Module ANT2017 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
ANT2017: Anthropology of Islam
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 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
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 | 0 |
...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 | Weekly Discussion Posts |
| Guided Independent Study | 40 | Research Paper |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
How this Module is Assessed
In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.
Formative Assessment
A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research Paper Proposal | 750 words | 1-9 | Written and Oral |
Summative Assessment
A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research Paper | 70 | 2,500 words | 1-9 | Written |
| Portfolio of Discussion Posts | 30 | 1,000 words | 1-8 | Written |
Re-assessment
Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research Paper | Research Paper (2,500 words) | 1-9 | August/September reassessment period |
| Portfolio of Discussion Posts | Portfolio of Discussion Posts (1,000 words) | 1-8 | August/September reassessment period |
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, Zain. 2010. Black Mecca: The African Muslims of Harlem. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Asad, Talal. 2003. Formations of the Secular. Redwood City, CA: Stanford University Press.
Bayat, Asef. 2013. Post-Islamism: The Many Faces of Political Islam. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Crone, Patricia and Michael Cook. 1977. Hagarism: The Making of the Islamic World. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Deeb, Lara. 2006. An Enchanted Modern: Gender and Public Piety in Shi’i Lebanon. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Geertz, Clifford. 1968. Islam Observed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Mahmood, Saba. 2004. The Politics of Piety: The Islamic Revival and the Feminist Subject. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Maurer, Bill. 2002. “Repressed Futures: Financial Derivatives’ Theological Unconscious.” Economy and Society 31(1): 15-36.
Qutb, Sayyid. 1949. Social Justice in Islam. New York: American Council of Learned Societies.
Said, Edward. 1980 “Islam Through Western Eyes.” The Nation.
Tobin, Sarah. 2016. Everyday Piety: Islam and Economy in Jordan. Ithica, NY: Cornell University Press.
