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ISLAMIC STUDIES
School
Harvard Divinity School
HDS 3339
Exploring the Quran
BTI Category
Semester
Islamic Studies
FA25
This course explores the contents of the Quran and probes its place in the history of human civilization. We will explore and critically reflect on the following subjects: 1) the Quran's core ideas, concerns, stories, laws, and arguments; 2) the historical context in which the Quran was first proclaimed and codified; 3) the relationship between the Quran and the preceding literary traditions of the ancient world, in particular the Bible and post-biblical Jewish and Christian writings; and 4) Muslims' engagement with the Quran across time and within various religious, intellectual, social, and cultural settings. To meet these goals, we will read a substantial portion of the Quran in translation and draw extensively on modern academic scholarship on the Quran. In addition, lectures will contextualize and complement our encounter with the Quranic text and secondary scholarship. By the end of the semester, students should have the ability to utilize various resources and concordances in order to independently conduct further investigations and critically evaluate claims made about the Quran. Course will have a required discussion section (and possibly an Arabic section for interested students who have at least two years of Arabic).
Professor
Class Day & Time
Goudarzi
T
03:00pm-05:59pm
Grading Option
Letter, P/F
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
Course will have a required discussion section (and possibly an Arabic section for interested students who have at least two years of Arabic).
School
Harvard Divinity School
HDS 3351
The House of All_h: Origin and History of the Meccan Sanctuary
BTI Category
Semester
Islamic Studies
FA25
The Meccan Sanctuary, also known as the Ka_ba, is a focal point of worship for Muslims, who pray towards it daily and strive to make a pilgrimage to it at least once in their lifetime. This course is an advanced graduate seminar centered on a host of primary sources (in Arabic) which provide information about Mecca and its shrine in the pre-Islamic and early Islamic periods. We will read sources in the genres of historiography, geography, exegesis, law, hadith, and poetry. We will also engage with secondary academic literature on Mecca, the Ka_ba, and West Arabia's other sacred spaces and festivals. Requirement: advanced knowledge of classical Arabic (3 years).Offered jointly with the Faculty of Arts and Sciences as RELIGION XXXX.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Goudarzi
R
03:00pm-05:45pm
Grading Option
Letter, P/F
Credits
4
Professor Approval Req'd?
Y
Online?
N
Prerequisites?
Y
Notes
Requirement: advanced knowledge of classical Arabic (3 years)
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