The course will offer a general overview of the historical development of Muslim doctrine in its intellectual dimensions and in their relationship to the wider historical context of the Islamicate societies.

Students should be able to grasp the central points of Islamic intellectual debates, locating them culturally and temporally in their appropriate context , and to orient themselves among the basic concepts of Islam, the main doctrinal themes and the critical debates with historical awareness.

The course is arranged into three principal sections:

1) In the first part, the main aspects of Muslim religious culture of the formative and Classic periods will be presented: doctrinal foundations, major sectarian divisions, essential elements of cultic activity, discursive theology (kalam), philosophy (falsafa), the cultural role of speech, the political vision (Caliphate).

2) In the second part, the students will take part in seminars, discussing some aspects of islamic tradition with direct reading of texts. This section will focus on philosophical works. 

3) In the third part, terms and figures of the islamic intellectual debates in the modern and contmporary times will be presented, also with seminary discussions. This section will give particular attention to the Arabic speaking area.

Knowledge and understanding: Understanding of essential doctrinal aspects of Islam, of the main cultural debates within their context, and of the general lines of their historical development.

Applied knowledge and understanding:
Ability to relate the studied content to contemporary situation, to read present news and discussion critically.

Autonomy: ability to tackle with the historical complexity of the situations presented.

Communicative skills: ability to summarize and espress proprerly, in oral and written forms, the results of personal study and reflection.
Learning skills: ability to confront critically and autonomously with the text and discuss its contents.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Academic articles, written essays by students, slides, maps, playing cards, teacher's material.

Teaching

Traditional lessons. Seminaries. Classroom groupwork, including games and roleplaying.
Classroom presentations by students. Recordings of lessons may be put the student's disposal on request.

Audiovisual presentations.

Attendance

Attendance is free.

Course books

Carole Hillenbrand, "Islam. Una nuova introduzione storica", Torino, Einaudi 2015.

- Another book to be chosen from the following list. The student will write a brief essay (roughly 1500 words) on this reading for the exam and present this reading in the class seminaries.

- All essays, after review by the teacher, will be put online as study material. They are part of the program for the exam.
List of choice books:

Classical period:

Sources:

al-Farabi, “La città virtuosa”, Rizzoli, Milano 2008.

al-Ghazali, “Le luci della sapienza”, Mondadori, Milano 2012.

Avempace, “Il regime del solitario”, Rizzoli, Milano, 2002.

Ibn Tufayl, “L'epistola di Hayy Ibn Yaqzan. I segreti della filosofia orientale”, Rusconi, Milano 1983. (This text is not easily available. Interested students may contact the teacher or read it in English or French translation or Arabic original).

Averroè, “Il trattato decisivo sull'accordo della religione con la filosofia”, Rizzoli, Milano, 2002.

Ibn al-Nafis, “Theologus Autodidactus”, Clarendon Press, Oxford 1968 (available online).

Monographs:

Dimitri Gutas, “Pensiero greco e cultura araba”, Einaudi, Torino, 2002.

Leonardo Capezzone, “La trasmissione del sapere nell'Islam medievale”, Jouvence, Roma, 1998.

Wael Hallaq, “Introduzione al diritto islamico”, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2013.

Nadia Anghelescu, “Lingua e cultura nella civiltà araba ”, Zamorani, Torino 1993.

Bernard Lewis, “Il linguaggio politico dell'Islam”, Laterza, Roma-Bari, 2005.

Modern and contemporary period:

Sources:

Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd, “Islam e storia. Critica del discorso religioso”, Bollati Boringhieri, Torino 2002.

Ruhollah Khomeyni, “Il governo islamico”, Il Cerchio, Rimini 2007.

Monographs:

Massimo Campanini, “Ideologia e politica nell'Islam”, Il Mulino, Bologna 2008.

Lorenzo Declich, “l'Islam nudo”, Jouvence, Roma 2015.

Lorenzo Declich, "Islam in 20 parole" Laterza, Roma-Bari 2016.

Olivier Roy, “Global Muslim”, Feltrinelli, Milano 2003.

Ugo Fabietti, “Medio Oriente. Uno sguardo antropologico”, Raffaello Cortina, Milano 2016.

Hamadi Redissi, "Islam e modernità", Ombre Corte, Verona 2014.

Edward Said, “Orientalismo”, Feltrinelli, Milano 1991 (different editions).

Upon request, it is possible to choose and present, with the teacher's agreement, a different book, either in Italian or an another language (e.g. English, French, Arabic). It is also possible to read the listed book in original version or translated.

Assessment

Students are asked to either hold a presentatation in class or write an essay of roughly 1500 word on a chosen text, The presentation or essay will be part of assessment. It may either in Italian or English.

The exam will be a brief oral interview to assess the ability to orient in space, time and themes on the subjects of the course.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Teaching

There is no difference between attending and not attending students.

Course books