamic religious teaching and practices. It will explore the diversities of Islam among Sunni, Shi’a and Sufi groups from multiple cultural perspectives. Students will be invited to participate in spiritual practice and community events in hopes that the combination of study and practical experience will deepen their learning.

Andalusia: Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, Part 1 (Online)

This online course invites the student to engage in an interactive, multi-media process of beginning to reconceptualise the ways in which Judaism, Islam and Christianity have been heretofore studied. We are only now beginning to acknowledge the radical importance of studying Judaism, Islam, and Christianity together. Islam is often constructed as a problematic Other and therefore seen as having nothing in common with and nothing to do with anything outside of its own realm. The histories and processes of interaction between the three traditions in Muslim Andalusia will be studied through text, music, architecture, graphic art, ecology, etc. Instead of looking exclusively at three discreet and distinct traditions, we will examine how the three informed each other within the context of al-Andalus. This will provide a paradigm which we will then interrogate as we look at how historiography, geography, bodies, genders, identities, notions of race and fictions of purity, relationships of class and power intersect in the development of these religious traditions. This will lay the groundwork for further collaborative study of the three religious traditions. In the Spring Semestre, in addition to the work on Andalusia proper, we will also look at the implications of these intersections in the post-1492 Americas, as well as in the history of Islam in Bosnia. Where is East? Where is West?

The Interpreted Qur’an

This class introduces students to the Qur’an with an emphasis on the variety of ways that Muslims have related to the Qur’anic text. We will consider both the oral and written Qur’an as we ask questions such as: What are the Qur’an’s origins? What does it mean to say the Qur’an is “God’s speech”? Can we call the recited Qur’an poetry or music? Does one have to understand Arabic to understand the Qur’an? Can the Qur’an really be translated? How do Muslims study the Qur’an? How does the Qur’an compare to other holy books? Students will gain an appreciation for the variety of ways that Muslims have interacted with the Qur’an and have understood it to be a living text. More generally, students will develop general skills for understanding how people relate to their sacred texts.

Understanding Islam

This course is an introduction to the history, philosophy and theology of Islam. It will trace the textual and social development of Islamic beliefs and practices from its earliest periods to modern times. Topics will include current-day issues of Muslims through a series of presentations from Muslim teachers and leaders in the Bay Area. Students will visit local Masjids (mosques) and community centers in hopes that the combination of study and practical experience with the Muslim community will deepen their understanding of Islam. The course format will be lecture and discussion, including weekly preparations of reading materials. Student evaluation will be based on participation, the required book reviews (2), and a final report of their site visits to local Muslim communities.

Shaykh, Scholar, Imam: Inner Spirituality, Liturgy and Pastoral Practice in Islam

In present-day Western Christianity, the minister or priest often performs a wide range of functions, from celebrant of liturgy to spiritual counseling. In Islam, there are visible functional divisions: the Shaykh is a spiritual guide; the Imam leads prayer services; the Scholar interprets the Sacred Law. However, these practical specializations overlap; every believer needs to lead prayer, at least at home; and scholars and Sufi Shaykhs traditionally receive the same training. How does this all function in practise, in Islam today? What are the rituals and pastoral practices associated with common life-transitions for Muslims? How can a non-Muslim chaplain facilitate such practices for Muslims in their charge? What services and support might Muslims request of a chaplain? Where can one go for assistance? The course will especially benefit non-Muslim ministry students who will be engaged in chaplaincy to mixed-faith populations that include Muslims. It will give non-Muslims an overview of religious practices common in Muslim life, questions and problems often encountered for which Muslims will seek counseling and support, and resources for finding resolutions in these cases. This course does not attempt to teach all details of Islamic religious practice, but will benefit any Muslim student in the conduct of their own religious life, and in giving “pastoral” support to their co-religionists. (Insh’allah - With the Will of God!) Prerequisites: some knowledge of Islam is helpful before this class.

Islams: Multiplicity in Unity (Online)

In this class we'll explore a brief history of Islam and the Prophet Muhammad's life. We'll also be introduced to the nature and history of the Qur'an and explore the major branches of Islam: Sunnism, Shi'ism and Sufism, concluding with progressive Muslims' writings on Islam and its relation to gender, justice and sexuality. These readings will show the diversity and dynamic nature of Muslim communities by representing Islam from feminist, liberal and gay Muslim perspectives. Students will examine "life in religious community and interfaith engagement" by participating in individual field trips, making connections with local Muslim communities and posting their explorations in an online forum. The purpose of these activities is for students to examine the diversity within Islam and to learn from each other by sharing insights and experiences. Through assigned reading, students will examine how Muslims in different corners of the world are dealing with oppression and other social justice issues, as well as the changes brought by feminism, modernism and globalization. To register, contact cyoung@sksm.edu