Postgraduate Course: Perspectives on the Human Body in Islamic Traditions (REST11005)
Course Outline
| School | School of Divinity |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Religious Studies |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/divinity/current-students-staff/postgraduate/handbooks-pg |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | The contemporary encounter between Islam and the West is often framed in terms of a battle over the human body, with apologists on both sides imputing the other side with disrespect towards the body, especially the female body. This course seeks to chart the cultural history of the human body in Islam. Emphasis is laid both on how the body has been inscribed with claims to power and on how it has been used to resist power. Introductory methodological Reflections are followed by units dealing with the human body in theology and law, Islamic mysticism (Sufism), medicine, and Muslim and Western visual arts. |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Students should have a basic familiarity with Islamic history and religion. If in doubt, they should consult with the Course Manager. |
| Additional Costs | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Students should have a basic familiarity with Islamic history and religion. If in doubt, they should consult with the Course Manager. |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | No |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
| By the end of this course, students will have an appreciation of the diversity of attitudes toward the human body in Islam. In addition, they will have developed a critical perspective on the fallacies of Orientalist constructions of the 'Oriental' body, and thus the need to de-'otherize' the body in Islam. On the basis of the method and theory readings, they will also have become sensitive to the symbolic ambiguity of the human body, both conformist and subversive, in the construction of reality. |
Assessment Information
| Students are required to write a 3,000-4,000 word essay on an agreed topic. |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Not entered |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Not entered |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Islam, anthropology, body, cultural studies, theology, law, anthropology, Orientalism, art. |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Christian Lange
Tel: (0131 6)50 8781
Email: c.lange@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Paula Kruyff
Tel: (0131 6)5
Email: Paula.Kruyff@ed.ac.uk |
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