REL 224: Judaism and Islam, spring 2004.  Syllabus.   RJDKnauth

Week 1: Introduction
Read Armstrong, A History of God
T ( ) -
Th ( ) -

Weeks 2-7: Unit on Judaism

Week 2: History of the Jewish People
Read Scheindlin, A Short History of the Jewish People
T ( ) - Diaspora and Persecution
Th ( ) - The Holocaust and Zionism

Week 3: Scripture
T ( ) - Torah, Tanak
Th ( ) - Mishnah, Talmud

Week 4: Beliefs
T ( ) - "Shema Yisrael..." (local speaker - Rabbi Portal)
Th ( ) - Orthodox, Conservative, Reformed (student presentations)

Week 5: Practice
T ( ) - Shabbat, Kashrut, and Mitsvahs
Th ( ) - Synagogue, Holidays/Festivals (student presentations)
        Passover, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Hannukah, Shavuot, Purim

Week 6: Family
T ( ) - A Mother's Perspective (local speaker)
Th ( ) -

Week 7: Review and Test
T ( ) - Review
Th ( ) - Midterm Exam on Judaism

SPRING BREAK

Weeks 8-13: Unit on Islam

Week 8: Life of Muhammad, History of Islam
T ( ) - Muhammad the Prophet (PBS Frontline video)
Th ( ) - Survey of History - Ottoman Empire, Crusades, Fundamentalism

Week 9: Scripture
T ( ) - Qur'an
Th ( ) - Hadith and Shariah

Week 10: Beliefs
T ( ) - "There is one God, Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet" (local speaker)
Th ( ) - Sunni, Shi'ite, and Sufi (student presentations)

Week 11: Practice
T ( ) - Prayer, Fasting, and Pilgrimage. Ramadan.
Th ( ) - Jihad

Week 12: Family
T ( ) - A Mother's Perspective (local speaker)
Th ( ) -

Week 13: Review and Test
T ( ) - Review
Th ( ) - Midterm Exam on Islam

Week 14: Issues/Debate: The Israeli/Palestinian Conflict
T ( ) - Issues (group presentations for each side)
Th ( ) - Debate

Final Exam (essay format, on comparative issues)