UNC Reli 581 (Asia 581), advanced undergraduate/M.A.
seminar, Spring 2007
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Schedule
Parallel public events and performances, which may be
the subjects of journal entries,
are in green
Deadlines and important dates are in red
* = Instructor out
of town
1. Jan. 11 -- Introduction
Readings: Guide to Sufism, chapter 1; "Between
Orientalism and Fundamentalism: Problematizing the Teaching of Sufism,"
in Teaching Islam, ed. Brannon Wheeler (Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2002), pp. 108-23.
*2. Jan. 16 -- The Prophet Muhammad. Guest lecturer:
Dr. Canguzel Zulfikar
Readings: Guide to Sufism, last half of chapter 2; Teachings
of Sufism, chapter 2
Study questions: characteristics of Muhammad as seen by Sufis
*3. Jan. 18 -- Early history of Sufism. Guest lecturer:
Abdallah Lipton
Readings: Ahmet Karamustafa, Sufism: The Formative Period, chapter 1 (Unpublished forthcoming work)
Study questions: the emergence of the concept of the Sufi; different
regions and traditions of religious practice subsumed by the term
Sufism
4. Jan. 23 -- Sufism and the Qur'an
Readings: Guide to Sufism,
first half of chapter 2; Teachings
of Sufism, chapter 1
Study questions: levels of engagement with the Qur'an; the Qur'an and
spiritual experience
5. Jan. 25 -- The Concept of Sainthood
Readings: Guide to Sufism,
Chapter 3.
Study questions: applicability of the Christian concept of sainthood to
wilaya/walaya in Sufism; sainthood and miracles; sainthood and
prophecy; hagiography and pilgrimage
Jan.
29, 8 p.m., Saunders 104: lecture by Dr.
Nasrollah Pourjavady, "The Language of Spiritual Experience (zaban-e
hal) in Persian Sufism."
6.
Jan. 30 -- Guest lecturer: Dr. Nasrollah Pourjavady
Readings: to be announced
7.
February 1 -- Sufi practices
Readings: Guide to Sufism,
chapter 4.
8.
February 6 -- Sufi practices, continued
Readings: Teachings of Sufism, Chapter 3.
9.
February 8 -- The Sufi Orders
Readings: Guide to Sufism,
chapter 5.
10.
February 13 -- Discipline in Sufism: Ethics
Readings: Teachings of Sufism,
Chapter 6
*11.
February 15 -- Films on Sufism
Habiba:
a Sufi saint from Uzbekistan.
La Sama,
Danse
Mystique des dervishes.
Celebrating The
Prophet In The Remembrance Of
God: Sufi Dhikr In Egypt.
12.
February 20 --
Discipline and Sufism: Master and Disciple
Readings: Teachings of Sufism,
chapter 7
Rumi's Discourses
13.
February 22 -- Rumi, Signs of the
Unseen, part one (roughly the first 25%, and similarly for the
next three meetings)
Feb.
23, 7 p.m. Page Auditorium, Duke University: Whirling Dervishes in
performance. Tickets are priced
at $24 and $30, and there is 20% discount for students, youths and
seniors. Tickets can be purchased at the Duke University box office
window sale, over the phone at 919 684-4444, or online at www.tickets.duke.edu
14. February 27 --
Rumi, Signs of the Unseen, part two
15. March 1 -- Rumi,
Signs of the Unseen, part three
16. March 6 -- Rumi,
Signs of the Unseen, part four
17. March 8 -- Sufi Poetry
Readings: Guide to Sufism,
chapter 6.
Midterm essays due, instructor's mailbox, 125
Saunders, 5 pm
Spring break
March 17, 7:30 –
10:00 PM, The Carrboro Century Center, 100 N. Greensboro Street,
Carrboro, NC 27510. Shining Night: The
Universal Center of Light presents an evening of mystical Persian
music, poetry and devotional whirling in honor of the world renowned
poet Molavi Jelal al-Din Rumi’s 800th Birthday.
The
Charlotte-based Naghmeh Ensemble will perform from its Persian
(Iranian) classical and folk music repertoire with a special emphasis
on the teachings of Rumi.
TICKETS:
General Public: $15 – Students with ID: $12 – Children under 12: Free –
Tickets can be purchased in advance at Café Parvaneh, (400 S.
Elliott Road, Chapel Hill, 27514), Nomadic Trading Co. (201B E. Main
Street, Carrboro, 27510) and at the door the night of the performance.
For more
information email universalcenteroflight@gmail.com or visit
http://www.universalcenteroflight.org
18. March 20 -- Sufi Music
Readings: Guide to Sufism,
chapter 7; Teachings of Sufism,
chapter 5
19. March 22 -- Sufi Biographies
Readings: Teachings of Sufism,
chapter 8
20. March 27 -- Chishti Sufism: Introduction
Readings: Sufi Martyrs of Love,
pp. 1-46
*21. March 29 -- Chishti Sufism: Basic teachings and figures. Guest
lecturer: Brannon Ingram
Readings: Sufi Martyrs of Love,
pp. 47-63, 147-189
*22. April 3 -- Chishti Sufism: Masters and Shrines. Guest lecturer:
Rachana Umashankar
Readings: Sufi Martyrs of Love,
pp. 64-104
23. April 5 -- Sufism and Yoga: issues of classification in religious
studies
Readings: Carl Ernst, "Situating
Sufism and Yoga" (additional related articles available here)
24. April 10 -- Sufism and the Modern World
Readings: Guide to Sufism,
Chapter 8
25. April 12 -- Chishti Sufism: Colonial and Modern periods
Readings: Sufi Martyrs of Love,
pp. 105-146
Sunday, April 15, 4-7 pm. Special session: research paper presentations
at instructor's home
*26. April 17 -- Sufism and Globalization. Guest lecturer:
Dr. Canguzel Zulfikar
Readings: Carl Ernst, “Sufism,
Islam, and Globalization in the Contemporary World: Methodological
Reflections on a Changing Field of Study.”
*27. April 19 -- Sufism on the Internet. Guest lecturer:
Prof. Omid Safi
Link: Prof. Alan Godlas's Sufi Resources
page. Pick one Sufi group from one of the web sites listed there
and write a journal entry characterizing its self-presentation on the
Internet.
Final papers
due Tuesday, May 1, 4 pm (send as electronic attachment to instructor)
