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Islamic Heritage of Iran

by Dr. Omid Safi, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Course description: Conflicting Images of Iran
Iran is home to one of the oldest civilizations in the world, going back well over 6000 years.   In studying the Persian cultural realm, one is struck immediately by a bifurcation of images: at one pole, there is the confluence of images around the idea of a mystical, exotic, sentimental, poetic, and romantic world of "Persia."

At the other pole, around that of "Iran", are the images of a radical, extremist, "traditional", fundamentalist regime vehemently opposed to "Progress", "modernity", and "the West."  Iran, the home of the Islamic Republic, is associated with the American hostage crisis, Islamic fundamentalism, Shi'i terrorists, and revolution.  The late Ayatollah Khomeini declared the West to be the "Great Satan", the very antithesis of all that is good, religious, sanctified by God. If that characterization seems rash or uncalled for (not to mention offensive), it is important to recall the complementary Western characterizations of Iran as the Ultimate "Other" civilization which runs counter to the ideals of progress, democracy, and human rights. These characterizations were perhaps epitomized in President Bush’s inclusion of Iran in the “Axis of Evil” unholy-trinity in 2002.  These characterizations (political, journalistic and scholarly) in a sense mirror Khomeini’s denouncement of the West in that they both attempt to demonize an "Other" to help define and solidify a constructed "self." 

Persia (the old English name for Iran) is imagined as mysterious and exotic: home of sublime poetry, haunting music, the quintessential land of "the Rose and the Nightingale."

Both of these constructions further the notions of Iran/Persia as a "wholly other" civilization, representing everything that "we" are not: radical, religious, mystical, poetical, etc. Studying the Persian culture (and studying the very way in which the Persian culture has been studied) provides us with an opportunity to examine some of our own silent, semi-articulated "privileged" constructions of the Western identity.

Our conceptions and constructions of Iran are contradictory and continuously changing. This class seeks to explore various aspects of the Persian culture of Iran in a multi-disciplinary approach. It will offer an overview of the significant events in Iranian history, including the turmoil of the past 30 years. At the same time, other aspects of the Persian culture such as music, poetry, architecture, philosophical thought, the recently avant-garde Iranian cinema, and mysticism will also be covered.

Prerequisite: None required.
Students with no background in Islam will be asked to browse an additional text, introducing them to the basic tenets of Islam in the first few weeks of the course. You should make ample use of the website: http://www.uga.edu/islam/

Few classroom rules (some rational, other idiosyncratic):
*Cell phones must be turned off.
*no web-browsing, chatting, IMing, Facebooking in class.
*Eating in class is fine, especially if you are willing to share.
*I am a firm believer in the classroom being a community, and doing everything possible to foster a sense of a learning community in and out of the classroom.   We might have—and probably will have—firm disagreements, and that is fine and good.    Informed opinions are always welcome.    By informed I mean that your opinions must reference class-assigned readings and discussions, rather just “mouthing off.”   Above all else, I hold myself—and you—to the standard of creating an environment in which we can firmly and politely agree or disagree with one another without belittling one another or creating a hostile learning environment.

A note on “Talking points” and Class participation:
This course can only be successful if we have daily, active discussions.   That will only happen if you have spent time before coming to class pondering over the readings.    To aid you in this, you are are asked to bring a focused "talking point" (around 2 pages) to every class. A talking point is a form of dialogue between you and the readings:  that is to say, reflections and queries you are prepared to share with a classmate and/or with the instructor. Your daily "talking points" will play a considerable role in shaping the day's discussion.  Every talking point must contain 2-3 written questions to be asked in class.   The talking points, which will be first exchanged with your colleagues and then gathered by me, count for 30% of your final grade.

I leave it up to you to decide how you will engage the text in your talking point:
*reflect on an idea you found interesting or intriguing in the readings,
*discuss who the various readings complement or differ from one another,
*explore the implications of a particular idea,
*compare to another work we've studied,
*trace how the work speaks to a theme we encountered earlier.

The Honor Code:
All the assignments for this course will be conducted as a take-home, open-note, and open-book variety.   That calls for an even more important observance of the honor code.   Plagiarism and “collaboration” (a.k.a. cheating) on take-home assignments will result in an “F” grade on the assignment, and sanctions under the honor code.  I expect all the students to abide by the honor code regulations at UNC.  The following paragraph is courtesy of http://honor.unc.edu/honor/code.html, and I invite you to familiarize yourself:

"About the Honor Code: The Honor Code is the heart of integrity here at Carolina. In brief, the Honor Code says that all students shall "Refrain from lying, cheating, or stealing," but the Honor Code means much more. It is the guiding force behind the students' responsible exercise of freedom, the foundation of student self-governance here at UNC-Chapel Hill. The University maintains an Honor Code because we believe that all members of our community should be responsible for upholding the values that have been agreed upon by the community. A written Honor Code is an affirmation of our commitment to high standards of conduct inside and outside of the classroom. It is a document to be proud of because the Honor Code belongs to all of us as much as the Bell, the Well, or our excellence in athletics!

The Honor Code is found in a document known as the Instrument of Student Judicial Governance. The Instrument is the University's official statement of the rules and regulations that guide the Honor System. The list of prohibited conduct and the possible sanctions given by the Honor Court can all be found in the Instrument. This document also includes information on the rights and responsibilities of all members of our community to the Honor System and under the Honor System."

