Travel and Migration in Islam

Subject 673-367 (2009)

Note: This is an archived Handbook entry from 2009. Search for this in the current handbook

Credit Points: 12.50
Level: 3 (Undergraduate)
Dates & Locations:

This subject is not offered in 2009.
Time Commitment: Contact Hours: A 1.5-hour lecture and a 1-hour tutorial per week
Total Time Commitment: Not available
Prerequisites: Usually fifty points of first year from any area of study within the Faculty of Arts.
Corequisites: None
Recommended Background Knowledge: None
Non Allowed Subjects: None
Core Participation Requirements:

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability
Subject Overview:

This subject explores historical patterns and models of migration and travel among Muslims, from the pre-modern period through to today, with the main focus being on the modern period. It engages with fictional and non-fictional accounts of non-Muslim societies through the eyes of historians, travellers and geographers from the pre-modern period, and asks such questions as: how do these writers interpret the space beyond those borders? It also examines interpretations of travel and migration by contemporary Muslim minorities in western countries. Among the topics it addresses are: to what extent does travel create a yearning for the homeland, and in what ways? The subject explores motivating factors beyond those of religious obligation and doctrine, such as self-affirmation and economic interest, and highlights how gender and ethnicity are reflected in such acts of movement.

Assessment: An assignment of 750 words 20% (due mid-semester), an essay of 2500 words 50% (due during the examination period), a tutorial journal of 750 words 20% (due during the examination period), and continuous tutorial participation 10%.
Prescribed Texts: Prescribed Texts:Materials supplied by the Institute and:Muslim Travellers (D Eickelman and J Esposito (eds)), University of California Press 1990
Breadth Options:

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.
Fees Information: Subject EFTSL, Level, Discipline & Census Date
Generic Skills:

  • be familiar with research methodology and be able to analyse and interpret academic texts critically;

  • be able to communicate and express one's self articulately and coherently;

  • be able to participate in team work through small group discussions;

  • be able to develop time-management skills through organized reading and submission of assignments;

  • be able to interpret historical and geographical accounts conceptually.

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