Course Syllabus

Required Course Media

[List of media required for purchase in the course]

Be sure to check Taylor Collection @ Iliff, University of Denver collections, and Prospector Union Catalog for access to these required media. If you decide to purchase any or all of these items, some suggested sellers/renters are Scribd, AbeBooks, Amazon, and Google Books.

Islam, Gender and Sexuality (IST 3001)

ONLINE

4 Credits

 

Instructor: Dr. Sophia Arjana                                                        Office: I-302

Extension: 303-765-3124                                                                  E-mail: sarjana@iliff.edu

Office Hours: By Appointment Only

_____________________________________________________________________________

 

Course Description

 

Many questions surround gender and sexuality in Islam: If man and woman are morally equal agents in the Qur’an, how do we explain some of the issues challenging Muslim-majority societies today? More particularly, what does the act of “recovering Islam’s gender equity” look like? Who is doing this work? How were same sex desire and homosexuality viewed in pre-modern Islam? What caused the shift in attitudes surrounding both gender equality and sexual orientation? Finally, what do the experiences of Muslims, both straight/hetero-normative and queer, tell us about the ways in which gender and sexual choice are negotiated today? How do these individuals and their allies understand their positions vis-à-vis their faith?

 

Course Objectives

 

  1. Students will acquire a basic understanding of how gender is articulated in the Qur’an.

 

  1. Students will examine and discuss problems surrounding the construction of gender and sexuality in Muslim-majority societies.

 

  1. Students will gain a basic familiarity with some of the ways in which Muslim-majority societies have attempted to regulate sexuality.

 

  1. Students will be exposed to the ways in which narratives about Muslim women can be both repressive and liberating.

 

  1. Students will cultivate a critical appreciation for the complexities involved in imposing Western concepts of gender and sexuality in non-Western milieus.

 

Course Procedures and Evaluation

 

** All assignments are listed in this syllabus. It is your responsibility to keep track of these.

 

Online Postings: 20%

In the past, my Online and Hybrid courses have often largely focused on discussions of the texts. To cut back on this a bit, I am restructuring this so that they are only required during four weeks of the academic quarter. Typically, I provide feedback (this is not a public grade but rather a conversation or commentary) to each student, based on the posts/reflections they offer on the texts and the questions that emerge from the readings and other class resources. Sometimes this feedback includes reading suggestions, or links to articles, or such other material, so it is important that you read through the discussions carefully. The discussions are a learning resource.

For the weeks you have discussions (please see schedule below), you are required to post a response to the question prompt by Tuesday noon and a second response to a classmate’s posting (called a “response-post”) by Thursday noon. Each post and response-post should be a minimum of 50 words and is worth a total of 5 points (for a total of 20 points).

** No late postings will be accepted except in cases of serious illness or family emergency. If you don’t post in the assigned week, it doesn’t really contribute to the overall discussion as we move from topic to topic weekly.

 

Online Podcast: 40%

Every student will post an online video/podcast that is 15 minutes in length that examines a topic in the course that corresponds with the schedule. For example, if you are interested in the Shi’a practice of temporary marriage, you should do Week Two. If you are interested in gendered space in the masjid/mosque, you should go Week Five. You do not have to do a lecture and if you wish to do something more creative—great! This is worth 20% of your grade. You are required to cite the author(s) referenced in your podcast in a document that includes Chicago/Turabian footnotes. You should have a minimum of three sources and the document you submit should be one page long (or less) summary of your topic and sources.

All students must engage in one discussion about the podcast. Your response to one of these podcasts accounts for the other 20% of your grade and should be a minimum of 100 words.

You will sign up for a “slot” on Canvas during the quarter, on Weeks 2, 3, 5, 6, & 7.

 

Online Group Project: 40%

Group Projects: The topic for this project is largely up to you. It is also up to you how you present these. You might want to look at Muslim women in cinema, or contemporary art, or politics, or the topic of gendered space in architecture or public places. Perhaps you would like to investigate the work/activism of LGBTQ Muslims. The veil is an interesting topic as well. You might want to look at how Muslims (perhaps focus on Islamists) and non-Muslims (such as Western feminists) attempt to restrict the agency of Muslim females and decision-making about their bodies. Or, you might look at Muslim fashion. You might want to construct a slideshow, make a short film or music video, or anything else that works for a collaborative project.

 

A Note on Grading and Professor Downtime

This is a very large class (so large it was divided into two classes). I will keep the online grade book adjusted as best I can. However, if at any time you would like to know how you are doing (i.e. what your “average” is), it is quite easy to figure out because the grade is on a 100-point scale. Or, you can email me and I can give you an “average.” I cannot emphasize this enough—please email me with any questions on your grade or anything else related to this class. Do not worry about bothering me. However, I de-plug during the weekend (or try to, anyway) and I am not reachable from Friday afternoon through Monday morning.

 

Skype and Google Hangout Sessions

If at any time, you would like to discuss a text, ask a question, or speak with me about a course topic please email me and we can set up a Skype or Google Hangout session. We can also do this in small groups of students. Remember, this is about your learning experience and I am here to support that process the best I can.

