BA History and Sociology / Course details

This is a course on intellectual history which surveys key issues that Muslim intellectuals from the late 18th to 21st century Middle East and South Asia debated with passion. It begins by looking at Islamic reformist movements in the late 18th century Middle East, then proceeding to their intellectual heirs in the 19th and 20th centuries. We will look at the ideas of prominent reformist thinkers such as Muhammad ‘Abduh (d. 1905), Rashid Rida (d. 1935), Hasan al-Banna (d. 1949), and Sayyid Qutb (d. 1966), as well as those who are active in the present day Middle East such as Yusuf al-Qaradawi and Mohamed Shahrour. We will explore their attempts to navigate the ever-contested currents of Islamic resurgence in contemporary Muslim societies. 

This course is intended as a general introduction to modern Islamic thought in which students will gain familiarity with the key issues that were discussed between prominent Muslim thinkers in the 18th to 21st century Middle East and South Asia 

By the end of this course students will be able to:

• Discuss the main ideas of Muslim thinkers in relation to their biographical background;
• Compare and contrast how key issues in modern Islam were discussed by different thinkers;
• Examine the writings of Muslim thinkers in relation to the socio-historical contexts in which they were operating.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

• Discuss the main ideas of Muslim thinkers in relation to their biographical background;
• Compare and contrast how key issues in modern Islam were discussed by different thinkers;
• Examine the writings of Muslim thinkers in relation to the socio-historical contexts in which they were operating.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

• Develop analytical capacity to comprehend theoretical materials; 
• Improve the ability to examine primary and secondary sources.
• Critical and analytical thinking

By the end of this course students will be able to:

• Use library and online resources;
• Write a well-structured and argued essay.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

• Critical and analytical thinking
• Presentation skills (oral and written)
• Time management and punctuality
• Present ideas in a clear and orderly manner. 

• Ayubi, Nazih, Political Islam: Religion and Politics in the Arab World, London: Routledge, 1991.
• Ernst, Carl W., Following Muhammad: Rethinking Islam in the Contemporary World, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2004.
• Haj, Samira, Reconfiguring Islamic Tradition: Reform, Rationality, and Modernity, Stanford: Stanford UP, 2009.
• Hourani, Albert, Arabic Thought in the Liberal Age 1798-1939, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1983.
• Zaman, Muhammad Qasim, Modern Islamic Thought in a Radical Age: Religious Authority and Internal Criticism, Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2012.