IVSP
SOC362 Social Sciences
A Comparison Between Western and Islamic Philosophy
Spring Semester
2015
Instructor: Hakan Gök
Email: hgok@mevlana.edu.tr
Phone: 1472
Office Hours: By Appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES
Many aspects of Islamic faith fall under different sub-disciplines of Islamic studies.
For example the definitions of the fundamental “Six Articles of Islamic Belief” fall
under Islamic Law or arguments of faith falling under the Islamic Philosophy. The
focus of this course will be on the Essentials of Islamic faith and its aspects
pertaining to the sub-discipline of Islamic Philosophy. Students will be
comprehensively engaged in topics of belief in God, life after death, prophets, divine
destiny, angles and spirits, holly scriptures, and more.
Although “having faith” or “believing in” are used as general terms, there are many
different levels of having faith in Islamic literature. “Not denying” and “believing in”
the existence of something are two different levels of belief and this class focuses on
the latter. In this course, the literature on the journey from imitative faith to faith by
investigation will be evaluated in an interactive way with an emphasis on
understanding texts on Islamic philosophy and key concepts in the literature. Along
with lecturing of specified topics, the course, for the most part is interactivediscussion based, where students are encouraged to actively participate in class by
asking questions, sharing inputs and commenting on issues. Each week, peer review
sessions for writing assignments, student presentations, lecture and questions and
answers sessions will be utilized in this class.
Exemplary Objectives
1) Developing understanding of Islamic and Western philosophy.
2) Demonstrating similarities and differences between Islamic and Western
philosophy.
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3) Teaching appropriate methodology to compile original resources through
scientifically elaborate Islamic and Western philosophy.
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
1) Demonstrate the significant information about Islamic and Western philosophy.
2) Compare and contrast Islamic and Western philosophy
3) Utilize scientific methodology to compile original resources through scientifically
elaborate Islamic and Western philosophy.
Each of the above student learning outcomes must be performed at an appropriate
level as stated in each course assignment requirements, grading scale or rubric.
REQUIRED REDINGS: All required readings will be provided before the semester
begins.
Recommended Readings:
1) The Vision of Islam by Sachiko Murata and William C. Chittick Islam: The Straight
Path by John L. Esposito
.
2) The Essentials of the Islamic Faith by M. Fethullah Gulen: An Introduction to
Islamic Faith and Thought by Ali Unal.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
1) Essays: One of the objectives of this course is to help students learn to think
critically and have an articulate expression of their own thoughts and ideas in
written form. As a requirement of this course, students are asked to write a total of 8
essays. Students will write an essay on each weekly topic after the instructor
delivers it in the class. The first class hour of every week is reserved for small group
discussions on writing assignments on previous week’s topic. Small groups of 4-5
people will discuss each other’s essays and evaluate the arguments.
Writing assignments are neither the report of assigned readings nor a summary of
general conclusions. Students are expected to elaborate on the topic with an
emphasis on the reading assignments and class notes but not limited to them.
Writing assignments must contain the following components:
• A compelling title • Main point and supporting arguments 2
• Reference to the specifics of the reading assignments. Students are required to do their analysis and may consult with the professor if
assistance is needed. The essays must be at least 2 pages long, include references,
double-spaced, and typed in Times New Roman with 12-font size. Essays are due at
the beginning of the fifth class of the week and no extensions will be given on any
assignments.
2) Individual Presentations to Small Audience: One of the objectives of this
course is to help students present what they know in the most effective form
according to their audience. As a requirement of this course, students are asked to
prepare a total of 8 presentations on weekly topics. Presentations are prepared after
the class aiming to cultivate communication skills on the subjects learnt with the
insight of the professor and peer discussions. Students are required to pick one
aspect of the topic of the week and prepare a 15-minute presentation. The second
class of every week, students will present to each other in small groups of 4-5
people on one of the aspects of previous week’s topic. All group members are
required to present individually. Students are encouraged to ask questions to the
presenter. After each presentation, peers in the group give a letter grade for the
presentation. The grade for each student is the average of the given letter grades.
Presentations are not intended to be the summary of the lectures. Students should
think of an audience, define the scope of the presentation topic in accordance to the
15 minutes time limit and design the delivery of the topic accordingly in a
convincing method. The presentations should be in PowerPoint format while
students are free to use any other method to support their communication such as
videos and online tools.
3) Final Project: The final project is open ended in format and intended to unleash
the creativity of the students in intellectual leadership. Students are asked to design
a project to share what they learned with audiences they are familiar with in
western societies. Different from the class presentations in which students are
primarily evaluated with the content of the message, the final project is structured
to be a communication project design. Project content is the only part students are
limited as being required to pick one of the 8 main topics in the syllabus, however
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the rest of the project is open ended and students are encouraged to be creative.
Students are also required to submit the details of the project in written format
along with a class presentation. Project papers needs to be at least 8 pages in length
including references, double-spaced, Times New Roman in 12 font size.
Final project assignments must contain the following components:
• A compelling project title or campaign name • Definition of the targeted audience and its characteristics. • Method of reaching out to the audience • The content of the message including references to the class material and reading
assignments • Method of delivery of the message Students can pick a small audience like Bosnian American high school students in
Brooklyn, NY, or a larger audience such as the first generation immigrant
community in the US. The content of the message in the project can be broader than
the weekly topics for example “common grounds of essentials of faith in Abrahamic
religions”. However, one of the sample subtopic of the main message should be
related to course topics and student should give the details of that selected message
content. Method of delivery can be as open ended as including audio, video, drama
or a web site formats. Method of reaching out is open-ended as well ranging from
viral social media campaigns to classical methods.
4) Class Participation: Each week, classes will be devoted to both lecture and
discussion. Students are required to make readings in advance and come to class
prepared with questions and comments for discussion. Class participation including
being an active part of discussions will be 20% of the final grade.
Grading Scale
Class Participation..........................................%20
Essays.............................................................%25
Individual Presentations to small audience.... %25
Final Project...................................................%30
My Teaching Goals for This Course Include:
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
Being accessible and available to students

