Women in Arabic and Islamic Literature

Subject 671-316 (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: 2 x 45 min lectures (online) and 1 hour tutorial per week
Total Time Commitment: 2.5 contact hours/week , 6 additional hours/week. Total of 8.5 hours per week.
Prerequisites: None
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

Contact

To Be Advised
Subject Overview: Beginning with al-NisaÂ’, the chapter of the QurÂ’an dedicated to women, and a collection of pertinent Prophetic narrations, this subject/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.
Objectives:
  • understand how women and gender are reflected in Arab-Islamic literature
  • understand the reasons and philosophies behind the representations of women and gender in Arab-Islamic literature
  • appreciate a variety of interpretations of the role of women in Islam and how these interpretations are reflected in literary and non-literary texts
  • be able to detect the influence Islam has had on Arabic texts and cultures, even those that seem to initially be of a secular nature, particularly in relation to women and gender
Assessment: Assessment totalling 4000 words (100%)
Prescribed Texts: Materials supplied by Centre.
  • Bent Rib: A Journey Through Women's Issues in Islam (Hudda al-Khattab) Taha Publishers, 1998
  • Islam and the Empowering of Women (Aisha Bewley) Taha Publishers, 1999.
  • Eleven Women and Their Husbands: An Explanation of the Hadeeth of Umm Za'a (Muhammad Ibn 'Abdul-Kareem al-Qazweenee) Message of Islam, 2006
Recommended Texts: The Holy Quran: Surat al-Nisa' Trans. Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik. Houston: Institute of Islamic Knowledge, 1997. 184-211 Extracts from Ibn H–azm's al-Muh–alla. Trans. Samar Habib, details of publication forthcoming from Medieval Feminist Forum Extracts from Ibn Hazm's The Dove's Neck Ring. Trans. & Ed. D.K. Pétrof Paris: P. Geuthner, 1931. Extracts from Sheik al-Nafzawi's The Perfumed Garden. Trans. Richard Burton. Rochester: Park Street Press, 1989. Extracts from Mah–moud al-Istambuli's The Bride's Boon. Trans. Abdelhamid Eliwa. Mansoura [Egypt]: Dar al-Manarah, 1999. Hudda al-Khattab's Bent Rib: A Journey Through Women's Issues in Islam. London: Taha Publishers, 1998 Aisha Bewley Islam and the Empowering of Women London: Taha Publishers, 1999. Eleven Women and Their Husbands: An Explanation of the Hadeeth of Umm Za'a by Muhammad Ibn 'Abdul-Kareem al-Qazweenee. Trans. Hisham Assing. Middlesex: Message of Islam, 2006. Bent Rib: A Journey through Women's Issues in Islam by Huda Khattab London: Taha Publishers, 1998. Islam and Empowering of Women by Aisha Bewley London: Taha Publishers, 1999. Women in Sharia'ah Law by Abdur Rahman I. Doi. Kuala Lumpur: A.S. Noordeen, 1992 Women in the Quran and the Sunnah by Abdul Rahman I. Doi. London: Taha Publishers, 1996. The Bride's Boon by Mah–moud al-Istambuli. Trans. Abdelhamid Eliwa Mansoura [Egypt]: Dar al-Manarah, 1999. The Holy Quran.Trans. Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik. Houston: Institute of Islamic Knowledge, 1997. Women and Gender in Islam: Historical Roots of a Modern Debate by Leila Ahmad. n.c: Yale University, 1992. Gender and Self in Islam by Etin Anwar. New York and London: Routlegde, 2006 Woman's Body, Woman's Word: Gender and Discourse in Arabo-Islamic Writing by Fedwa Malti-Douglas. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1992.
Breadth Options:

This subject potentially can be taken as a breadth subject component for the following courses:

You should visit learn more about breadth subjects and read the breadth requirements for your degree, and should discuss your choice with your student adviser, before deciding on your subjects.

Fees Information: Subject EFTSL, Level, Discipline & Census Date
Generic Skills:
  • demonstrate research skills through competent use of the library and other information sources
  • exercise methods of critical inquiry and argument leading to improved analytical skills
  • develop team work skills through involvement in group discussions
  • demonstrate time management and planning through managing and organising workloads for recommended reading, essay and assignment completion.
Notes: This subject will be taught online by the University of Western Sydney. It is offered to students of University of Melbourne, University of Western Sydney and Griffith University. Local tutorial support will be available at all three universities. Available as a breadth subject. Students who have complete 110-231 Muslim Women and Islamic Feminism are not eligible to enrol in this subject.
Related Majors/Minors/Specialisations: Gender Studies
Islamic Studies
Islamic Studies Major

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