Undergraduate Course: Early Islamic Political Thought (IMES10046)
Course Outline
| School | School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | The early Islamic tradition (7th?12th centuries CE) is particularly rich in material that addresses political questions. This reflects the importance of such questions to many Muslims in the first community in West Arabia, in the Muslim empire of the caliphate, and in the ?commonwealth? of Islamic societies stretching from Spain to Central Asia that it left behind.
In this course we will read a number of important early Islamic political texts in English translation and discuss the question of how and why Muslims came up with their various responses to questions about: authority, obedience and rebellion; justice and order; status, hierarchy and communal identity; leadership and qualification for it. We will also read some of secondary scholarship in English on early Islamic political thought. No knowledge of any language other than English is required. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have at least 3 courses in a suitable subject area at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses. |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course students should:
1. Be familiar with the main currents of Islamic political thought in the formative and classical periods of Islam..
2. Have a good understanding of some of the most important secondary literature in English on early Islamic political thought.
3. Have a good understanding of current debates about early Islamic political thought.
4. Be familiar with some early Islamic texts in English translation.
5. Be equipped with the critical skills to evaluate the significance of any given early Islamic text for the history of political thought in Islam.
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Assessment Information
1 x 2,500 word essay or commentary (30%)
Short tutorial assignments (10%)
1 x 3 hour examination (60%)
Visiting Student Variant Assessment
2 x 2500 word essays
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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 | IMES EarlyIsPolThought |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Andrew Marsham
Tel: (0131 6)50 9872
Email: andrew.marsham@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Eleanor Humphrey
Tel: (0131 6)50 6949
Email: Eleanor.Humphrey@ed.ac.uk |
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