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Unit outline_

LAWS5141: Introduction to Islamic Law

Semester 2, 2021 [Normal day] - Remote

This seminar program is an introductory course in Islamic Law. It will focus on Shari'ah (the classical laws as derived from the religious sources), and will seek to explain its relationship to the contemporary laws of Muslim states and to the cultural practices of Muslim communities living in Australia and other predominantly non-Muslim states. The course aims to provide a basic understanding of the sources of Islamic Law, their interpretation, and of the 'Schools of Law' which predominate in the Muslim World. The case studies seek to engage students to assess critically past and present understandings in the contexts of terrorism, modernity and social change.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit Law
Credit points 6
Prerequisites
? 
None
Corequisites
? 
None
Prohibitions
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator Salim Farrar, salim.farrar@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Presentation In class or zoom presentation
In class or zoom presentation
10% Multiple weeks 10 mins
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO9 LO8 LO6 LO5 LO3 LO2
Assignment Research essay
Written essay
60% Week 10
Due date: 22 Oct 2020 at 14:00
4000 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO5 LO7 LO8 LO9
Assignment Online blog
Online blog
30% Week 12
Due date: 05 Nov 2020 at 14:00
2000 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO9 LO8 LO7 LO5 LO4 LO3 LO2

Assessment summary

Student Presentation (10%)

Student presentations will begin in Week 3 and continue to Week 10. Presentations are limited to 10 minutes maximum and should be linked to topical questions for the relevant week; students may use slides to clarify issues for the audience. Students should be prepared to respond to questions from fellow-students and the course convenor. 

Research Essay (60%)

The 4000 word maximum Research Essay is restricted to ‘Islamic law’ as opposed to Islamic studies. This means it must relate directly to the Shari’ah, Islamic jurisprudence and commentaries or to the posited laws of Muslim states, past, or/and present.  The essay can also relate to Islamic ethics where it has legal applications (in transactional law or medical procedures, for example).  The choice of topic and title is yours, but students should ensure that the essay is not just a description of the topic area.  It must be original, your own work and with a full bibliography.  The deadline for submission is 2pm  Friday 22 October.

Discussion Board/Blogs (30%)

  • Original posts:  Students should contribute at least two but not more than four original posts in response to different questions. Students are not permitted to contribute more than one original post per question. Please note that if a student posts more than four original posts in total, only the first four will be marked. If students write less than 2 Blogs, they will be penalised 3.75% per question they have failed to submit.  Please note the word limit will be strictly enforced. The combined and total word limit for original posts is 1000 words maximum. 
  • Responses:  Students should contribute at least two but not more than four response posts in a week other than in which they submitted their original posts. Students are not permitted to contribute more than one response post per student original post.  Please note that if a student posts more than four original posts in total, only the first four will be marked.  Response posts made in the same week as the original post will not be marked.  If students submit less than 2 responses, they will be penalised 3.75% per response they failed to submit.  Please note the word limit will be strictly enforced. The combined and total word limit for response posts is 1000 words maximum.

The deadline for submission is 2pm Friday 5 November.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

A student must make a genuine attempt at all assessment tasks set out in this Unit of Study in order to obtain a Pass mark and grade (or above); otherwise an Absent Fail grade will be recorded as the student’s result for this Unit of Study.

 

 

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name

Mark range

Description

High distinction

85 - 100

  • Completely answers the question.
  • Contains striking originality of approach or analysis.
  • Demonstrates exhaustive or innovative research (where independent research required).
  • Exceptionally well written, structured and expressed.
  • Is otherwise exceptional in some way.

Distinction

75 - 84

  • Completely answers the question.
  • Achieves a critical and evaluative approach to the issues.
  • Content and structure is well organised in support of the argument.
  • Demonstrates extensive research and analysis to support a well-documented argument.
  • Generally well expressed and free from errors.
  • Has a clear structure and is well articulated.

Credit

65 - 74

  • Covers main issues fairly well in answering the question.
  • Contains no significant errors.
  • Demonstrates an attempted critical approach to the issues.
  • Demonstrates reasonably sound research and analysis in addressing the key issues.
  • Has a clear structure and reasonably clear expression.

