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“Women in Islam” Seminar Project

Funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities in conjunction with West Virginia University and FACDIS


James J. Natsis

West Virginia State College

Fall 2003

Teaching Module


I. Lesson Plan

Theme : Women in Islam

Learning objectives :

Activities :

The professor will distribute a handout with basic terms associated with Islam, the five pillars of faith, and other general information. A second handout will include a map of Muslim populations in Africa and readings on women in Islam through African literature. The class will read the handout together and discuss the information. Students will read the Introduction, Chapter 3 (Socialization and the Subordination of Women) and the Conclusion from Barbara Callaway The Heritage of Islam. The professor will discuss the material in the book chapters with the students.

Sample questions:

II. Revised Syllabus

West Virginia State College

Office of International Affairs and the Department of History

Fall 2003

History 444: Africa: A Family of Cultures in Transition

 

Wednesday 7:00-9:45ID#1567 W220

 Dr. James J. Natsis

Office hours: Wed: 6-7 or by appointment

Office: 327 Hill Hall

Email: natsisja@mail.wvsc.edu

Phone: (304) 766-4249

Fax:(304) 766-5186

“We didn’t know what Africa was. Europeans despised everything about Africa, and in France people spoke of a civilized world and a barbarian world. The barbarian world was Africa…. Therefore, the best thing one could do with an African was to assimilate him: the idea was to turn him into a Frenchman with black skin.” Aime Cesaire 1967.

Course description:

This course is a study of an emerging and changing Africa from the Mediterranean Coast to the Cape of Good Hope as a major cultural and political player of the 21st century. Emphasis is placed on analyzing changes in traditional African cultures resulting from the impact of colonialism and, to a lesser extent, the spread of Islam. We will look at traditional African society and how the colonial era disrupted the continent. Political and social aspects of the new African cultures and identity will be analyzed in the aftermath of European colonialism. A special focus will be placed on Francophone Africa.

 

Goals of the course:

To better understand the early developments of African societies, kingdoms/city states, traditions and the indigenous “way of life.”

Readings available for purchase

James J. Natsis (2002) Learning to Revolt: The Role of Students in the National

Movement in Colonial Tunisia University Press of America

Joseph E. Harris (1998) Africans and their History 2 nd rev. ed. Meridian


Academic misconduct

WVSC is concerned that all students understand what is expected of them with regard to honesty in the classroom and in out-of-class assignments. All forms of dishonesty, particularly cheating and plagiarism, are unacceptable. If they occur, student(s) will be penalized. Copying from others or using another student =s notes during an exam is cheating. Failure to appropriately cite sources of materials used in a paper is plagiarism (if it leaves the impression that the material and/or phrasing are the students). The minimum penalty for cheating or plagiarism is a zero on the exam or paper involved.

 

Students will be evaluated as follows:

Attendance & participation

10%

Journal

30%

Presentation

20%

2 Essay Exams

40%

A = 90-100

B = 80-89

C = 70-79

D = 60-69

Essay Exams

Students will submit an essay exam at mid-term and during the final exam period. The professor will issue the question(s) one week before the assignment is due. The essay question(s) will derive from the main topics of our readings, film, presentations, and class discussions.

 Presentations

 Students will prepare a presentation towards the end of the semester. Students will be assigned a country and be asked to present the following: 1) general information on the country; 2) what are the three most urgent issues concerning your country, why are they important, and how to go about resolving them. Provide visuals, especially a map, and be prepared to discuss these issues with the class. Students will be expected to take over the class for a full 30 minutes, giving presentation and leading discussion.

 Journal

Students will submit a total of four journal entries (3 pages: double spaced, 12 point font) based on different themes discussed in class (see Course Schedule on syllabus for themes). Students will submit 2 entries at mid-term and 2 during finals. The journal entries will reflect your observations, thoughts, and reflections regarding the various themes.

 Participation & Attendance

 As we only meet once a week, it is important that students attend class regularly. Emphasis is placed on student involvement through discussions within small groups and as a whole class. A student’s infrequent attendance and lack of preparation and participation will be reflected in the final grade.

Course Schedule—Fall 2003

III. Narrative Description

We spent one year working on the Women in Islam workshop funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. We met for 2 days in November during the FACDIS conference. We corresponded throughout the year and engaged in two internet chat sessions. We met in June for one week (7 days) in Morgantown and Washington, DC.

I learned a lot throughout the year from various readings, conversations, films, site visits, and lectures. The Islamic world ranges from Morocco and Mauritania in the West to Indonesia in the East. Many other parts of the world have significant Muslim populations including the United States.

Most of North Africa, much of West Africa, especially in the northern parts of the countries away from the coast, North Central Africa (e.g. Chad, Sudan), and the East African coast have significant numbers of Muslims. The course analyzes Africa’s triple heritage—traditional, Islamic, and Christian-European. The role of women had been essentially ignored by writers throughout the ages. There has been an increasing amount of literature documenting and analyzing the role of the African woman in light of traditional Africa, Islamic social norms and the modern world.

IV. Bibliography

Internet sites

Tunisiaonline.com/women

Planetware.com/photostunisia

All-africa.com

Film

Silence of the Palace ( Tunisia)

The Virgin Diaries ( Morocco)

The Battle of Algiers ( Algeria)

C. Books

Ahmed, Leila. Women and Gender in Islam: History Roots of a Modern Debate. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1992.

Ba, Mariamma. So Long a Letter. Translated by Modupé Bodé-Thomas.

London: Heinemann. 1981.

Callaway, Barbara. The Heritage of Islam: Women, Religion, and Politics in West Africa. Boulder, CO: Lynn Rienner Publishers, 1994.

Djebar, Assia. A Silster to Scheherazade. Translated by Dorothy S. Blair. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1993.

Hale, Sondra. Gender Politics in Sudan: Islamism, Socialism and the State Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1997.

Natsis, James J. Learning to Revolt : The Role of Students in the National Movement in Colonial Tunisia: Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1992.