MA Islamic Studies and Humanities

The module will analyse the concept of revelation, prophethood and scripture in the Qur’an, and will examine the intellectual, religious and socio-political context in which the Qur’an came about. Attention will be paid to the interaction between the Prophet Muhammad’s life, including his relations with his contemporaries, and the unfolding of the revelations.

Ritual often appears amongst the most complex expressions of human activity and life, becoming a fundamental marker of pivotal points in the course of human existence. Although, for methodological purposes, we tend to separate what could be labelled ‘secular rituals’ from ‘religious rituals’, the underpinning structure of ritual, in its essential function of ‘marker’ in real life, remains the same. Even though this module will favour the religious aspect of ritual, it will also pay attention to the concomitance of the two strands and, at times, the ambiguity between religious rituals and secular, civic rituals.

Diverging interpretations of the past lie at the core of some of the most important divisions within the global Muslim community, having to do with differing views of authority between Sunni and Shiite traditions. This course aims to trace the emergence of these distinctive traditions within the wider framework of religious debate and political challenge that included not just Arabs and Iranians, but also Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians.

The period between roughly the 5th/11th and 12th/18th centuries is characterised by intensive evolution of the paradigms of political and religious authority in Muslim societies, accompanied by profound political and administrative changes. It is a period of transformation and transition leading to a new configuration of the Muslim world in the form of the Ottoman, Safavid and Mughal Empires. In this module, students will be introduced to these complex social, political and intellectual dynamics. While providing a comprehensive survey of the Islamic world, the internal coherence of this module relies on the permanent focus on the articulations of religious and political authority.

This module completes the survey of the place of Muslims in global history. Part 3 continues to highlight the variations in concrete historical experience throughout the Muslim world as a result of underlying social, cultural, and ethnic differences.

The module provides critical understanding of key moments in Shi?i history and the trajectory of evolution and changes in Shi?i thought against the wider developments in history and society. The module examines the important interaction of religious and secular authority in the formation of what can be defined as Shi?i identity while exploring the complex interdependence of religious and community identities among the Shi?a.

This module provides a critical survey of Ismaili history from the earliest periods to early modern times. Starting with the pre-Fatimid period, it covers the entire Fatimid period when Ismaili thought and literature attained their summit and made important contributions to Islamic thought and culture.

South Asia is home to the largest concentration of Muslims in the world. This course critically surveys the historical development of Muslim communities in the region, focusing on various articulations of their identities. Using the Satpanthi Khoja communities of Gujarat, Sind and Punjab and their Ginan literature as a case study, the course examines issues and themes related to constructions of identity within religious and socio-political contexts, as well as the broader framework of South Asian cultures as expressed in language, literature, and the arts. The course also provides opportunities for deep thinking on various ways in which the terms Islamic" and "Muslim" have been defined in pre-modern and modern discourses in South Asia, particularly those of colonialism, nationalism and “islamization”."

The emphasis of this advanced course is on reading, writing, listening, speaking and translation of modern texts. After successful completion of this course students should be able to follow advanced modern Persian texts unaided and to comprehend news items, interviews, prose narratives and short literary prose texts with the help of a dictionary. They should also be able to produce written material in Persian such as everyday correspondence.

This is a Beginners course in Modern Standard Arabic.The main emphasis is on mastering the basic structures of Modern Standard Arabic as a means of communication, particularly in relation to journalism, with equal emphasis on reading, writing, speaking and hearing.

This is a closely supervised Arabic into English translation project for students enrolled in the two-year MA (discipline or subject area) and Intensive Arabic that complements and re-enforces the language skills the students are acquiring in the co-requisite course, Advanced Standard Modern Arabic.