Pass

50 - 64

  • Identifies the key issues, but does not follow through with a reasoned argument.
  • Contains some significant errors.
  • Displays satisfactory engagement with the key issues.
  • Offers a descriptive summary of material relevant to the question.
  • Superficial use of material, and may display a tendency to paraphrase.
  • Demonstrates little evidence of in-depth research or analysis.
  • Adequate expression.
  • Overall, demonstrates the minimum level of competence in the assessment and satisfies the requirements to proceed to higher-level studies in the degree or subject area.

Fail

0 - 49

  • Does not answer the question.
  • Contains significant or numerous errors.
  • Few or no identifiable arguments.
  • Content that is inappropriate or irrelevant.
  • Lack of research or analysis.
  • Difficult or impossible to understand through poor grammar, expression or structure.
  • Overall, does not demonstrate the minimum level of competence in the assessment.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

The late submission of a piece of assessment, which has not been granted an extension, will attract a penalty of 10% of the total marks available for the piece of assessment per calendar day or part thereof.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 Introduction Seminar (2 hr)  
Studying Islamic law in context: an extreme landscape Seminar (2 hr)  
Week 02 Wahhabism and its hermeneutic tradition Seminar (2 hr)  
Salafism: terror’s source? Seminar (2 hr)  
Week 03 Traditional Islam and the evolution of Islamic law Seminar (2 hr)  
Introduction to Islamic sources and interpretation: Usul al-Fiqh Seminar (2 hr)  
Week 04 Islamic legal sources (1): The Qur'an Seminar (2 hr)  
Islamic Legal Sources (2): The Story of Hadith and Understanding the Sunnah Seminar (2 hr)  
Week 06 Islamic legal sources (3): The role of Consensus and the controversies of Ijtihad Seminar (2 hr)  
Fiqh (1): Islamic Family Law Seminar (2 hr)  
Week 07 Islamic Family Laws in context Seminar (2 hr)  
Fiqh (2) Islamic transactional law Seminar (2 hr)  
Week 09 Islamic transactional laws in context Seminar (2 hr)  
Fiqh (3): Islamic Criminal Laws and Justice Seminar (2 hr)  
Week 10 Islamic criminal laws in context Seminar (2 hr)  
Administration of Islamic law (Siyasa al-Shari'a 1): courts, personnel and procedures Seminar (2 hr)  
Week 11 Administration of Islamic Law (Siyasa al-Shari'a - 2): As-Siyar, human rights and international law Seminar (2 hr)  
Area/Country Studies (1) Asia/South East Asia Seminar (2 hr)  
Week 12 Area/Country Studies (2): Africa and the Middle East Seminar (2 hr)  
Area/Country Studies (3): The West Seminar (2 hr)  

Attendance and class requirements

  • Attendance: All students are required to attend 70% of classes (or as otherwise specified by the Unit Coordinator) to satisfy the pass requirements for each unit of study.  Attendance requirements may be satisfied by in person and/or online attendance as specified by the Unit Coordinator.  Failure to meet this requirement may result in a student being precluded from sitting the final assessment.
  • Word count penalty: A piece of assessment which exceeds the prescribed word limit will attract a penalty of 10% of the total marks available for the piece of assessment for every 100 words, or part thereof.  The total word count for essay and other written assessments will exclude: bibliography; footnote numbers; footnote citation; cover page and include: body text; headings and sub-headings; quotations; anything other than numbers and citations in footnotes.
  • Referencing guide: The Sydney Law School expects you to use the most recent version of the Australian Guide to Legal Citation (4th edition, 2018) for your footnoting style, although you should confirm this with your lecturer, and a link to the website where this is set out comprehensively is available at About the Australian Guide to Legal Citation (AGLC).

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All readings for this unit can be accessed through the Library Reading List, available on Canvas.

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. understand religious and Islamic precepts
  • LO2. demonstrate awareness of Muslim cultures and practices
  • LO3. apply opinions of Muslim scholars to contemporary problems
  • LO4. engage in public policy discussion
  • LO5. demonstrate critical thinking and problem solving through questioning common assumptions and examining the role of politics, context and culture
  • LO6. demonstrate oral communication skills through individual responses to questions in class and class presentations
  • LO7. demonstrate written communication skills through weekly blogs and a research essay
  • LO8. demonstrate information and digital literacy through locating, interpreting and evaluating relevant internet sites and blogs
  • LO9. demonstrate cultural competence through engaging with the material, fellow students and with staff ethically, respectfully and successfully, while recognizing the diversity of Muslim world views and the richness they may bring institutions, groups and society.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

I have reviewed the assessments and the content from last year and will retain the Zoom presentation.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.