Module ANT2017 for 2018/9
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
ANT2017: Anthropology of Islam
This module descriptor refers to the 2018/9 academic year.
Module Aims
You will be introduced to a range of approaches to the study of the Islam, including hermeneutics, ethnography, anthropology, and history, among others. You will then apply these analytical tools to a range of historical cases to explore the diversity of Islamic lifeworlds, with an emphasis on how Islam invites us to rethink fundamental questions about what it means to be human. Through a guided research project, you will develop your own personal approach to the study of Islam and then apply that approach to a particular contemporary or historical Islamic community of your own choosing.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. Demonstrate familiarity with the major contemporary approaches to the study of Islam; 2. Show a developed understanding of specific issues related to the study of Islam, including definitional matters, the difficulty of defining the boundaries of Islam, and the limits of text-based approaches; 3. Show a developed understanding of central concerns within contemporary and historical Islamic communities like space, locality, gender, kinship, economics, modernity and secularism. |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 4. Apply various theories and methodologies to specific cases; 5. Show competence in critically assessing claims about Islam 6. Think clearly about the social, political, and anthropological implications of Islam. |
| Personal and Key Skills | 7. Communicate effectively in written and oral form; 8. Engage in cross-cultural translation and comparison; 9. conduct research on a topic and organize findings in written form in a compelling manner. |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:
The Idea of an Anthropology of Islam
Ethnographic Approaches to the Study of Islam
Islamic Origin Narratives
The Hermeneutics of Suspicion
Islam’s Role in the Origins of ‘Western’ Civilisation
Islam, Space, and Locality
Islamic Gender and Kinship
Islamic Economics
Islamic Modernity
Islam, Secularism, and Post-Islamism
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:
The Idea of an Anthropology of Islam
Ethnographic Approaches to the Study of Islam
Islamic Origin Narratives
The Hermeneutics of Suspicion
Islam’s Role in the Origins of ‘Western’ Civilisation
Islam, Space, and Locality
Islamic Gender and Kinship
Islamic Economics
Islamic Modernity
Islam, Secularism, and Post-Islamism
Learning and Teaching
This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 128 |
...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity | 11 | 11 x 1 Hour Lectures |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity | 11 | 11 x 1 Hour Seminars |
| Guided Independent Study | 12 | Research Paper Proposal |
| Guided Independent Study | 56 | Weekly Reading for seminars |
| Guided Independent Study | 20 | Exam Preparation |
| Guided Independent Study | 40 | Research Paper |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
Indicative Reading List
This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.
Basic reading:
Abdullah, Z. 2010. Black Mecca: The African Muslims of Harlem. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Asad, T. 2003. Formations of the Secular. Redwood City, CA: Stanford University Press.
Bayat, A. 2013. Post-Islamism: The Many Faces of Political Islam. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Crone, P. and Cook, M. 1977. Hagarism: The Making of the Islamic World. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Deeb, L. 2006. An Enchanted Modern: Gender and Public Piety in Shi’i Lebanon. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Geertz, C. 1968. Islam Observed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Mahmood 2004. The Politics of Piety: The Islamic Revival and the Feminist Subject. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Maurer, B. 2002. “Repressed Futures: Financial Derivatives’ Theological Unconscious.” Economy and Society 31(1): 15-36.
Qutb, S. 1949. Social Justice in Islam. New York: American Council of Learned Societies.
Said, E. 1980 “Islam Through Western Eyes.” The Nation.
Tobin, S. 2016. Everyday Piety: Islam and Economy in Jordan. Ithica, NY: Cornell University Press.