 

Note for Students with Disabilities:

Iliff engages in a collaborative effort with students with disabilities to reasonably accommodate student needs. Students are encouraged to contact their assigned adviser to initiate the process of requesting accommodations. The advising center can be contacted at advising@iliff.edu or by phone at 303.765.1146.

 

Required Texts

 

Books

 

Kecia Ali, Sexual Ethics in Islam: Feminist Reflections on Qur’an, Hadith and Jurisprudence

 

Afsaneh Najmabadi, Women with Mustaches and Men without Beards: Gender and Sexual Anxieties of Iranian Modernity

 

Emma Tarlow and Annelies Moors, editors, Islamic Fashion and Anti-Fashion: New Perspectives from Europe and North America

 

Amina Wadud, Qur’an and Woman: Rereading the Sacred Text from a Woman’s Perspective

 

Dror Ze’evi, Producing Desire: Changing Sexual Discourse in the Ottoman Middle East, 1500-1900

OR

Khaled El-Rouayheb, Before Homosexuality in the Arab-Islamic World, 1500-1800

* Choose either Ze’evi or El-Rouayeb not both!

 

Articles/Chapters

Barbara Freyer Stowasser, “The Chapter of Eve”

 

Laury Silvers, “‘God Loves Me’:  The Theological Content and Context of Early Pious and Sufi Women’s Sayings on Love”

 

Luvaas, Brent. “Shooting Street Style in Indonesia: A Photo Essay.” Clothing Cultures 1, no. 1 (2014): 59-81.

 

Moors, Annelies. “NiqaBitch and Princess Hijab: Niqab Activism, Satire, and Street Art.” Feminist Review 98, Islam in Europe (2011): 128-35.

 

Course Outline and Schedule of Readings

 

Week One: Gender Equity in the Qur’an and the Backlash

            Lecture: The Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah as Authoritative Texts

            Readings: Wadud (entire book), Stowasser, “The Chapter of Eve”

Discussion Forum Question: What is the most surprising revelation in Wadud’s book? What is she claiming is at the root of gender issues in Islam?

 

Week Two: Marriage and Divorce

            Lecture: The Marriage Contract and Temporary Marriage

            Readings: Ali, 1 & 2, Najmabadi, 6

            Student Podcasts

 

Week Three: Sexual Slavery

            Lecture: Slavery in Islam

            Readings: Najmabadi, 1 & 2, Ali, 3

            Student Podcasts

 

Week Four: Hijab and Political Liberation

            Lecture: Modesty in Islam

Readings: Muslim Fashion and Anti-Fashion (Sections 1 and 2 - Selections)*, Najmabadi, 5          

*Read three chapters and utilize these in your online assignment.

Discussion Forum Question: Is the hijab a tool of liberation, oppression, both, or neither? Is there a difference between the desire of some Muslims to control women’s bodies and the same impulse by non-Muslims to “free” Muslim women from the veil? If so, what is this difference? If not, why?

 

Week Five: Gender Equity and Religious Space

            Lecture: Making Space at the Masjid

Readings: Ali, 4 & 5

Student Podcasts

 

Week Six: Gender Apartheid

            Lecture: Islamic “Feminism” and the Veil

Readings: Silvers (article), Ali, 6 & 7

Student Podcasts

           

Week Seven: Islamic Sexualities

            Lecture: Female and Queer Imams

            Readings: Ze’evi (1-98 ) OR El-Rouayheb Intro-2 , Najmabadi, 3 & 4

            Student Podcasts

 

Week Eight: Islamic Sexualities

            Lecture: Pre-Modern and Modern Notions of Sexuality

Readings: Ali, 5, Ze’evi (99-172) OR El-Rouayheb 3-Conclusion

Discussion Forum Question: Ze’evi and El-Rouayeb point to a radical shift between pre-modern and modern attitudes toward homosexuality. What caused this shift?

 

Week Nine: Negotiating Identity

Lecture: Modern Islamic Identities

Readings: Islamic Fashion and Anti-Fashion (Sections 3, 4, and 5 - Selections)*, Najmabadi, Ch. 8

*Read three chapters and utilize these in your online assignment Week Ten.

 

Week Ten: Identity, Islamic Dress, and Fashion

Readings: Luvaas, Brent Luvaas, “Shooting Street Style in Indonesia: A Photo Essay.” Clothing Cultures 1, no. 1 (2014): 59-81 and Annelies Moors, “NiqaBitch and Princess Hijab: Niqab Activism, Satire, and Street Art.” Feminist Review 98, Islam in Europe (2011): 128-35.

Discussion Forum Question: Islamic fashion presents some interesting questions concerning modesty and fashion, agency and activism. What are some of the ways the past two week’s readings help us understand the complicated nature of religious identity and gender?

ONLINE GROUP PROJECTS DUE BY MONDAY – COMMENTS DUE BY FRIDAY

Course Summary:

Date Details Due