Sufism syllabus

From Silvers

RE 330.01 Sufism Fall 2005 T/Th 3:40-5:30 Laury Silvers Phone: 580-5404 Office: Ladd 212 Office Hours: Weds 12-2 and by appointment E-mail: lsilvers@skidmore.edu Virtual O.H.: I can be reached by e-mail before 9 PM each day.

This course will provide an overview of the history of Sufism through several representative texts from the early early, medieval, and contemporary periods. Each of the three periods will be approached through a different method in the study of Religion. The early period will be approached through the historical method. Here we will study biographies of early Sufi women using statistical research and close readings to draw conclusions about their life and practices. We will also discuss the genre of biographical literature itself to understand how Sufis establish authority vis a vis the developing Islamic religious sciences. The medieval period will be approached through close textual analysis. We will read selections from Ibn al-`Arabi's writings on cosmology focusing on unpacking the text itself as well as gaining a sense of the goals of theoretical Sufism. In the contemporary period we will compare the writings and teachings of the Helveti-Jerrahi Sufi order in the United States to the earlier period. We will examine their notions of sainthood, their modes of establishing authority, and their metaphysics as well as their methods of dissemination. One 10-12 page paper will be written on each primary source through the method of analysis employed in its section.

Required Reading:

W Chittick, The Self-Disclosure of God: Principles of Ibn al-`Arabi's Cosmology

R Cornell, Early Sufi Women: Dhikr al-niswa al-muta`abbidat as-sufiyyat by Abu `Abd ar- Rahman as-Sulami

C Ernst, The Shambala Guide to Sufism

M. Ozak, Love is the Wine

L Silvers, "The Teaching Relationship in Early Sufism"

Required Work: 3 papers 75% Class Participation 25%

Papers: There will be three 10-12 page papers due for each section of the class. Each paper is to be written on the primary source of that section using the method of analysis employed therein. The first paper on the early period will be researched in groups, but your papers will be written and graded individually.

Class Schedule:

9/8 Course Introduction

Introduction to Sufism

9/13 Ernst, "What is Sufism?" and "The Sacred Sources of Sufism"

9/15 Silvers, "Teaching Relationship"

9/20 Ernst, "The Sufi Orders, Mastery and Discipleship"

I Early Sufi Women

9/22 Ernst, "Saints and Sainthood" and "The Names of God, Meditation, and Mystical Experience"

9/27 Cornell, "Introduction"

9/29 Cornell, "Biographies" read all the biographies for an overview discussion Students will break up into research groups and work on analyzing the biographies using statistical analysis of names, dates, places, and technical terms for presentation in class discussion in the following weeks. The parameters of this project will be presented completely during class.

10/4 Cornell: discussion of data

10/6 Cornell: discussion of data

10/11 Cornell: discussion of data

10/13 Cornell: discussion of data

II Medieval Cosmology

10/18 Chittick, "Introduction"

10/20 Chittick, Ch. 1

10/25 Chittick, Ch. 2

10/27 Chittick, Ch. 3

11/1 Chittick, Ch. 4

11/3 Chittick, Ch. 5

11/8 Chittick, Ch. 6

11/10 Chittick, Ch. 7

III Contemporary Sufism

11/15 Ernst, "Sufism in the Contemporary World"

11/17 Ozak, iii-40

11/22 Class cancelled: I will be at the American Academy of Religion conference

11/29 Ozak, 41-94

12/1 www.jerrahi.org

12/6 www.jerrahi.org

12/8 Course Wrap

12/13 Course Wrap

Paper 3 due