MEAS8122 Shiite Islam in World Politics
| Offered By | Centre for Arab & Islamic Studies |
|---|---|
| Academic Career | Graduate Coursework |
| Course Subject | Middle Eastern & Central Asian Studies |
| Offered in | First Semester, 2009 and Second Semester, 2010 |
| Unit Value | 6 units |
| Course Description | This course would serve as an integral part of the proposed new post-graduate degrees, a Master of Islam in the Modern World and a Diploma in Islam in the Modern World. It is intended to give students an overview of the origin and historical development of Shi'ite Islam as the second main sect of Islam and its position amidst wider Islamic narratives. It would also seem imperative to provide the reader of the Master of Islam in the Modern World with a comprehensive and objective understanding of Shi'ite dynamics, both at the intellectual and pragmatic levels. The course will introduce the student to the Shi'ite theological interpretation of the socio-political themes of governance and religious authority as well as its conceptual approach toward modern notions such as democracy, secularism and globalisation. |
| Learning Outcomes | This course would complement the other courses in the programme (Master or Grad Dip in Islam in the Modern World) by acquainting students with the nuances and trends that exist in Shi'a theology as a vibrant faith in Islam and the challenges it creates or encounters in world politics. |
| Indicative Assessment |
1 x Major essay 60% 1 x 3 hour Final Exam 40% |
| Workload | The course will be delivered on campus by way of one two-hour seminar. |
| Preliminary Reading |
1. Momen, Moojan. An Introduction to Shi'i Islam, New Haven and London: Yale University, 1985. 2. Cole, Juan. Sacred Space and Holy War: The Politics, Culture and History of Shi'ite Islam, London & New York: I. B. Tauris, 2002. 3. Amir Arjomand, Said. Ed., Authority and Political Culture in Shiism, New York: SUNY Press, 1988. 4. Nasr, Vali. The Shia Revival: How Conflict within Islam Will Shape the Future, New York & London: W. W. Norton & Company, 2006. 5. Nakash, Yitzhak. Reaching for Power: The Shi'a in the Modern Arab World, Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2007. |
| Academic Contact | Hossein Moghaddam |
The information published on the Study at ANU 2009 website applies to the 2009 academic year only. All information provided on this website replaces the information contained in the Study at ANU 2008 website.
