Arabic 164 Fall 2017
Arabs and Islam in America
M W
Instructor: FahedMasalkhi
Office Hours: Thursday 12:00 – 1:00 or by appointment
Office: Curtin 878
Preamble
Although not included in the title, this course is an introduction. This means that no assumptions are made about prior knowledge of the subject matter. It also means that in this class you will be introduced to a wide range of new ideas, concepts, languages, and cultures. This will quickly add up to a vast sum of information. Part of the goal of this course is to make such information ready to hand. However, the ultimate aim is not to burden your minds with more material, rather, what we will aim to do is attempt to make sense of this information and try to synthesize it in ways that will help us understand the people, the past and the present of Islam in America.
Objectives:
- To explore the experiences of Arab and Muslim Americans.
- To study the dynamics of the interaction between religion and the diverse cultural backgrounds of American Muslims. Or put differently, to survey the different interpretation of Islam that were facilitated by the American Muslim experience.
- To help you develop an eye for how reality is made to look a certain way. Since most/all your past exposure to/about Islam and Muslims in America was through media, we will pay attention to the dynamics through which our view of reality is shaped by the media we consume.
Requirements
The requirements of this course mainly involve mind-set. Due to the prominence of Arabs, Islam and Muslims in contemporary discourse in both film and print; you will enter this class with some perceptions already formed. It is arguable that much of the prevailing discourse reaffirms and recycles stereotypical representations that are largely problematic, and that have obscured understanding of all things Middle Eastern. I thus urge youto come to this class ready and open to listen and learn.
Course Material
Bayoumi, Moustafa.This Muslim American Life: Dispatches from the War on Terror. NYU Press, 2015.
Curtis, Edward E., ed.The Columbia Sourcebook of Muslims in the United States. Columbia University Press, 2009.
Diouf, Sylviane A. "Servants of Allah: African Americans enslaved in the Americas." (1998).
Esposito, John L.Islam: The straight path. Vol. 4. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.
Gomez, Michael A.Black crescent: the experience and legacy of African Muslims in the Americas. Cambridge University Press, 2005.
Hammer, Juliane, and Omid Safi.The Cambridge Companion to American Islam. Cambridge University Press, 2013.
Herberg, Will.Protestant--Catholic--Jew: An Essay in American Religious Sociology. University of Chicago Press, 1983.
Malcolm, X.The autobiography of Malcolm X. Ballantine Books, 2015.
The relevant chapters and excerpts from these books and a number of other sources will be uploaded to D2L course page.
Course Structure and grading
Attendance and Participation 20%
Prompt attendance is essential. Tardiness and absences will defeat the process of learning. Attendance will be taken each time. More than three absences will result in a deduction in grade by one point (e.g. from B to B-). Full class participation is imperative. Any late assignment will drop by 10% for each day it is late.
Movie Reviews 30%
You will write six critically analytic reflection pieces (average of one every two weeks) on selected topics, readings or media material. In two pages (600 words) you will produce thoughtful knowledge about the material presented in class to analyze the featured films.
Midterm Exam20%
It will include all materials covered in readings and in class lectures up to that point.
Final Project 30% (No Final Exam for this course)
This project must be done in pairs. The project will be in two parts; a 4-5 page (1500-2500word) paper and a class presentation of the paper. Your team will present in class in pairs. Project ideas must be approved by the instructor. Your task in the project will be to discover some basic facts about your issue of choice and explore how it relates to the life of Arabs past, present and/or future.
The range of topics for the project is completely open.
In putting your project together be mindful of the following:
-Any written piece worth reading is usually trying to answer a question. What question is your paper trying to answer?
-Do you keep your question in sight, or do you part company after the first page?
-Is your argument clear? Is it well organized?
-Do you present specific examples to support your argument?
-Are you able to effectively deliver the above in your presentation?
