University of Toronto Mississauga Department of Historical Studies Fall 2012 RLG306F5F: Shi Islam

Lectures: Location: Instructor: Office: Office Hours: Phone: Email: Mondays 15pm-17pm NE 268 Dr. Alireza N. Haghighi 272A NB Mondays 13pm-14pm& Wednesdays 15pm-17pm 416-731-2662 a.haghighi@utoronto.ca

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course is an investigation of historical developments in Shii Muslim religious doctrine. It explores the history, thought and institutions of the Shii interpretation of Islam. The course provides students withan in-depth knowledge of the early Shii milieu, Zaidi, Ismaili and Twelver Shiism and the development of the Shii school of thought from early to modern times. Additionally, we will investigate how Sufi mysticism has influenced both devotional life in Shiism and Shii collective identity in modern times. We will end the course by examining historical attempts at religion pluralism, especially in the form of alliances among progressive-minded Shii, Sunnis and non-Muslim communities.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:
* To understand diverse traditions of Shii doctrine, devotional texts, and forms of worship. * To understand historical developments and changes in Shii self-understanding. * To evaluate contemporary issues in Shiism. * To critically reflect on the possibility of interfaith dialogue in the interest of religious pluralism and coexistence in the 21st century. * To sharpen theoretical, analytical, and critical skills through reading, thinking, speaking and writing. REQUIRED TEXTS: 1. Allamah Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabatabai, Shiite Islam, 2nd edition (NY: Suny, 1977). 2. The Quran in English: Oxford Worlds Classics, Muhammad A S Abdel Haleem, paperback 3. There will also be additional articles posted on Blackboard.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Attendance and Active and Informed Participation: 15%

Presentation: 15% Midterm Exam: 25% Comparative Paper: 20% In-Class Test: 25%

October 22, 2012 November 19, 2012 December 03, 2012

LECTURE SCHEDULE: I. Historical Background of Shiism

Week 1: September 10, 2012

Introduction: Historical Background & The Question of Method: Required Readings: a. Tabatabai, Preface And the Authurs Introduction to the book, pp. 3-38.

Week 2: September 17, 2012

The formation of Shii and Sunni Communities. The issues of leadership: Caliphate and Imamate. Required Readings : a. Tabatabai, Chapter I, pp. 39-67

Week 3: September 24, 2012

The battle of Karbala and the death of the Imam Husain ibn Ali: its ritual dimension, communal identity and public ritual. Required Readings: a. Ali J. Hussain, The Mourning of History and the History of Mourning: The Evolution of Ritual Commemoration of the Battle of Karbala in Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East, Volume 25, Number 1, 2005, pp. 78-88. b. Kamran Aghaie, The Karbala Narratvie: ShiI Political Discourse in Modern Iran in the 1960s and 1970s in Journal of Islamic Studies 12:2 (2001) pp. 151-176.

Week 4: October 01, 2012

Shii Religious thought & Islamic beliefs from the Shii Point of View

Required Readings : a. Tabatabai, pp. 89-111 & 123-156.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 08, 2012 HAPPY THANKSGIVING - NO CLASS

II.

Divisions Within Shiism

Week 5: October 15, 2012

Twelver Shiism: Origin and evolution, belief and practices. Required Readings: a. Tabatabai, Chapter II, pp. 75-85 & VII, pp. 173-217 & pp. 223-237.

Week 6: October 22, 2012 MIDTERM TEST

The emergence and development of Ismaili Shii Required Readings: a. Farhad Daftary, The earliest Ismailis in Shiism, Etan Kohlberg ed. (UK: Ashgate Publishing ltd., 2003), pp. 235-266

Week 7: October 29, 2012

The emergence and development of Zaidi ShiI & the rise of Sufism and its contribution to Shii tradition. Required Readings: a. M. S. Khan, The Early History of Zaydi Shiism in Daylaman and Gilan in Shiism, Etan Kohlberg ed. (UK: Ashgate Publishing ltd., 2003), pp. 221-234. b. Tabatabai, pp. 112-120.

III.

Shiism in the Modern World

Week 8: November 05, 2012

Womens issues in Shii Islam: Fatima, Zaynab bint Ali, and the representations of malefemale roles in Shii devotional literature. Required Readings: a. Karen G. Ruffle, May Fatimah Gather Our Tears: The Mystical and Intercessory Powers of Fatimah al-Zahra in Indo-Persian, Shi'i Devotional Literature and Performance in Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East, Volume30, Number 3, 2010, pp. 386-397. b. Wilfred Madelung, ShiI Attitutes toward Women as Reflected in Fiqh in Shiism: Critical Concepts in Islamic Studies, Paul Luft and Colin Turner eds. (NY: Routledge, 2008), pp. 78-88.

Week 9: November 12, 2012

Shii responses to modernity: Dynasty of Safavid in Iran and the emergence of modern Shii religious authorities. Required Readings: a. Moojan Momen, An Introduction to Shii Islam: The History and Doctrines of Twelver Shiism (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1985), pp. 105-146.

Week 10: November 19, 2012

COMAPRATIVE PAPER DUE

Islamist politics and Sunni-Shii conflict: What are the possibilities of Shii-Sunni rapprochement in the 21st century Islamic world? Required Readings: a. Hamid Enayat, Shiism and Sunnism: Conflict and Concord in Modern Islamic Political Thought: The Response of the ShiI and Sunni Muslims to the Twentieth Century, (London: MacMillan Press Ltd), pp. 18-51.

