For complete course information, syllabi, and registration information, please visit the Hartford Seminary web site.

 

Courses for Fall 2011

Islamic History I* (HI-624) View Syllabus | Buy Books
Mondays and Wednesdays, from 7:40 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., beginning September 7 (12 weeks)

This course explores the history of Islamic societies and civilization from its beginnings in seventh century Arabia until the fall of Granada in 1492. Attention will be given to the expansion process of the Dâr al-Islâm, the changing nature of the caliphate and the development of regional powers, as well as to socio-economic realities, ideological evolutions and significant cultural achievements. Students will read selections of important primary sources available in English translation, such as Tabarî’s History, Ibn Munqidh’s Memoirs, Ghazāli’s Book of Counsel for Kings, Abû Dulaf’s Qasîda sâsâniyya, Ibn Battûta’s Travels, and Ibn Khaldûn’s Muqaddima. Yahya Michot, Professor of Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations

Shi`ite Islam: Thought and History* (HI-651) View Syllabus | Buy Books
Thursdays, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., beginning September 8 (15 weeks)

This course will be based on the assumption that Islam is both a belief system and a world civilization. Therefore, all movements, sects and schools of thought will be treated as an integral part of Islam, broadly understood. The course will introduce Shi`ism as a general phenomenon within Muslim history, but will concentrate on Twelver Imami Shi’ism, as it is the most developed and influential Shi’ite legal school (madhhab). We will study Shi’ism in Muslim history from its beginning to the present. We will examine primary texts in translation, and when possible, in original languages. We will also read and discuss a good sampling of secondary literature. Mahmoud Ayoub, Faculty Associate in Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations

Introduction to Arabic: Phonology and Script (LG-580) View Syllabus | Buy Books
Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., beginning September 6 (15 weeks)

Students will master the writing system of standard Arabic, as well as the sounds of the language. A basic vocabulary of over 100 words will be learned, and at the end of the term students will be able to engage in short, simple conversations. Both Levantine and Egyptian pronunciation will be covered. Assumes no prior knowledge of Arabic. Steven Blackburn, Faculty Associate in Semitic Scriptures and Librarian

 

Intermediate Arabic, Part I (LG-650) View Syllabus | Buy Books
Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., beginning September 6 (15 weeks)

This course is designed for participants to consolidate their knowledge of Arabic. Prerequisite: LG-581 or permission of the instructor. Staff

 

Understanding Muslim Congregational Life* (RS-583) NEW View Syllabus | Buy Books
Wednesdays, from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., beginning September 7 (15 weeks)

The Mosque has a spiritual reality, but it is also a social organization, made up of human beings, with conflicts and habits, and grounded in a particular context. The more these social dimensions of the congregation are understood, the better its leadership can make decisions, plan ministry and envision its future. This course is designed for current and future mosque leaders who wish to better understand the dynamics of their congregations. We will use a combination of lectures, readings and practical hands-on experience to study one mosque during the class meetings and then each student will explore his or her own mosque as the final assignment. We will look at the congregation’s identity and culture, its context, the material and human resources, the structures of power, and the leadership dynamics in an effort to understand this complex spiritual entity that is the mosque. Scott Thumma, Professor of Sociology of Religion and Timur Yuskaev, Assistant Professor of Contemporary Islam

The Current State of Hadith Studies* (SC-539) View Syllabus | Buy Books
Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:20 p.m., beginning September 6 (12 weeks)

Hadith are “reports” about the Prophet Muhammad and are the primary means of knowing his Sunna. The normative nature of the Sunna is well-established in the Qur’ān and was supported by the conservative culture of seventh-century Arabian society. At the same time, the authority of the Sunna was not uncontested in early Muslim society. More seriously, the misattribution of statements to the Prophet Muhammad was recognized to be a problem as early as the first century of Islam. As a result, a major effort to collect, scrutinize, evaluate and organize hadith was undertaken by generations of hadith scholars. In parallel to this effort, legal scholars developed and refined their various approaches to the sources of the law, and arrived at different assessments of the legal value of various hadith. In the early Modern period, hadith scholarship came under new scrutiny, in light of historical-critical methods developed primarily by European scholars, often working in a climate hostile to Islam and Muslim bases of knowledge. Simple apologetic responses to the Orientalists have been replaced in recent decades with new efforts on the part of Muslim and non-Muslim scholars to use new technologies and the information in recently discovered manuscripts to re-evaluate the historicity of the collected hadith. For their part, legal modernists have struggled to establish a consistent approach to the use of hadith in their deliberations. Ingrid Mattson, Professor of Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations