RELI 4303/6303 The Sufi Way, Dr. Godlas Tu/Th 5:00-6:15
Email: godlas@uga.edu Website: http://www.uga.edu/islam phone 706-542-1486
Office
hours: 6:15 -7:15 Tues.
Writing Teaching
Assistant: Tom Sorlie vertov@uga.edu
Note that
everything on this syllabus (like our existence) is tentative and is subject to
change. Updates will be put on the
WebCT website for the class, which you should regularly check.
Requirements: Junior or Senior standing or consent of
instructor
Course
Description
We will be
studying the following:
a)
Some of the
Major beliefs and concepts of Sufism
b) A brief survey of the history of Sufism
b)
a method of
critical thinking that I call "hermeneutical analysis and
understanding," which involves attempting to understand our inherent
biases with regard to Sufism (not in order to get rid of such biases but to
understand them), and thereby use our biases to inform and enrich our
understanding of ourselves and Sufis and to enhance our ability to speak wisely
about it and any viewpoint.
c)
a method for
analyzing worldviews that I call "religiological analysis" and using
this method (in conjunction with "hermeneutical analysis") to enhance
our understanding of the Sufi viewpoints that we will encounter in class. Specifically, we will study beliefs of Sufis
through the lenses of the following areas of inquiry and questions:
1)Epistemology:
What do the people in question believe the basis of valid knowledge should be?
And what should they rely on to help them interpret and understand that
knowledge? (i.e. the field of hermeneutics)
2)Ontology: What do they believe is really real?
(a) Theology (What do people believe about God?) (b) Cosmology (What do people
believe are the characteristics of the whole of existence/cosmos?) (c)
Cosmogony (What do people believe about the beginning of existence?) (d)
Eschatology (What do people believe about existence during the "last
days", leading up to and during the hereafter?)
3)
Anthropology: What do they believe
human nature is? Who are we as
human beings? What do they belief their identities are?
4)Psychology: What do they believe human
consciousness consists of?
5)Teleology: What do they believe the purpose(s) of
life is?
6)
Methodology: What do they believe
should be the various methods of achieve the purpose(s), methods such as (a)
religio-spiritual; b) legal ; c) ethical ; d) political ; e) military ; f)
social methods?
A WIP Course: Note that this is called a writing
intensive program (WIP) course. This means that you will be coached-- step by
step-- in the writing process by your writing teaching assistant, Tom
Sorlie. Sometime next couple of
weeks he will hand out a schedule.
Objectives of
Course:
1)
To learn a
methodology for the scholarly study of religion and to apply it; and
2)
To gain a
broad knowledge of importand Sufi concepts and worldviews
3)
To learn a
basic vocabulary of concepts and names that are crucial to understanding Islam,
Muslims, and Sufis.
Prerequisites:
Junior or Senior
standing or permission of the department.
Texts:
Barks and Green, The
Illuminated Prayer (IP)
Arberry, Sufism (S)
Nasr, The
Garden of Truth (GOT)
Chittick, The
Sufi Doctrine of Rumi
(SDR)
Chittick, Ibn
'Arabi (IA)
Tests and
Grading:
1) 15% a midterm,
covering the main terms and concepts in the articles noted in the
schedule. A study guide will be
available on the WebCT.
2) 15% final exam on the last
day of class: it is comprehensive, covering terms, name, and concepts used
throughout the semester. A study
guide will be available on the WebCT.
3) 10% attendance and
participations
4) 35 % major paper in stages
5) 20 % written
discussion (WD) of class books, these consist of 4 summaries of the books (1/3)
and (2/3) hermeneneutical analysis of a reaction of yours to each.
Additional
Requirements for Graduate and Honors Option Students:
Graduate students
will be required to do additional readings, submit a well-documented fifteen
page analytical and research paper comparing two modern Muslim authors and meet
periodically outside of class with Dr. Godlas, among other responsibilities.
Grading:
90-100 = A, 80-89 = B, 70-79 = C, 60-69 = D, and less
than = F
Class Schedule:
Week 1 and 2:
Lecture--Hermeneutical and Religiological Analysis: the case of Islam and
Sufism
Assignments:
Week 1, Aug 19-21 Read and learn by the weekend of the first week.
Esposito, "10 Things Everyone Needs to Know about
Islam,"
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/georgetown/2007/07/muslims_speak_out.html
and Kaltner, "Talking With Churches About
Islam," (Professr Kaltner teaches at Rhodes College in Memphis, TN. The
article is on a Christian website, the Congregational Resource Guide.)
http://www.congregationalresources.org/kaltner.asp
Assignment: Week 2,
Aug 26-28 Read Article by
Prof. John Voll, "Islam"
(Surveys Islamic history)
http://www.cqpress.com/context/articles/epr_islam.html (Professor Voll teaches at George
Washington University. This
article was published in Congressional Quarterly, 2001.) A term sheet for this article is
on WebCT.
Read Dr. Godlas' article on "Islam and
Hermeneutical and Religiological Analysis" posted on WebCt
Week 3: Sept. 2-4 In class
discussion of website-based assignments
Introduction to Sufism, by
Dr. Godlas on his website :
http://www.uga.edu/islam/sufismintro.html ; read the remaining pages of the
introduction by clicking on the uppermost link at the bottom of the each page
of his introduction.
Read also two links on Dr. Godlas' Introduction to
Sufism webpage:
1) Classical Sufi
Definitions of Sufism by
Sarraj (d. 378 AH/ 988 CE), translated by Dr. Godlas.
http://www.uga.edu/islam/sufism/sufismlumdef.html (but you do not need to read the links
within this page)
2) Sufism's
definition and origin by Paul
Yachness.
http://www.uga.edu/islam/sufismdef.html
Week 4 Tues. Sept. 9 Roundtable discussion
with FLTAs and Islamic Studies Grad. Students, due Sept 11, responses to
discussion posted on WebCt
Due Sept. 9
Religiological analyses of self, a male and female peer (not in this class and
who has not taken Dr. Godlas' classes), and someone of an older
generation. (Try to find people
who you think may have views different from your own.) Your religiological self-analyses will
form the basis of one of part of your final paper.
Sept. 11, In
class discussion of religiological analyses, bring a copy of yours to class.
Week 5 Tues Sept.
16 review lecture and discussion of hermeneutical and religiological analysis
of Islam
Thurs, Sept. 18,
Test One on Esposito, Kaltner, and Voll articles and hermeneneutical and
religiological analysis in general and as they pertain to Islam and Sufism.
Week 6-7 Illuminated Prayer, WD 1
Week 8-11 Garden
of Truth, WD 2
Week 12 Sufi Doctrine of Rumi, WD 3
Week 13-14 Ibn Arabi WD 4
Week 15-Review
and Paper due
Final exam, in
class, Dec. 4
Honesty
Policy: The UGA Academic Honesty Policy will be followed. In other words, all
academic work must meet the standards contained in "A Culture of Honesty." Students are responsible for informing
themselves about those standards before performing any academic work. The link
to more detailed information about academic honesty can be found at http://www.uga.edu/ovpi/honesty/acadhon.htm
Changes to this Syllabus:
The instructor reserves the right to make any changes to this syllabus. The
course syllabus is a general plan for the course; deviations announced to the
class by the instructor may be necessary. Changes will be posted on WebCT.