This is a closely supervised Arabic into English translation project for students enrolled in the two-year MA (discipline or subject area) and Intensive Arabic that complements and reinforces the language skills the students are acquiring in the co-requisite course, Arabic 4 PG. Students will choose with the help of the supervisor one Arabic text of approximately 6000 words at the appropriate level and translate it into English, and one English text of approximately 6000 words at the appropriate level to translate into Arabic, utilising, honing, reinforcing and supplementing students' knowledge of grammar, vocabulary, registers and styles of the Arabic language, bringing these forward from passive learning into active use.

This is an Intermediate course in Modern Standard Arabic. The main emphasis is on mastering the basic structures of Modern Standard Arabic as a means of communication, particularly in relation to journalism, with equal emphasis on reading, writing, speaking and hearing. News broadcasts are introduced, and oral competence is developed through extensive use of media resources as well as in small-group conversation classes, where some elements of colloquial Arabic are also introduced.

The course provides for the teaching and learning of lower-intermediate level Persian language with emphasis on practical written and spoken Persian. The course introduces complex sentence structures including relatives clauses, as well as more focused use of idiomatic structures in Persian writing and discourse. By the end of this module students should be able to describe experiences, events, plans, hopes and concerns in both spoken and written language with ease and confidence. Furthermore, they should be able to interact on topics of everyday work, leisure and travel.

The module provides for the teaching and learning of upper-intermediate level Persian language with emphasis on practical as well as nuianced written and spoken Persian. The course introduces complex sentence structures including conditional sentences, as well as more use of abstract or technical terminology in Persian writing and discourse. By the end of this module students should be able to relate detailed experiences, as well as discuss and understand concrete and abstract topics, in both spoken and written language with ease and confidence.

This is a basic language acquisition module for students who have already studied the language 1A equivalent in the previous term, or who have equivalent knowledge. Students are therefore assumed to have some basic knowledge of the language or its script. This module develops knowledge of some of the several basic constructions of the language, enabling students to develop their skills in reading, writing, comprehension and speaking.

This is a basic introductory language acquisition module for absolute beginners in the written and spoken language; students are not assumed to have any previous knowledge of the language or its script. The module covers several basic constructions of the language, enabling students to acquire basic skills in reading, writing, comprehension and speaking.

This is a lower advanced language acquisition course that will reinforce competence in grammar and syntax, widen active vocabulary, and simultaneously develop listening and speaking skills.Letter writing skills will be introduced. Oral competence is developed in conversation classes and by using audio-video material.

This is a lower advanced language acquisition course that will reinforce competence in grammar and syntax, widen active vocabulary, and simultaneously develop listening and speaking skills.

This is an upper intermediate language acquisition module that builds on Arabic 3A, providing students with a firmer foundation in Arabic grammar, and training them in the active use of the language through writing exercises that draw on and reinforce a number of skills including knowledge of grammar, syntax, phraseology and general and specialised terminology. Writing skills will also be further built through targeted translation exercises. The module also includes an oral component where students are trained in speaking the colloquial register of the language.

This is an intermediate language acquisition module that builds on Arabic 1 and Arabic 2, providing students with a firmer foundation in Arabic grammar, and training students in the active use of the language through writing exercises that draw on and reinforce a number of skills including knowledge of grammar, syntax, phraseology and general and specialised terminology. Writing skills will also be further built through targeted translation exercises. The module also includes an oral component where students are trained in speaking the colloquial register of the language.

The module provides teaching and learning of advanced level Arabic language. It covers a wide variety of texts in topics such as literature, politics, religion, science, etc. Teaching will cover reading, analysing, writing, listening and speaking. There will be a series of special postgraduate lectures with associated seminars structured around the six themes of structure, texts, identity, society, translation and transformation (provided for PG students studying different languages). These will introduce students to general questions of the role of language in language-based scholarship and research, and will provide them with the critical and methodological skills to relate their language acquisition to the thematic aspects of the study.

This is a high advanced language acquisition course

Arabic 5 A (PG)

This is an advanced language acquisition course.

