Introductory description

This module helps you to explore philosophical, historical and theological foundations of Islamic Education through engaging with modern educational theories and pedagogic models. You will develop knowledge, understanding and critical insights into the fundamentals of Islamic educational thought, practice and values and begin to form your own philosophy of education by critically engaging with both the Islamic and Western traditions of education thought and practice.

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

Introduction/orientation; Conceptual analysis of central terms in educational theory; Examining diverse perceptions of Islamic Education; Philosophical/historical and theological foundations of Muslim educational thought; Educational aims and values in diverse traditions of education in Islam; Exploring organisation of curriculum, teaching and learning methods in diverse formal and informal Islamic educational settings, Critical Issues/challenges facing Islamic Education in contemporary Muslim minority and majority societies, Developing scholarly and empirical research strategies in Islamic Education.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Develop knowledge, understanding and critical insights into the fundamentals of Islamic educational thought, practice and values.
• Demonstrate competence to think educationally about Islam and Show reflective engagement with critical issues and challenges informing contemporary practice of Islamic Education.
• Facilitate students' competence to form their own philosophy of education by critically engaging with both the Islamic and Western traditions of educational thought and pedagogic practice.
• Enable students to critically explore the inter-disciplinary nature of Islamic Education with a special emphasis on the relevance of empirical research methodologies in the field.

Indicative reading list

Makdisi, G (1981) The Rise of Colleges: Institutions of Learning in Islam and the West, Edinburgh
University Press, Edinburgh.
Rahman, F (1984) Islam and Modernity: Transformation of an Intellectual Tradition, University of
Chicago Press, London.
Rosenthal, F (2007) Knowledge Triumphant; the concept of knowledge in medieval Islam, Brill,
Leiden.
Sahin, A (2014) New Direction in Islamic Education: pedagogy and identity formation, Kube
publishing, Leicestershire.
Bartlet, S and Burton, D.M (2007) Introduction to Education Studies, Sage London.
Dewey, J (1997) Experience and Education, Touchstone, New York
Freire, F (2006) Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Continuum, London.
Allen, A and Goddard, R (2017) Education and Philosophy: an introduction, Sage, London.
Bloom, B. S., (ed), et al. (1969) Taxonomy of educational objectives: The classification of
educational goals. Handbook I: Cognitive Domain, McKay, New York.
Coulby D (2002) Beyond the National Curriculum: School Knowledge and Society in the UK and
Europe, Taylor & Francis, London.
Copley, T (2008) Teaching Religion: sixty years of religious education in England and Wales,
University of Exeter press, Exeter.
Crawford A et al (eds)(2005) Teaching And Learning Strategies For The
Thinking Classroom, International Debate Education Association, New York.
Cook, B (2011) Classical Foundations of Islamic Educational Thought: A Compendium of Parallel
English-Arabic Texts (Islamic Translation Series), University of Chicago Press, London.
Haw, K (1998) Educating Muslim Girls, Open University Press, Buckingham.
Francis, L at all (1996) Research in Religious Education, Gracewing, London.
Grimmitt, M. (ed.) (2000) Pedagogies of Religious Education, Mc Crimmons, Essex.
Hefner, R W and Zaman, M Q (eds) (2007) Schooling Islam: The culture and politics of modern
Muslim education, Princeton University Press, Princeton.
Lewis, P (2009) Young, British and Muslim, Continuum, London.
Luce, P (2009) Teaching about Religions in European School Systems: Policy issue and trends,
London, Alliance Publishing Trust.
Lawton, D and Gordon (2002) A History of Western Educational Ideas, Woburn, London.
Metcalf, B.D (1984) Moral Conduct and Authority: the place of Adab in South Asian Islam,
University of California press, London.
Moon, J.A. (2004) A Handbook of Reflective and Experiential Learning: theory and practice,
Routledge Falmer, London.
Pollard, A. (2008) Reflective teaching: evidence-informed professional practice, Continuum,
London.
Pritchart, A (2008) Ways of Learning, David Fulton Publishers, London.
Robinson, F (1996) Knowledge, its transmission and the making of Muslim societies, in F.
Robinson (ed) The Cambridge Illustrated History of the Islamic World, (pp.208-250), Cambridge
uni press, Cambridge.
Sahin, A ( 2011) "The complex inheritance of first generation; identity, secularity and education",
Oasis, V.6 No 12, pp.45-50
Sahin A (2010) "The Contribution of Religious Education to Social and Community Cohesion: an
Islamic educational perspective" in Michael H. Grimmitt (ed) Religious Education and Social and
Community Cohesion: Challenges and Opportunities, Great Wakering, UK, McCrimmons
Publishing Co. Ltd
Sahin, A (2005), "Exploring the religious life-world and attitude toward Islam among British
Muslim adolescents", in Religion, Education and Adolescence, eds L Francis, M Robbins & J Astley,
Cambridge Printing, Cambridge (pp. 164 — 184)
Saliba G (2007) Islamic Science and the making of the European Renaissance, MIT press, London.
SchOn, D. (1983) The Reflective Practitioner: How professionals think in action, Basic Books, New
York.
Smith, E (2012) Key Issues in Education and Social Justice (Education Studies: Key Issues), Sage,
London.
Tan, C (2011) Islamic Education and Indoctrination: The Case in Indonesia, Routledge, London.
Tibawi, A (1972) Islamic Education, Luzac and Company Ltd, London
Zaman, M Q (2007) The Ulama in Contemporary Islam: Custodians of Change, Princeton
University Press.
Zine, J (2008) Canadian Islamic Schools: Unravelling the Politics of Faith, Gender, Knowledge, and
Identity, University of Toronto Press, London.
Al-Zarnuji, (2003) Instruction of the Student: The Method of Learning, Starlatch Press, New York.

