SHARI'A: RELIGION AND LAW

The course "Shari'a: Religion and Law" is a "related/integrative formative activity" in the Near and Middle East Curriculum (VMO), and an "optional course" in the philosophical-religious address, Degree Course in "Languages, Cultures and Societies of Asia and Mediterranean Africa" (LICSAAM).
The teaching contributes to the achievement of the educational objectives of the Degree Course in the cultural and humanistic area.
The course aims at providing students interested in the languages spoken in North Africa and the Middle East (Arabic, Turkish, Persian, Hebrew) with an introduction the the various stages of development of Islamic Law, and a general overview of its main institutions.

At the end of the course the students will be able to:
1) define the main features that characterize Islamic Law;
2) possess a basic terminology related to the various institutions of Islamic Law and its thought structures. This will enable students to be familiar with the theoretical issues, past and present, related to the ongoing transformations in contemporary Islamic societies;
3) comprehend the main themes of Islamic Law.

No previous knowledge in the field is required.

The course will examine and analyze the main features of Islamic Law, its institutions and principles, from its origins to its final arrangement, with particular focus on the religious ritual (the "Pillars of Islam"), the personal and family law (marriage, divorce, inheritance), penal law and slavery.

The oral exam, lasting 20 minutes, includes a series of questions (approximately 4-5 questions) on the topics covered during the course and on one of the texts indicated, chosen by the student.
The exam aims at verifying the student's competence in the main themes of Islamic Law and its most relevant institutions.

The course is comprised of fifteen classrom-taught lectures.

Italian

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