Arabic 2 B (PG)

This module completes the coverage of the grammar and syntax of Modern Standard Arabic at an intermediate level and trains students in reading, comprehending and writing with the help of a dictionary more complex Arabic sentences and passages.

The module provides for the teaching and learning of upper-intermediate level Persian language with emphasis on practical as well as nuanced written and spoken Persian. The course introduces complex sentence structures including conditional sentences, as well as more use of abstract or technical terminology in Persian writing and discourse.

The module will be focused on the teaching and learning of Persian language at lower-advanced level with emphasis on practically competent aural and oral skills, as well as nuanced writing ability and dexterity in reading comprehension.

This module will concentrate on “Islamic” law, ethics and society. Moreover, it should be noted at the outset that “Law, Ethics and Society” is a multi-disciplinary Module consisting of subjects with diverse natures.

The module will analyse and deconstruct the presentation of Ismailis as a largely homogenous group in extant literature by focusing on the diversity of Ismaili communities around the world. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, the module analyses the complex relationship of Ismaili communities with their environment, their engagement with modernity, as well as their relationship with their Imam and the institutions that govern community life.

This module is designed to look at the broader contexts of Muslim civilisations and critical intellectual engagements of all the people who have lived historically through the wider milieu of Muslim civilisations. Therefore, historically, it encompasses key moments and key figures from the rise of Islam to contemporary times. Conceptually, the module deals with an overview of various disciplines which reflect the growth and development of intellectual currents, be they specifically Muslim in signature or otherwise. As such it makes references to all branches of science, philosophy, jurisprudence, law, mysticism and literary genres. Geographically, the module has references to all the regions and territories where Muslims have ruled and played a key role in the genesis of intellectual currents, but it may also at times refer to areas where historically Muslims have not had sizeable populations. This module is an intellectual narrative and does not seek to represent intellectual traditions as being the fruit or the image of religiosity. It places the intellectual endeavours of human beings in broader historical contexts, which are multiple, pluralistic and cosmopolitan.

This module analyses the dynamic between evolutions in religious functions and developments in literary representations of authoritative figures of the Muslim tradition from the formative 7th century to the modern 21st century era, through special focus on the widely varied understandings of Prophet Muhammad and Imam Ali b. Abi Talib in Muslim civilization.

Literature in an important aspect of complex civilisations, such as Islamic civilisations, and the complexity of the civilisation is reflected in the complexity of its literary productions. This module will examine such complexity against the background of the uses of language in human societies.

The emphasis of this advanced course is on reading, writing, listening, speaking and translation of modern texts. After successful completion of this course students should be able to follow advanced modern Persian texts unaided and to comprehend news items, interviews, prose narratives and short literary prose texts with the help of a dictionary. They should also be able to produce written material in Persian such as everyday correspondence.

This is a Beginners course in Modern Standard Arabic.The main emphasis is on mastering the basic structures of Modern Standard Arabic as a means of communication, particularly in relation to journalism, with equal emphasis on reading, writing, speaking and hearing.

This is a closely supervised Arabic into English translation project for students enrolled in the two-year MA (discipline or subject area) and Intensive Arabic that complements and re-enforces the language skills the students are acquiring in the co-requisite course, Advanced Standard Modern Arabic.

This is a closely supervised Arabic into English translation project for students enrolled in the two-year MA (discipline or subject area) and Intensive Arabic that complements and reinforces the language skills the students are acquiring in the co-requisite course, Arabic 4 PG. Students will choose with the help of the supervisor one Arabic text of approximately 6000 words at the appropriate level and translate it into English, and one English text of approximately 6000 words at the appropriate level to translate into Arabic, utilising, honing, reinforcing and supplementing students' knowledge of grammar, vocabulary, registers and styles of the Arabic language, bringing these forward from passive learning into active use.

This is an Intermediate course in Modern Standard Arabic. The main emphasis is on mastering the basic structures of Modern Standard Arabic as a means of communication, particularly in relation to journalism, with equal emphasis on reading, writing, speaking and hearing. News broadcasts are introduced, and oral competence is developed through extensive use of media resources as well as in small-group conversation classes, where some elements of colloquial Arabic are also introduced.

