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.

Sufism

HYBRID

Fall 2015

 

Instructor: Dr. Sophia Arjana

E-mail: sarjana@iliff.edu

Office Hours: By Appointment Only

 

Course Description

 

This course examines the assortment of attitudes, rituals, and orientations that fall under the umbrella of tasawwuf, known in the West as “Sufism.” Through an examination of the ways in which Sufism is expressed—in theology, poetry, art, and music—we will come to an understanding of the ways it permeates Muslim life. Topics in this course include early Sufism, Sufi women, music, and contemporary Sufism. Special attention will be placed on bodies and saint worship in this course.

 

Class Policies

 

Gathering Days Rules: NO laptops for note-taking in the classroom, unless you have an accommodation based on the ADA. You might consider using a paper notebook. Cell phones must be turned off during class and should be kept out of site. No texting during class. Or Facebook. Or Twitter. Or tumblr.

Attendance is mandatory.

 

Evaluation and Assessments

 

Online Activities (20%): 4 points per week for doing five weekly online assignments. These are always due by Thursday evening.

 

Gathering Days Seminar/Mini-Lecture (40%): 40 points for leading a discussion of key Sufi concepts in relation to a class reading. You will be assessed on your level of preparation and success at leading your peers in giving a lecture/presentation. Seminar discussions will be 30 minutes long (dependent on the size of the class, we may go shorter or longer) and will take place during Gathering Days. These concepts will be revisited in your final paper, so yes, this assignment will help you greatly on your final assessment! ** I strongly suggest taking notes during these seminar discussions.

 

Final Project (40%): 40 points for a final paper on Layla and Majnun. This paper will discuss the classical Sufi story, which is about love as well as the Sufi path, in conversation with a list of Sufi concepts that will be provided to students that will be the focus of our Midterm Seminar Discussions. The requirements for the paper include the explanation of these concepts as they are represented in the story of Layla and Majnun.

8 pages, 12-point Times New Roman, Chicago-Turabian Footnotes Required.

 

 

Required Texts

*** If you have not taken the prerequisite for this class (Introduction to Islam) then please read these two books before class begins. This is a requirement for those who were allowed into this class without taking the prerequisite. 

Reza Aslan, No god but God

Omid Safi, Memories of Muhammad

And these are the REQUIRED TEXTS: 

Laury Silvers, A Soaring Minaret: Abu Bakr al-Wasiti and the Rise of Baghdadi Sufism

 

Scott Kugle, Sufis and Saints Bodies’: Mysticism, Corporeality, and Sacred Power in Islam

 

Shahzad Bashir, Sufi Bodies: Religion and Society in Medieval Islam

 

Laleh Bakhtiar, Sufism: Expression of the Mystic Quest

 

Nizami, The Story of Layla and Majnun [Please purchase the edition translated by Rudolf Gelpke with Introduction by Omid Safi]

 

Course Schedule

 

Week 1: What is Sufism?

            Reading: Laury Silvers, Part 1, Kugle, Chapter 1, Bahktiar*

*Refer to Bakhtiar throughout the quarter. Take a few images each week to think about in conversation with your other texts!

Lecture: Basics for Beginner and Advanced Students Studying Sufism

           

Week 2: Texts

            Reading: Silvers, Part 2

            Lecture: Important Sufi Concepts/Terminology

Online Small Group Posting: According to Silvers, some early Sufis believe you can only “see” Allah with the heart. Explain this. Why is it significant? Cite the text in your posting. 150 words minimum.

* In preparation for this assignment, discuss this topic in a small group with your peers.

 

Week 3: Classical Sufi Thought

            Readings: Bashir, Part 1

Lecture: The Sufi Struggle/Path

Online Activity: For this week, each student will record a short lecture (10 minutes) on one of the Sufis mentioned in Bashir’s text. Lift up why this figure is important or interesting.

 

Week 4: Gender

Readings: Bashir, Part 1

Lecture: Sufi Cosmology and Gender

           

Week 5: Body and Gender

            Readings: Kugle, 2-3

            GATHERING DAYS

 

Week 6: Sufi Bodies

            Readings: Kugle, 4 & 5

Lecture: Pilgrimage (Ziyarat) and Blessing (Barakat)

Online Activity: Post an image or video of a Sufi shrine and comment on it. Focus on its history, the saint buried there, or some other aspect of the site and relate it to Kugle. 100 words minimum.

           

Week 7: Sufi Shrines and Pilgrimage

            Readings: Bashir, Part 2

            Lecture: Sainthood in Islam

During this week, I will hold individual Skype or Google Hangout sessions. This is your opportunity to talk to me about whatever in the class interested you that you wish to investigate/understand more fully. *Please email me your topic for our chat by Wednesday of Week 9 to sarjana@iliff.edu

 

Week 8: Sufism and Love

            Reading: Layla and Majnun, Bashir, Part 2

            Lecture: Love in Islam

Online Activity: Post an image of painting, a song (Eric Clapton!), or other artistic expression of the story of Layla and Majnun. What part of the story does it represent? 50 words minimum.

 

Week 9: Sufism, Old and New

            Reading: Bashir, Part 2

            Lecture: Islam vs. Neo-Traditionalism

 

Week 10: Student/Professor Skype Sessions

FINAL PAPERS DUE

Online Activity: This is completely student-generated and up to the class. You can have a discussion, share videos, or do something else.