ARAB 232 - The Texting of the Divine: Language and Imagination in Islamic Thought

Institution:

Williams College

Subject:

Arabic

Description:

This course will be an introduction to Islamic intellectual history with a focus on the themes of God's speech, the relation of reason and revelation, and the vision of a good and just society. The course will begin with a survey of the legacy of Neoplatonic thought in the early Islamic period and the interreligious polemic of Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, philosophers and Muslims. Out of this arose two separated movements in Islam: theology (kalam) and philosophy. In the first portion of the course we will trace the rise of the Mu'tazila movement, their views on 'divine speech' and the Asharite and Maturidi response. We will then turn to the key figures of the classical Islamic tradition, al-Farabi, Ibn Sina (Avicenna), Ibn Rushd (Averroes) and Ibn 'ufayl. In the final portion we will examine the rise of Islamic mystical thought (Sufism) and the complicated interrelations of that rich movement with theology and philosophy in the figures of al-Ghazali, Suhrawardi, Ibn 'Arabi, Mulla Sadra and finally Muhammad Iqbal, "the father of Pakistan."

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Seminar

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.williams.edu

Phone Number:

(413) 597-3131

Regional Accreditation:

New England Association of Schools and Colleges

Calendar System:

Four-one-four plan

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