THEOREL 106G Islam in the Contemporary World

An introduction to Islam as a living and multifaceted tradition within our contemporary world with particular attention to Islam in New Zealand and Australia. The course begins with an analysis of this context. It turns then to an overview of the Qur’an, locating the beginning of Islam in 7th century Arabia with the life of the Prophet Muhammad. A particular emphasis will be the development of early philosophical and theological schools of thought (e.g. Sunni and Shia), kalaam (dialectical theology) and falsifa (philosophy); and Sufism as the mystical tradition within Islam. The course then turns toward contemporary issues such as the relevance and value of Islamic Law (Sharia); Democracy and Islam (including issues surrounding minority and migrant rights, particularly in post-colonial contexts); and “Islamic” concepts of family (including women and gender). 

Restriction: THEOLOGY 106, 106G

William E. Shepard, Introducing Islam (2nd edition, Routledge, 2014).

'Amazing class! whole paper was well structured and very organised – content well set out, interesting and relevant + assignments related to class content and very well explained and laid out – very stimulating class that I really enjoyed.'

'The class discussions and the videos shown in the lectures were really helpful when it came to understanding the context of Islam.'

'Most helpful was that the lecturer used a lot of materials like video clips to help clarify some of the main ideas and points. Also a lot of group discussions which helped to identify new or different ideas.'

'The group discussions we had in class helped me to open my mind to other perspectives which only bettered my understanding of the course content.'

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