View reading list on Talis Aspire

Interdisciplinary

The module introduces students to the inter-disciplinary nature of Islamic Education. Foundations of education in Islam are explored through engaging with the religious, theological as well as philosophical, sociological and contemporary educational, pedagogic and social scientific studies. The course enables students to engage with a critical dialogue between Islamic and modern educational theories and pedagogic models. The module further highlights the need to adopt an inter-disciplinary analysis framework while engaging with the issues related to ‘Education, Islam and Muslim’ intersection. Participants coming from traditional Muslim seminaries have the opportunity of integrating their traditional education with modern educational and pedagogic studies.

Subject specific skills

• Develop knowledge, understanding and critical insights into the fundamentals of Islamic educational thought and practice
• Critically examining the educational teachings and values in the foundational sources and traditions of education in Islam;
• to develop critical insight into the relevant contemporary educational theory and pedagogic thought with special reference to examining the role of Islamic Education in modern multicultural and religious lydiverse secular societies;
• independently gather, organize and critique knowledge gathered through primary and secondary sources on Islamic Education and practice of Islamic Education in Muslim minority and majority societies;
• Demonstrate competence to think educationally about Islam and show reflective engagement with critical issues and challenges informing contemporary practice of Islamic Education.
• proactively to formulate ideas and hypotheses and to evaluate these as part of their development a reflective practitioners in Islamic Education.
• Show competence to critically explore the inter-disciplinary nature of Islamic Education with a special emphasis on the relevance of modern empirical research methodologies in the field

Transferable skills

• clearly and accurately communicate and articulate their arguments/conclusions to specialist and non-specialist audiences.
• to take a proactive and self-reflective role in working and to develop professional relationships with others;
• self direction and effective decision making in complex and unpredictable situations;
• independent learning and the ability to work in a way which ensures continuing professional development;
• critically engage in the development of professional/disciplinary boundaries and norms.
• Demonstrate independent learning, self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems, and act autonomously in planning and implementing tasks at a professional or equivalent level.