Week 11: November 26, 2012

Modern ShiI Reformists : Continuity and Change in the Intellectual Heritage Required Readings:

a. S. H. Nasr, H. Dabashi and S. V. Nasr (eds.), Shiism: Doctrines, Thought, and Spirituality (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1988), pp. 346-386.

Week 12: December 03, 2012

In-Class Test

COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Attendance and Active and Informed Participation: 15% Presentation: 15% Midterm Exam: 25% October 22, 2012 Comparative Paper: 20% November 19, 2012 In-Class Test: 25% December 03, 2012

1) Attendance, Participation & Discussion 15%

Attending all classes is a necessary condition of success in this course. I take your physical presence in the class very seriously. Frequent late arrivals and early departures will negatively affect your grade, so would un-excused or habitual absence. Discussion is very important to this class, and your participation in discussion means talking! I do keep track of participation in the seminar. Usually, immediately after class, I write notes about student participation and give rough grades for discussion. Students participation will be measured through inclass participation and informed response to questions and readings. You are expected to be present for every class session. If you know that you must miss a class, please let me know that ahead of time by sending me an email.

2) Presentation- 15%
Each student will be required to make one class presentation during the course either individually or within a group. You are expected to present on one article in this course. Presentations will be assigned in the first day of class and are done in the first part of each class afterwards. Those making the presentation should distribute a one page summary to the class. Your presentation must be no less than fifteen or more than thirty minutes and will be followed by class discussion. To generate discussion, your presentation needs to be a critical and productive reading of the article. Reading productively DOES NOT mean highlighting lots of sentences. Rather, reading productively means paying attention to the authors argument and evidences and raising questions about the main themes. Pay particular attention to the introductory paragraphs, conclusions and the main thesis. After reading any chapter or article, you should try to answer the following questions, and you should write down a few notes so that you can organize your presentation in class. a) what was this article/chapter about? b) what was the authors main thesis, argument, and/or conclusion? c) what kinds of evidence did the author use to explain or support that thesis, argument or conclusion? d) does this article or chapter support or contradict others that you have read? (be specific) e) what questions or critiques would you raise after reading this? You are required to provide me with a typed / written summary of your presentation and a list of the names and email addresses of the people in your group.

Presentation Guideline & Marking Scheme

1. Choose and Narrow Topic: 9 marks

Does the presentation stick to the topic? Is the topic faithfully summarized? Is there a clear definition of what the central topic or issue is? Is the topic sufficiently narrowed or broadened such that you can deal with it fully in the assigned time? Is there a clear thesis or perspective on the topic: not just what, but what about it? Does the presentation generate discussion among students?

ABCDE ABCDE ABCDE ABCDE ABCDE

Overall 2. Sources and Ideas/Issues: 8 marks

ABCDE

Is there a good balance between ideas and evidences? Is there evidence that the literature and theories have been understood and presented, or merely read and regurgitated? Is the presentation too general, too descriptive, too full of generalizations that cannot be supported? Are ideas clichd, or repetitious? Is there an awareness of problematic or controversial elements; awareness of potential objections or alternate approaches? Does the argument made in the presentation lead logically and inevitably to the conclusion(s)? Overall 3. Organization and Structure: 5 marks Are there clearly defined sections in the presentation that correspond To the particular article(s)? Does the introduction define the issue, state a rationale, and indicate a Focus for the presentation?

ABCDE ABCDE ABCDE ABCDE ABCDE AB CDE

ABCDE

ABCDE

Does each section address a distinct idea, or contribute to the development of the distinct idea of its section? ABCDE Does the conclusion merely restate the topic or thesis, or does it offer a genuine conclusion?

ABCDE

The three principles of effective organization: does the presentation as a whole, each section, have UNITY (deals with one idea), COHERENCE (move smoothly and logically), and EMPHASIS (important points strategically placed)? ABCDE Overall: ABCDE

4. Expression: 3 mark Is the writing/presenting style concise, direct, and interesting? ABCDE Is the tone (oral or written) appropriate for an academic presentation ABCDE Overall: ABCDE

Topic=9 Sources/Ideas=8 Org/Structure=5

Expression=3

15%

3) Midterm

(25%) On October 22, 2012

The midterm exam will be part multiple choice and 3 short essay. It will be given in class during the second half of the class.

4) Compare and Contrast Paper

(20%) Due November 19, 2012

The purpose of this essay is to take 2 articles and compare and contrast them. Some useful areas for comparison include asking how the authors have approached the subject, what conclusions they reach, what assumptions they are making and if they have made a compelling case or not. No additional research will be required, but students are expected to make themselves familiar with subjects that the authors are referring to for example if the author is discussing the issues of leadership: Caliphate

and Imamate, students will be expected to be familiar with the relevant parts of the document.
Articles that you may choose from will be available on blackboard. A guideline on compare and contrast will be posted on blackboard.

ESSAY: GENERAL GUIDELINES Use the following checklist to determine if your paper is correctly formatted and meets the basic essay requirements. Any mistakes in formatting or failure to follow the guidelines will result in deductions from your essay grade. Paper Length 7-9 pages Times New Roman 12pt font Left Justified Double Spaced 1 inch page margins Page numbers in bottom right hand corner

 Use Footnotes (do not include footnotes in your word count) Include a works cited/bibliography section Ensure you use proper citations: http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/document.html.

5) In-Class Test

(25%)December 03, 2012