An Introduction to Islam and to Islamic Philosophy



Overview

Religion has played a highly important part in the live of human beings.

Islam is one of the great religions of the world.

This course is an introduction to Islam: to its origins and early historical development; to its key text and beliefs and ethics and practices; and to its main mystical element, Sufism.

It is also an introduction to some of the key elements in the thought of some of its most influential early philosophers: Al-Kindi; Al-Farabi; Ibn Sina; Al-Ghazali; Ibn Rushd.

It does not assume any prior specialist knowledge.
 

Programme details

Course starts: 22nd Jan 2024

Here is roughly how the course proceeds:

Week 1: Introduction. Pre-Islamic Arabia; Muhammad; The Qur'an; Sunna and Hadith.

Week 2: Expansion; the Umayyad Dynasty; Sunnis and Shias.

Week 3: Ethics.

Week 4: The Five Pillars.

Week 5: Sufism.

Week 6: Greek into Arabic; Al-Kindi.

Week 7: Al-Kindi cont; Al-Farabi.

Week 8: Ibn Sina.

Week 9: Al-Ghazali.

Week 10: Ibn Rushd; concluding remarks.

Digital Certification

To complete the course and receive a certificate, you will be required to attend at least 80% of the classes on the course and pass your final assignment. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so.

Fees

Description Costs
Course Fee £257.00
Take this course for CATS points £10.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:

Concessionary fees for short courses

Tutor

Dr Karim Esmail

Formerly Research Fellow, Oxford & Burney Student, Cambridge & Visiting Fellow, Harvard.

Alongside international articles, he is the author of three volumes of a clear & original philosophical work on the nature and existence of God.

He is a Course Director & Tutor (Philosophy & Religion), Cambridge.

Course aims

  • To provide an understanding of Islam in terms of its origins and early historical development, its key text and beliefs and ethics and practices, and its main mystical element, Sufism.
  • To provide an understanding of some of the key elements in the thought of some of its most influential early philosophers.

Teaching methods

Lectures (principally) and discussion.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students should have:

  • An understanding of Islam in terms of its origins and early historical development, its key text and beliefs and ethics and practices, and its main mystical element, Sufism. 
  • An understanding of some of the key elements in the thought of some of its most influential early philosophers.

Assessment methods

Option A: Three very short (c. 500 words) pieces of written work.

Option B: One short (c. 1500 words) essay. (Students will be asked to provide a very short plan for an essay in this case.)

Students must submit a completed Declaration of Authorship form with any piece of work that is part of the assessment criteria. CATS points cannot be awarded without the aforementioned form.

Application

To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £10 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.

Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an enrolment form (Word) or enrolment form (Pdf).

Level and demands

Students who register for CATS points will receive a Record of CATS points on successful completion of their course assessment.

To earn credit (CATS points) you will need to register and pay an additional £10 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.

Coursework is an integral part of all weekly classes and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework in order to benefit fully from the course. Only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work at the required standard.

Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process can either register for CATS points prior to the start of their course or retrospectively from the January 1st after the current full academic year has been completed. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.

Most of the Department's weekly classes have 10 or 20 CATS points assigned to them. 10 CATS points at FHEQ Level 4 usually consist of ten 2-hour sessions. 20 CATS points at FHEQ Level 4 usually consist of twenty 2-hour sessions. It is expected that, for every 2 hours of tuition you are given, you will engage in eight hours of private study.

Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS)

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support