Final Projetct Deadlines;
Partner/team selection and assignment Due October 13th
Team draft proposal for the topic of the final project (250 words, graded) Due November 3rd
Final paper part of the final project Due December 20th
Electronic Device Policy (Cellphone, Laptop policy, tablets, etc.):In order to avoid disturbing the learning of others, all cellular phones, Bluetooth, and paging devices must be turned off. Turned off means turned off: no vibrating, beeping, or receiving text messages. Your cellphone should not be resting on the desk, visible- it needs to be put away, out of sight. Furthermore,the use of laptop computers is not allowed. Your full attention is required.ABSOLUTELY NO EXCEPTIONS.Use of cellphones and laptops will negatively influences your daily participation grades.
Lecture Schedule
Wed 9/6Introduction
Mon 9/11Religion in America – Islam in America
Readings:
Protestant--Catholic--Jew: An Essay in American Religious Sociology
- Religion in America: The Problem p. 1-6
- From the Land of Immigrants to the Triple Melting Pots: Immigration and the Ethnic Group p. 6-24 (Optional – however please skim)
- From the Land of Immigrants to the Triple Melting Pots: The Third Generation and the Religious community p. 27-45
Primer On Islam
Wed 9/139-11 and the Global War on/of Terror
Mon 9/18Esposito Chap1 Muhammad and the Quran, p. 1-19
Esposito Chap1 Muhammad and the Quran, p. 20-34
Wed 9/20Esposito Chp2Muslim Community in History p.53-73
Esposito Chp2Muslim Community in History p.73-96
Mon 9/25Esposito Chp3 Religious Life: Belief and Practice p.96-124
Esposito Chp3 Religious Life: Belief and Practice p. 85-96 (Optional)
Islam – Worldview
Muslims in America – Early Comers to New Arrivals
Wed 9/27Early Comers –
DioufServants of Allah
Curtis, 5-9 (Autobiography of Omar ibnSayid)
Curtis, 29-39 (WPA Interviews)
Film: Prince Among Slaves
First Reflection Paper Due
Mon 10/2Black Religion and Islam
Curtis, 59-72 (Noble Drew Ali and ShaikhDaoud Ahmed Faisal)
Curtis, 92-104, 116-120 (Elijah & W.D. Muhammad, Malcolm X)
Wed 10/4Civil rights Era
Malcolm X
Reading – Autobiography of Malcolm X, Chapters 7-11
Muslim Icons – the Legacy of Muhammad Ali
The Immigrant Experience
Mon 10/9History - Demography
Curtis, 9-17 (Mohammed Alexander Russell Webb)
Curtis, 46-58 (PirInyat Khan and Moslem Sunrise)
Wed 10/11Second Reflection Paper Due
American Muslim Women
Curtis, 183-198, 207-215 (Leila Ahmed, Carol Amway, Asma Gull Hasan)
Mon 10/16Film: My Mosque and Me by ZarqaNawaz
Wed 10/18Third Reflection Paper Due
Being Muslim in post-9/11 America
Bayoumi: Chapter 1
Curtis, 269-292
Mon 10/23Islam and Democracy
Bayoumi: Chpters 4 and 5
Curtis, 306-322
Wed 10/25Fourth reflection Paper Due
The South Asian Muslim community
Masala identity
Mon 10/30Muslim American or American Muslim
American Muslim cultural productions
Video: Little Mosque on the Prairie
Wed 11/1Civic and political engagement
Diversity of American Muslims
Shi’ism in America
Mon 11/6MID TERM EXAM
Wed 11/8Pluralism of the American Muslims
The role of ethnicity and race
The mosque: Claiming space and changing landscapes
Changing roles
Mon 11/13 Virtual Islam and Juridical Authority
Reading: From Imam to Cyber Mufti
Reading: Living a Muslim Life in American Society
Wed 11/15Reading: Urban enclaves and Muslim identity in urban America
Architecture and sacred space
Mon 11/20The Immigrant experience
The Arab Muslim community
Early history and Detroit
Arab Americans and profiling
Bayoumi: Chapter 2
Wed 11/22Thanksgiving Break
Mon 11/27Hyphenated selves and identity
Wed 11/29Belonging in 21st Century America
Mon 12/4Class Presentations
Wed 12/6Class Presentations
Mon 12/11Class Presentations
Wed 12/13Class Presentations