Admission and Unit Information - Bachelor of Arts (Islamic Studies)

This is an introductory subject/unit that exposes students to the basic and fundamental beliefs and practices that constitute the fabric of the Islamic world. Students will be able to explore relationships and differences between the key teachings of Islam and the customary practices of Muslims. In doing so, students will study both unity and diversity in various regions of the Muslim world. Historical and anthropological approaches to studying a number of key institutions and discourses in Muslim societies will also be introduced.

An introduction, in English translation, to the two most important texts of Islam, the Qur'an and Prophetic Tradition (Hadith), which Muslims regard as the primary sources of Islam. Students will study: the origins of the Qur'an and Hadith; their overall structure and content; major themes; approaches to their interpretation; and their functions in Muslim religious, social and political life. The themes and topics covered should assist students in understanding contemporary debates on the relevance of Islam today. Students will also explore the relationship between text and traditions in various Muslim societies in the present day.

The notion of 'New Ethnicities', introduced first by Stuart Hall in the 1980s in the context of the ascendancy of the New Right in Britain stressed, among other things, the importance of social and cultural identities, including ethnic and racial identities, generated by the process of globalisation, and the convergence of trans-national and trans-racial loyalties. Based on this notion, this unit critically examines the essentialist definitions of 'ethnicity', 'race' and 'nation', across many areas of cultural policy and practice. It draws theoretical perspectives from many schools of social thought including modernism, Marxism and postmodernism. Empirical examples are drawn from both the western and non-western world.

By looking at culture in a cross-cultural perspective, anthropology assists us in relativising our own values and worldview. When we understand the logic of the other, we perform a double movement: we transform the exotic into familiar and vice versa. With religion taking a centre stage in world order, the anthropological perspective can give us an understanding ‘from within’ and help us overcome prejudice and fear. In this unit we will discuss topics such as magic, witchcraft, attitudes toward the body, healing, shamanism, and spirit possession. We will also address religion in complex societies by exploring the issue of secularisation and re-enchantment of the world. Finally, we will cover the globalisation of religious practices and beliefs.

This unit gives students knowledge of research methods relevant to humanities disciplines. Modules provide advanced instruction in developing a research topic, evidence-based research and Human Research Ethics processes and policy.

This unit introduces students to the rich heritage of ethical traditions in Islamic thought. Students will study and critically evaluate the key features and contributions of Muslim theologians, philosophers and Sufis, who attempted to deal with revelation and rationalistic discourse in exploring the meaning of ethical life for Muslims and discussing whether philosophy and religious wisdoms were equals and allies in the pursuit of happiness. The origin and development of these traditions will be introduced with an emphasis on the relevance and application of some ethical issues, such as free will, predestination, human responsibility, and bioethics, to contemporary Muslim societies.

This unit aims to provide third year humanities students with first-hand knowledge of workplaces or research processes related to their chosen field of study (major), such as art galleries, museums, libraries, local and state government, tourism and administration or in academic contexts. The unit will introduce students to various fields in which the skills developed over two years of study in humanities can be applied. It will augment their study and provide much needed work experience. The internship placement and/or project will be chosen by the student in consultation with the staff member responsible for the major area and the placement will be overseen and the academic work assessed by the member of staff responsible for the major area of study relevant to the internship.

The unit focuses on the question of Muslim presence in the West with reference to the dynamics of inclusion and exclusion. Its aim is to enable students to look at the question of Muslim presence in terms of an action-reaction phenomenon in which different outlooks, ideas, institutions and nodes of information and authenticity interact to create an environment in which identities are developed. These identities then go on to shape the cooperative and conflictual relationships between different subsections of Muslim minorities and the majority non-Muslim Western states and societies. While focusing on the contemporariness of the question, the unit would locate the study of Muslim presence in the West in an historical context by providing an understanding of how Muslim-Western contacts shaped the nature of their relationship in the past. Then, the unit would move on to contrasting the changes before and after 9/11 with reference to a set of ideas, institutions and contexts.

