Details

This course is an introduction to Islamic law and Islamic law-related legal systems in historical and contemporary forms. With a focus on both substantive laws and the systems in which these laws have been determined and applied, the course will first cover the origins and early development of Islamic law. Students will learn the sources of Islamic law and how these sources have been used to derive particular rules. Moving chronologically, we will then cover the phenomenon of ?positivization? and codification of Islamic law in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, as Islamic law began in many areas of the Islamic world to be put into the form of codes. We will examine modernist or ?progressive? interpretations of Islamic law and the various methodological approaches these authors use in source interpretation and derivation of new rules. Then, we will transition to the contemporary period, studying the legal systems of three very different Muslim-majority countries, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Turkey. Finally, using all the tools of analysis developed thus far in the course, we will examine the uses of Islamic law in a contemporary case study to be determined on the basis of current events. This course will focus mostly on Sunni Islam, although some readings will touch on Shi?a Islam and the study of Iran will be accompanied by a brief introduction to the Shi?a Islamic legal tradition and some basic points of difference from Sunni Islamic law. Evaluation: Final exam Teaching method: Lecture and discussion Prerequisites: None