Facilitating a vibrant discussion throughout the semester

Encouraging and honing critical thinking skills

Encouraging questions and engaged learning

Being able to contextualize the materials presented and make them relatable to
students
Expected Student Behaviors
Cell Phone or Electronic Device Usage and Tardiness: Using cell phones and
other electronic devices in class is distracting, so please turn them off before the
beginning of each class. You are not allowed to send text messages, emails, or be
online during the class period. Failure to comply with this class rule will result in the
loss of a participation point for that day. Please be on time. If you come to class at
any point after the lecture began or leave before the lecture ended, you will lose a
participation point for that day.
Weekly Readings: Students are expected to come to class prepared and read
assigned chapters before each lecture even if you don’t fully understand the content.
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Tentative Schedule of Course Topics and Reading List
Date
Week 1
Topic
Readings/Assignments
Belief in the existence of
Readings will be provided
God Names and Attributes
of God
Week 2
Belief in the existence of
Readings will be provided
God Names and Attributes
of God
Week 3
Angels/Spirits
Readings will be provided
Week 4
Angels/Spirits
Readings will be provided
Week 5
Prophets and Holy
Readings will be provided
Scriptures
Week 6
Prophets and Holy
Readings will be provided
Scriptures
Week 7
Belief in afterlife and
Readings will be provided
Heaven/Hell
Week 8
Divine Destiny (Qadar)
Readings will be provided
Week 9
Materialism vs.
Readings will be provided
Spirituality
Week 10
-The Obligatory Fast
Readings will be provided
-The Obligatory Alms
(Zakat)
-The Holy Pilgrimage,
(The Hajj)
Week 11
Purpose of Existence
Readings will be provided
Week 12
Worship and Obligatory
Readings will be provided
Daily Prayers
*This schedule is tentative and changes will be announced in class and the pace
of the class may be adjusted slightly to reflect class progress.
* All assigned readings must be completed by the week listed in the syllabus
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