Recommended Study Sequence

This is an introductory subject/unit that exposes students to the basic and fundamental beliefs and practices that constitute the fabric of the Islamic world. Students will be able to explore relationships and differences between the key teachings of Islam and the customary practices of Muslims. In doing so, students will study both unity and diversity in various regions of the Muslim world. Historical and anthropological approaches to studying a number of key institutions and discourses in Muslim societies will also be introduced.

Introduces students to Islam and its adherents within contemporary global dynamics. It examines the thought of key Muslim intellectuals from the 19th Century till present and their attempts to come to terms with modernity as a Western project, while addressing critical issues facing Islam. Areas for consideration include: renewal and reform; the impact of colonialism and globalisation on Muslim discourse; independent judgment (ijtihad) versus emulation (taqlid); and issues associated with civil society. Students will also explore the challenge of shaping a Muslim identity in the modern world, in the context of key Muslim institutions and social movements.

An introduction, in English translation, to the two most important texts of Islam, the Qur'an and Prophetic Tradition (Hadith), which Muslims regard as the primary sources of Islam. Students will study: the origins of the Qur'an and Hadith; their overall structure and content; major themes; approaches to their interpretation; and their functions in Muslim religious, social and political life. The themes and topics covered should assist students in understanding contemporary debates on the relevance of Islam today. Students will also explore the relationship between text and traditions in various Muslim societies in the present day.

Beginning with “Nisa’�—the chapter of the holy Quran dedicated to women— and a collection of pertinent aĥadiţh, this unit focuses on the impact that Islam’s philosophy has had on various Muslim and Arab cultures by examining literature from throughout the Arabo-Islamic civilization. Students are introduced to a variety of interpretations of the role of women in Islam and how these interpretations are reflected in literary and non-literary texts. Students learn to detect the tremendous influence that Islam has had on Arabic texts and cultures, even those which at first appear to be of a secular nature.

This unit introduces students to Islamic legal theory, its sources and principles, and its application by different schools and scholars to derive religious verdicts. Students will study efforts to ‘streamline’ Islamic law through a number of Sunni and Shiite schools, various conceptions of shari’ah, and modern attempts at law reform through dynamic scholarship and ijtihad (independent judgment). Upon completion, students should be able to explain developments in Islamic legal thought within their socio-historical contexts, and identify key debates among Muslim scholars. Using current case studies, students will also study Islamic law issues affecting Muslims today, especially Muslim minorities.

The notion of 'New Ethnicities', introduced first by Stuart Hall in the 1980s in the context of the ascendancy of the New Right in Britain stressed, among other things, the importance of social and cultural identities, including ethic and racial identities, generated by the process of globalisation, and the convergence of trans-national and trans-racial loyalties. Based on this notion, this unit critically examines the essentialist definitions of 'ethnicity', 'race' and 'nation', across many areas of cultural policy and practice. It draws theoretical perspectives from many schools of social thought including modernism, Marxism and postmodernism. Empirical examples are drawn from both the western and non-western world.

At the beginning of the twenty-first century, multiculturalism remains an important topic of debate both in Australia and the world at large. This unit explores the concept of multiculturalism in a historical perspective and across a variety of sites. While concentrating upon Australian multiculturalism, the syllabus also encompasses the study of multiculturalism in a variety of international contexts. Particular attention is paid to the relations between multiculturalism and nationalism, the role of religion, the relation of multiculturalism to Indigenous politics, and to the increased pressures placed upon cultural difference and diversity by globalisation.