Module ARA3046 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
ARA3046: Islam, Muslims and the Environment
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Module Aims
The overarching aim of this module is to provide you with a well-rounded introduction to key relationships between Islam (as a religious tradition), Muslims (as individual and institutional actors, past and present), and the environment (both in its natural state, and under the impact of the current ecological crisis). The module also aims to help you begin to appreciate how multidisciplinarity is necessary to be able to participate debates around environmental sustainability and global Muslims.
The module is recommended for multi- and inter-disciplinary pathways; and to anyone who wishes to learn the basics about ‘Islam, Muslims and the environment’, from an academic or practitioner perspective.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. Demonstrate familiarity with the various ways in which the environmental crisis is affecting global Muslims (at the environmental, socioeconomic and political levels), and how these are interrelated 2. Demonstrate conceptual awareness of key environmental notions/principles (ethical, juridical, practical) from the Islamic tradition 3. Demonstrate knowledge of ongoing Muslim greening processes (environmentally-focused discourses, trends, initiatives, actors, etc.); and an understanding of how these relate to each other, and to broader contexts |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 4. Find, employ and analyse reliable (primary and secondary) data and sources from the multiple disciplines engaged through the module, which are relevant to specific issue areas 5. Develop critical arguments by applying concepts/theories/analytical approaches from different disciplines 6. Demonstrate familiarity with a multidisciplinary approach to key themes and issues related to Islam, Muslims and the environment |
| Personal and Key Skills | 7. Conduct independent work/research 8. Find, synthesise and analyse information from a wide range of sources and disciplinary perspectives 9. Demonstrate analytical writing skills, including reasoned, coherent and supported argumentation |
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:
- Today’s ecological and climate crisis (1) - Impacts on natural systems in the Muslim world
- Today’s ecological and climate crisis (2) - Impacts on human systems in the Muslim world
- Approaching the field (1) - The role of social sciences and humanities in the environmental crisis
- Approaching the field (2) – The construction of ‘Islam and the environment’ and of Muslim/’Islamicised’ environmentalisms: epistemologies, actors, strategies
- Islam and the environment (1) - The environment and the human-environment relationship in Islam’s primary sources
- Islam and the environment (2) - Islamic ‘environmental law’: preservation, use and conservation of natural resources (and animals)
- Muslims and the environment (1) – Contemporary global attitudes and trends
- Muslims and the environment (2) – Varieties of ‘Muslim environmentalisms’
- Muslims and the environment (3) – Key initiatives and organisations
- Muslims and the environment (4) – Religious authorities and institutions: ‘Green Shaykhs’, ‘Green Fatwas’, ‘Green Mosques’
- Muslims and the environment (5) – Environmental sustainability in the Muslim world: past and present
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 Activities | 22 | 11 x 2 hour seminars |
| Guided Independent Study | 44 | Reading for seminars |
| Guided Independent Study | 84 | Completion of coursework |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
