Postgraduate Module Descriptor


ARAM217: Sufism, Islamic Mysticism and Devotional Life

This module descriptor refers to the 2016/7 academic year.

Module Aims

The class aims (a) to introduce the key figures and representatives of the Sufi tradition and their origins in the Qur’an and Hadith; (b) to communicate the basic doctrines, teaching, spiritual practices and disciplines of Sufism; and (c) allow the student to situate the study of Islam in the context of its most profound dimension: the mystical.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here - you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.

On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills1. demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of the above-mentioned central aspects of Islamic religious tradition, with their proper contexts in the larger complex of Islamic religious life and history;
2. make your own independent assessment of the underlying correspondences with parallel phenomena in other religious traditions;
Discipline-Specific Skills3. read critically and carefully the various texts and ideas examined throughout the course;
4. contextualize in an appropriate, comprehensive manner mystical documents and doctrines from an unfamiliar subject matter and cultural/historical setting, effectively assimilating these to your own personal intellectual background;
Personal and Key Skills5. demonstrate the ability to independently sift through, analyse and synthesize unfamiliar material from many sources and to summarise the ideas within those sources in a cogent, succinct and effective manner; and
6. develop the ability to relate broad philosophic, ethical and spiritual issues and religious traditions to the corresponding practical issues and challenges in relevant areas of contemporary life.