Spring 2017/Fuller Online
MR557
Reisacher
MR557: WOMEN AND THE FAMILY IN ISLAM (4 Units: 160 Hours). Evelyne A. Reisacher.
DESCRIPTION: This course examines the varieties of identities and roles of women in historic and contemporary Islam as evidenced by the Qur'an, the Traditions, the Law, and current writings and experience, and the implications of these for interacting with Muslims. Some of the topics dealt with are the religious and social role and status of Muslim women in various cultures, their place in the family, their participation in Muslim societies, and the current debates about gender issues in Islam. The course will also cover various Christian perspectives on Muslim women. The class will also provide insight for students who are or will be interacting with Muslim women.
LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon completion of this course, the students will be able to (1) know the essential Qur’anic texts dealing with women, as well as selected texts of the Hadith and Shariah Law; (2) identify the issues that Muslim women face and locate them in historical and cultural contexts; (3) be aware of the variety of interpretations concerning the status of Muslim women given by Muslims and Christians; and (4) reflect missiologically on women’s issues in Islam.
COURSE FORMAT: This course will be conducted online on a ten-week schedule aligned with Fuller’s academic calendar for a total of 40 instructional hours. Students are required to interact with the material, with each other, and with the instructor regularly through online discussions, reading, and other assignments that promote active learning. Each week students and the instructor will interact with the material provided to the class through video and audio presentations examining historic and contemporary roles of women in Islam. This interaction will be through journaling, threaded discussions, and web-based research.
REQUIRED READING: 844 pp. required.
Abu-Lughod, Lila. Do Muslim Women Need Saving? Harvard University Press, 2013. ISBN: 978-0674725164, Pub. Price $37.00 [336 pages]
Adeney, Miriam. Daughters of Islam: Building Bridges with Muslim Women. InterVarsity Press, 2002. ISBN: 978-0830823451, Pub. Price $16.00 [224 pp.].
Mahmood, Saba. Politics of Piety: The Islamic Revival and the Feminist Subject. Princeton University Press, 2011. ISBN: 978-0691149806, Pub. Price $29.95 [272 pp.]
Mallouhi, Christine. Mini-Skirts, Mothers and Muslims: A Christian Woman in a Muslim Land. Monarch Books, 2004. ISBN: 978-0825460517, Pub. Price $12.99 [192 pp.].
Reisacher, Evelyne. “Portraying Muslim Women,” in Toward Respectful Understanding and Witness among Muslims: Essays in Honor of J. Dudley Woodberry, ed. Evelyne A. Reisacher, William Carey Publishers, pp. 71-86,ISBN: 978-0878080182 [on eReserves]
ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:
Video lectures, PowerPoint, and YouTube Videos [20 hours].
250-word weekly forum posts (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes # 1, 2, and 3] [10 hours].
250-word weekly replies (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes 1, 2, and 3] [10 hours].
1,039 pp. of required reading [50 hours].
Weekly Reflections on passages of the Qur’an and the Hadith (30%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome 1] [18 hours].
A 6-page interaction paper, double-spaced, reflecting critically on the required readings (20%) [This assignment is related to learning outcomes 1, 2, and 3]. [12 hours].
A 12-15 page term paper, double-spaced, on an approved topic related to the course (30%) [This assignment is related to learning outcome 4]. [40 hours].
PREREQUISITES: None.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Serves as a course substitute for MB501. Option to meet the C5 requirement in the 120 MDiv Program.
FINAL EXAMINATION: None.