IJC 205 Qur’anic Sciences (‘Ulum al-Qurʾan)
The Qurʾan, as God's final direct revelation to mankind, has always been central to Muslim belief and devotional life, and has continued to influence Muslim society and civilization. This course explores the Qurʾanic text's history, transmission, and interpretation, concerning traditional Muslim scholarship, Orientalist and modern Western academic research. Students explore sciences that directly affect the recitation, history, understanding, and implementation of the Qurʾan. Topics of learning and discussion include rules of various recitation, revelation, transmission, collection, order and arrangement of the Qurʾan, reasons and occasions of revelation, Makkan and Medinan revelation, clear and unclear verses, the abrogating and abrogated verses, types of exegetical books, parameters of valid interpretation, and the miraculous nature of the Qurʾan.
Learning Outcomes
Review, analyze, interpret, and evaluate various arguments, assumptions and concepts related to Qurʾanic sciences.
Express information, arguments, theses, and analyses accurately and clearly in both written and oral forms regarding issues related to Qurʾanic sciences to specialist and non-specialist audiences.
Demonstrate skills in library research and building a bibliography, and use standard conventions of style for scholarly writing.
Demonstrate sufficient knowledge of the characteristics (khasaʾis) of the Qurʾan, its miracles (muʿjizat), objectives (maqasid), language, style, and the issue of abrogation.
Recognize and explain the theories and ideas of significant communities of Qurʾanic interpretation.
Demonstrate competence and skills required for an objective, academic/scholarly study of Qurʾanic sciences.
Compare and contrast Western academic and Islamic scholarly methods and theories in studying Qurʾanic sciences.
Demonstrate an understanding of the limits to their knowledge and how this might influence their analysis and interpretations.
Construct a robust and defensible thesis related to covered issues and topics (e.g., revelation, transmission, collection, order and arrangement of the Qurʾan, reasons and occasions of revelation, Makkan and Medinan revelation, clear and unclear verses, the abrogating and abrogated verses, etc.).