MIN 406 – Islamic Philosophy
Course Overview
Like all other philosophical traditions in different cultures and civilisations, what is called ‘Islamic philosophy’ is the outcome of the intellectual efforts of a great many thinkers over the centuries, who all belong to Islamic civilisation, and who respond to cognitive challenges arising from the encounter with various schools of thought. This module will systematically and critically examine, in a systematic and critical way, major schools of Islamic philosophy and the problems/issues around which these schools built their intellectual edifice. The emphasis throughout the course will be placed on combining a historical/archaeological approach with a modern, problem-oriented one. The rationale behind this choice of approach is to enable the students to use the sources available in historical settings to tackle present-day issues.
Module Info
sYLLABUS
- The Meaning and Sources of Islamic Philosophy and Theology
- Early philosophical theology, Major Representatives and Issues
- Beginnings of Systematic Philosophy: al-Kindi and the Peripatetic School
- Al-Farabi: From Cosmology to Political Philosophy
- Ibn Sina and the Problem of Being
- Ibn Sina Between Philosophy and Mysticism
- Anti-philosophy: al-Ghazali and His Critiques of Islamic philosophy
- Strangers in the Land of Philosophy: Ibn Khaldun, Ibn Tufail, and Ibn Bajjah
- When Philosophy Goes Beyond Formal Logic: Suhrawardi and the Rise of Philosophical Mysticism
- Philosophy as Mysticism: Ibn al-Arabi, Mulla Sadra, and Later Islamic Philosophy
Learning, Teaching and Assessment Strategy
All learning materials are developed according to the SCATE format. Students are advised to study units available online followed by timetabled activities which are of crucial importance and require a serious attention. Students need to consult suggested reading materials which are not necessarily available online. At the same time, students are expected to contribute to Discussion Group as an integral part of their study. They would receive feedback regarding their activities and contribution by the module tutor. Extra reading and activities are provided for students who are interested to have a deeper and broader understanding of the issues of concern.
1. Formative Assessment:
Formative assessment for this module will consist of written feedback from the lecturer, questioning and discussion through the online forums. One draft of the students’ final essay (coursework) may be handed in to the lecturer at the 12th learning week for formative assessment, in which the lecturer will give the student feedback on how to improve their research and quality of writing.
2. Summative Assessment:
Students are required to submit 3 out of 5 Review Questions (RQ) and 3 out of 5 Activities (Act) as the weekly assignments for each module during the semester. All of these assignments as well as students’ final essays at the end of the semester will be commented and marked by tutors. Students can see those comments and marks in their drop box which are available in their D2L accounts. Finally, students are required to submit an Individual coursework -final essay (4000 words) on a relevant topic approved in advance by the module tutor.
Assessment Weighting
Activities: 30%
Review Questions & Discussion Group: 10%
Final Essay (Coursework): 60%
Students should get at least a pass mark for all three above components.
Learning Material
Core readings
- Corbin, H. (2014) History of Islamic Philosophy. Routledge; Reprint edition
- Fakhry, M. (1997) Islamic Philosophy, Theology and Mysticism, A Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Leaman, O. (2002) A Brief Introduction to Islamic Philosophy. UK: Polity Press.
- Leaman, O. (1985) An Introduction to Medieval Islamic Philosophy, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Nasr, S. H. (2006). Islamic Philosophy from the Origin to the Present. SUNY.
- Nasr,S.H and Leaman O. Eds. (1996) History of Islamic Philosophy, 2 vols. London: Routledge
- Rizvi, S., and Safavi S.G (2003), Mulla Sadra: Philosopher of The Mystics. Islamic Text Society.
- Suhrawardi (2000), Philosophy of Illumination (Brigham Young University’s Islamic Translation). USA: University of Chicago Press
- Watt, W. M. (1985) Islamic Philosophy and Theology, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.