ObjectivesThe Certificate in the Study of Islam is a non-award program that is open to individuals from all faiths. This course will provide essential knowledge and evaluation of basic Islamic disciplines from a range of mainstream sources, with particular attention to its Scripture, systematic theology, law, spirituality and traditions of mysticism.
Academic titleNon Award Certificate in the Study of Islam
Course descriptionCertificate in the Study of Islam
CertStudIslam
40 cp
Minimum duration: 1 year part-time
Course available at: Melbourne, Victoria
EFTSL value of units: All 10 cp units in this course have an EFTSL value of 0.125. Units with a cp value of a multiple of 10 have corresponding EFTSL values.
1. Requirements for Completion of the Certificate
To qualify for the Certificate, a student must complete 40 cp from the Schedule of Unit Offerings.
Schedule of Unit Offerings
Prerequisite (Pre), co-requisite (Co) and incompatible (Inc) units are indicated in parentheses where applicable.
Unit Code Credit Points Unit Name
APID100 10 Approaches to the Qur‘an and Hadith
APID101 10 Islamic Theology: Ethics and Praxis
APID102 10 Sufism: Spiritual Journeys
APID103 10 Islamic Law: Legal Tradition and Society
APID100 Approaches to the Qur'an and Hadith
10 cp
Prerequisites Nil
Teaching Organisation Lectures, Videos, Workshops, Seminar Presentations/Discussions.
The Islamic Holy Book (the Qur’an) and the authoritative collections of the sayings (hadith) of the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) are the two foundation texts of Islam. This unit aims to provide basic information about the authority of the Qur’an and hadith among Muslims. It also includes an account of the establishment of the canonical forms of these foundation texts, in order to show how and why Muslims revere them. It presents example-passages from each to show how they complement each other. It also introduces some of the approaches of contemporary scholarship of Islam on the Qur’an and hadith.
This unit will explore the issues and the discussion of them which resulted in the formulation and structuring of the Muslim Creed. These issues include: the Divine Unity (Tawhid), the Divine Attributes, and anthropomorphism (tashbih-tajsim) in the Qur’an; prophetology; the resurrection; the relation between reason and revelation; free will and predestination. The context of these discussions will be outlined, as well as the ways in which differences of opinion on these issues led to the evolution of the different schools of thought that are still present today.
The sufi movement places special emphasis on personal piety infused with the love of God and, for some, offers access to an esoteric understanding of the Qur’an. This unit presents students with knowledge of the roots, motivation and basic concepts of these spiritual movements and their manifestation in devotional and social life. Emphasis will be laid on certain of the core sufi rituals, such as the practice of dhikr, and on the lives and teachings of some of the great sufi leaders, past and present.
APID103 Islamic Law: Legal Tradition and Society
10 cp
Prerequisites Nil
Teaching Organisation Lectures, Videos, Workshops, Seminar Presentations/Discussions.
This unit is devoted to the origins and development of Islamic law. It will explore the institutional background of this system together with the formation of legal sources and argumentation. Fundamental concepts in Islamic law will be re-evaluated, and jurists’ efforts to derive legal rules from the texts and the notion of ijtihad (legal opinion) will be discussed in detail. The relation between the rules of jurisprudence and practice will be analysed in the light of the different approaches of the various legal schools of thought. The unit will also consider the meaning of Islamic jurisprudence in the modern world, together with the practices in different Muslim countries.