Islam and Sufism

10/17 - 10/21: Working on the Nasrudin show me project (attached - "Nas projects in groups"). I've also attached some student samples for options 1 and 2, and notes about colors is Islam. Here's the link to the Art In Faith video. Projects due on Monday, Oct 24. No late projects accepted.

10/14: Please see "Nas mid section" attached below (F Block instructions on page 2, G Block on page 3).

10/13: See below for the "Dear Fellow Sufi" letter which should help you to think about the stories, going back and I hope, going forward.

10/11: For Thursday, read 15 stories between page 27-50 (everyone needs to read “Nas and the Wise Men” and “First Things First”). Make notes about your very best ideas. Flip two stories (on a piece of notebook paper) that you especially love.

10/6: HOMEWORK: Please read 11-20 tonight and work to "flip" the stories. In almost every story, on the first read through, Nasrudin almost always seems either obviously a fool OR obviously wise. Pay attention to why you think that, then, on the second read through "flip" - what if Nas is really wise and not foolish? How can I make that argument inside the story (using Sufi principles, symbols, Islamic ideas, connections to the sayings of the Prophet, etc?)Ask questions, try to puzzle through as much as you can (make yourself some notes when puzzling through) If it's a story where he seems wise, do the same kind of flipping to make him seem foolish (see the "Nasrudin stories flipping board notes" below for help). FOR 2 STORIES: SHOW ME your thinking - how he is on the first read, and what happens when you flip the story. Write about your experience on the notecard (one story per side).

10/5: Please read the introduction and the first ten pages of Exploits of the Incomparable Mulla Nasrudin. Please take notes about your impressions of the stories. In class: Tiger Hunt! We’re going on a tiger hunt! Hurrah, Hurrah! Unfortunately, I have done such a good job spreading crumbs at my door, that you will not find any tigers here (this will all make sense laterJ. Instead, I have 7 symbols of Sufi principles scattered around the room. You need to take your blue book with you and investigate. Remember how symbols work – they represent something through a shared essence (like dogs are symbols of loyalty because they are loyal). At each station, brainstorm everything you can about the item in front of you. THINK about what qualities it possesses, what we use it for, what is missing, etc. Let your minds run wild.

Look at your list and see which of these qualities might tie to Islam (think here about everything you know, about the Qu’ran readings, about the sayings, about the stories). What do you make of the symbol? Why? Put your most joyous, most creative feet forward.

10/3: Please see the Islam notes below ("Islamic Notes...")

9/30: This weekend: go back over the “Sayings of the Prophet” from the Hadith and choose four that you find interesting but that you do not really understand. Use what we talked about in class today, your reading now of three sections of the Koran, our conversations about the flexibility of language (and especially the conversations we’ve had about the Rumi poem) to help you try to unpack these. THINK about the words and what they mean (literally) and what they could mean (figuratively). THINK about the Islamic culture and its underpinnings, about the central aims of the religion (social justice and right behavior in a world corrupted by wealth and excess), about the meaning and practice of the commandments, of the teachings in the Koran, etc. and make some notes about your thinking on a piece of notebook about what you are wrestling with and how this opens up new ideas and new possibilities for each of the four sayings.

9/28: HOMEWORK: Puzzling through the parables: In addition to the Qu’ran, the teachings of Muhammad and his life (Hadith or Ahadith) are holy books – books that instruct about practice in Islam. You will see, as you read through the sayings of the Prophet, that they are not always clear, and take some thought, concentration, and understanding of Islam to put these into practice. Read through the sayings and highlight ten that intrigue you. Choose ones that create a visual image for you, ones that confuse you, and ones that make you think “Aha! I understand that through the prism of Islam!” Highlight these on the page, then return to them. Make some notes about your thinking on a piece of notebook paper (NOT your journals) for at least seven of these (5 if you are taking the class for CPA credit): stunning insights as you unpack the saying – tell us how you think it relates to Islam, how the images work to paint a picture in your mind what you learn from it..

9/27: Small group work on different chapters of the Koran (see "Koran readings - chapter jigsaw" below). This is a group assessment, so if you were out, please see me for an alternate chapter.

9/22-9/26: We worked together to understand the "Opening" and "The Heights" in terms of "plot" character and teachings and in terms of the aims of the Koran (see "Koran reading chapters" below).

9/20: We began our exploration of the Koran today by reading and talking about the opening chapter, the view of God presented and man's relationship to God.