The course provides for the teaching and learning of lower-intermediate level Persian language with emphasis on practical written and spoken Persian. The course introduces complex sentence structures including relatives clauses, as well as more focused use of idiomatic structures in Persian writing and discourse. By the end of this module students should be able to describe experiences, events, plans, hopes and concerns in both spoken and written language with ease and confidence. Furthermore, they should be able to interact on topics of everyday work, leisure and travel.

The module provides for the teaching and learning of upper-intermediate level Persian language with emphasis on practical as well as nuianced written and spoken Persian. The course introduces complex sentence structures including conditional sentences, as well as more use of abstract or technical terminology in Persian writing and discourse. By the end of this module students should be able to relate detailed experiences, as well as discuss and understand concrete and abstract topics, in both spoken and written language with ease and confidence.

This is a basic language acquisition module for students who have already studied the language 1A equivalent in the previous term, or who have equivalent knowledge. Students are therefore assumed to have some basic knowledge of the language or its script. This module develops knowledge of some of the several basic constructions of the language, enabling students to develop their skills in reading, writing, comprehension and speaking.

This is a basic introductory language acquisition module for absolute beginners in the written and spoken language; students are not assumed to have any previous knowledge of the language or its script. The module covers several basic constructions of the language, enabling students to acquire basic skills in reading, writing, comprehension and speaking.

This is a lower advanced language acquisition course that will reinforce competence in grammar and syntax, widen active vocabulary, and simultaneously develop listening and speaking skills.Letter writing skills will be introduced. Oral competence is developed in conversation classes and by using audio-video material.

This is a lower advanced language acquisition course that will reinforce competence in grammar and syntax, widen active vocabulary, and simultaneously develop listening and speaking skills.

This is an upper intermediate language acquisition module that builds on Arabic 3A, providing students with a firmer foundation in Arabic grammar, and training them in the active use of the language through writing exercises that draw on and reinforce a number of skills including knowledge of grammar, syntax, phraseology and general and specialised terminology. Writing skills will also be further built through targeted translation exercises. The module also includes an oral component where students are trained in speaking the colloquial register of the language.

This is an intermediate language acquisition module that builds on Arabic 1 and Arabic 2, providing students with a firmer foundation in Arabic grammar, and training students in the active use of the language through writing exercises that draw on and reinforce a number of skills including knowledge of grammar, syntax, phraseology and general and specialised terminology. Writing skills will also be further built through targeted translation exercises. The module also includes an oral component where students are trained in speaking the colloquial register of the language.

The module provides teaching and learning of advanced level Arabic language. It covers a wide variety of texts in topics such as literature, politics, religion, science, etc. Teaching will cover reading, analysing, writing, listening and speaking. There will be a series of special postgraduate lectures with associated seminars structured around the six themes of structure, texts, identity, society, translation and transformation (provided for PG students studying different languages). These will introduce students to general questions of the role of language in language-based scholarship and research, and will provide them with the critical and methodological skills to relate their language acquisition to the thematic aspects of the study.

This is a high advanced language acquisition course

Arabic 5 A (PG)

This is an advanced language acquisition course.

Arabic 2 B (PG)

This module completes the coverage of the grammar and syntax of Modern Standard Arabic at an intermediate level and trains students in reading, comprehending and writing with the help of a dictionary more complex Arabic sentences and passages.

The module provides for the teaching and learning of upper-intermediate level Persian language with emphasis on practical as well as nuanced written and spoken Persian. The course introduces complex sentence structures including conditional sentences, as well as more use of abstract or technical terminology in Persian writing and discourse.

The module will be focused on the teaching and learning of Persian language at lower-advanced level with emphasis on practically competent aural and oral skills, as well as nuanced writing ability and dexterity in reading comprehension.