This unit introduces students to Islam an its adherents within contemporary globalcontext. It looks at key Muslim intellectuals from the 19th Century till the present and examines their attempts to come to terms with modernity as a Western project while addressing critical issues facing Islam. Areas for consideration include: renewal and reform; the impact of colonialism and globalisation on Muslim discourse; independent judgment (ijtihad) versus emulation (taqlid); and issues associated with civil society. Students will also explore the challenge of shaping a Muslim identity in the modern world in the context of key Muslim institutions and social movements.

Islam is a significant feature of Southeast Asia’s past and present. Employing methodologies and insights drawn primarily from history, political science, and anthropology, this unit explores Islam’s place in and contribution to contemporary Southeast societies and politics, as well as its history in the region. Major themes to be explored include: the debates about Islam’s spread to Southeast Asia and its interaction with the region’s established socio-religious features, the colonial experience, Islam’s often contested place in the national life of Southeast Asian nations, its past and ongoing links with the rest of the Muslim world, as well as contemporary issues associated with the War on Terror and conflicts in Muslim societies.

Provides students with an understanding of global, regional and local news media production and representations of Islam and Muslim societies. It discusses new, emerging and alternative forms of media discourses of conflict in the Muslim world, and analyses selected news reports as forms of case studies. Taking the notion of ‘Orientalism’ as its starting point, the subject/unit critically examines the extent to which the mediatisation of conflict impacts relations between Islam and the West vis-a-vis debates on Orientalism, 'Asian values' and Islamic world views.

This unit introduces students to Islamic legal theory, its sources and principles, and its application by different schools and scholars to derive religious verdicts. Students will study efforts to ‘streamline’ Islamic law through a number of Sunni and Shiite schools, various conceptions of shari’ah, and modern attempts at law reform through dynamic scholarship and ijtihad (independent judgment). Upon completion, students should be able to explain developments in Islamic legal thought within their socio-historical contexts, and identify key debates among Muslim scholars. Using current case studies, students will also study Islamic law issues affecting Muslims today, especially Muslim minorities.

At the beginning of the twenty-first century, multiculturalism remains an important topic of debate both in Australia and the world at large. This unit explores the concept of multiculturalism in a historical perspective and across a variety of sites. While concentrating upon Australian multiculturalism, the syllabus also encompasses the study of multiculturalism in a variety of international contexts. Particular attention is paid to the relations between multiculturalism and nationalism, the role of religion, the relation of multiculturalism to Indigenous politics, and to the increased pressures placed upon cultural difference and diversity by globalisation.

In this unit some of the main sociological approaches to the study of religion will be considered. The unit will be orientated particularly to the tension between religion and social theory in the evolution of sociological thought. It addresses the impact of religion and religious bodies on Australian society and politics. The unit will focus on the relation of theory and practice, on the research of contemporary religious practice, and on the contemporary relevance of major theorists in the sociology of religion. It will address issues such as Buddhism, Fundamentalism(s), gender in religion, globalisation, Islam, modernity/post modernity, neo-paganism, networks in spiritualities, New Age, popular culture, and new religious movements.

This unit provides students with a theoretical grounding in major issues and debates related to contemporary Arab society and culture. Students will be able to appreciate and critically examine social, political and cultural complexities of the modern Arab Middle East covering a range of topics from Arab political culture, gender and women's rights to education and civil society. This cross-disciplinary unit will cater for students who seek to advance their knowledge in specific aspects of the modern Arab world for purposes of using this knowledge in further research study and for occupational purposes. The unit will be useful for students majoring in Islamic studies, Arabic, international relations, history and social science.

This unit offers a historical study of the international relations of the Middle East from 1945 to the present. It examines the relations of Middle Eastern states to global structures of power; the pattern of relations between regional states; the causes of regional wars and international co-operation; the impact of domestic factors on the foreign policy of states; the importance of oil to international politics and the global economy; and the role of ideologies and non-state forces in international relations and between states in the Middle East.

Beginning with Nisa — the chapter of the holy Quran dedicated to women— and a collection of pertinent aĥadiţh, this unit focuses on the impact that Islam’s philosophy has had on various Muslim and Arab cultures by examining literature from throughout the Arabo-Islamic civilization. Students are introduced to a variety of interpretations of the role of women in Islam and how these interpretations are reflected in literary and non-literary texts. Students learn to detect the tremendous influence that Islam has had on Arabic texts and cultures, even those which at first appear to be of a secular nature.