Required texts:
The required texts can be purchased from the UNC Student textbook store, independent bookstores, or ordered from on-line sources like Amazon.com.    We are using 7 texts, and I do encourage you to buy paperback copies, and used ones, when possible.  

1) The Soul of Iran: A Nation's Journey to Freedom (Paperback)
by Afshin Molavi (Author)
•  Publisher: W. W. Norton; Rev. Ed edition (September 26, 2005)
•  ISBN-10: 0393325970   ISBN-13: 978-0393325973

2)  The Conference of Birds (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)
by Farid al-Din Attar (Author), Afkham Darbandi (Author), Dick Davis
•  Publisher: Penguin Classics (July 3, 1984)
•  ISBN-10: 0140444343   ISBN-13: 978-0140444346

3)  The Rose Garden (Gulistan) of Saadi (Paperback)
•  Publisher: Tractus Books; New Ed edition (December 1997)
•  ISBN-10: 2909347060   ISBN-13: 978-2909347066

4)  Modern Iran: Roots and Results of Revolution, Updated Edition (Paperback)
by Nikki R. Keddie
•  Publisher: Yale University Press; Updated edition (August 1, 2006)
•  ISBN-10: 0300121059   ISBN-13: 978-0300121056

5)   Islam and Revolution 1: Writings and Declaration of Imam Khomeini (Paperback)
by Ruhollah Khomeini
•  Publisher: Mizan Pr (June 1981)
•  ISBN-10: 0933782039   ISBN-13: 978-0933782037

6)  The Complete Persepolis
by Marjane Satrapi
•  Publisher: Pantheon (October 30, 2007)
•  ISBN-10: 0375714839   ISBN-13: 978-0375714832

7)  Jasmine and Stars: Reading More Than Lolita in Tehran
by Fatemeh Keshavarz
•  Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press (March 5, 2007)
•  ISBN-10: 0807831093
•  ISBN-13: 978-0807831090

Grade to be based on:
This is not a class for passive listeners. The class will be conducted in a seminar format.
Almost every day we will be analyzing and discussing the readings and web pages.   Our aim is to decipher their rhetoric, and understand their argument vis-à-vis other positions.   It will be impossible for you to participate in the discussions if you have not done the readings before coming to class. This will hurt your class participation grade.
The assignments are due on the days which have been identified, and turning them in late will lead to a deduction in your grade.
Breakdown of Grades:
"Talking points"/ plus in-class ACTIVE discussion 20%
Map exercise 5%
Research paper:  20%
Midterm:   25%
Final exam 30%

Here are the standards for each grade:
A - Superb, Excellent.    You have demonstrated an ability to offer original and insightful analysis of the facts.   Your essay must have a clearly identifiable thesis, the thesis must make use of scholarly points to support itself, it must take a position that can be argued for or against, anticipate objections, and respond persuasively.  
B - Solid Work. The facts have been grasped, and significant moves have been made to interpret the material in an analytical fashion.   The majority of “good” papers usually fall in this range.
C - The student has made a reasonable attempt to engage the readings, and has a fair grasp of the factual material presented. The analysis of these facts, and an attempt to contribute towards an original interpretation, however, is severely missing.
D - A simplistic familiarity with the subject mater can be gleamed through the assignments which have been turned in.
F - A disappointment—no attempt being shown on the behalf of the student to engage the material, to respect the parameters of the class and its schedule, or the turning in of assignment. 

Day by day syllabus:
(subject to modification, please check on line for each day’s readings, as some sites will be added).

Tuesday August 19th:
Overview

Thursday August 21st:
Fatemeh Keshavarz, Jasmine and Stars: Reading More Than Lolita in Tehran (first half)
http://www.thisiranianamericanlife.com/?p=3

Tuesday August 26th:
Keshavarz, Jasmine and Stars: Reading More Than Lolita in Tehran (second half)
second half of class, presentation by Kathy Foody on Forough Farrokhzad
“Not Without My Daughter”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtkfBdJo2mQ
(starring the decidedly Un-Iranian Alfred Molina, aka Dr. Octavius from Spiderman 2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBrDlxsw3Hg&feature=related
In class, see: http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=+%22not+without+my+daughter+%22+&hl=en&emb=1#
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8743579134651205223&ei
=fnGsSLPPHJemrAKc5eD0BA&q=%22not+without+my+daughter%22+&vt=lf&hl=en

Thursday August 28th:
Molavi, The Soul of Iran

Tuesday September  2nd:
Molavi, The Soul of Iran
Map exercise due today.   You will not be graded on your artistic ability (or lack thereof).
Identify: Iran, its neighboring countries, Caspian sea, Persian Gulf
Alburz mountains, Zagros mountains, mount Damavand,
cities: Tehran, Isfahan (Esfahan), Tabriz, Shiraz, Mashhad, Qumm (Qom)
Tombs of Sa'di, Hafez, Imam Reza, Fatemeh Ma’soomeh (Qumm)
locations of deserts in Iran.
On another sheet, identify:   dominant language groups in Iran, ethnicities, religions, per capita income, major exports, political structure.   

Thursday September 4th:
Molavi, The Soul of Iran
Richard Frye, Harvard Prof on Iran:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rUgelgRHnc

Tuesday September 9th:
Molavi, The Soul of Iran

UNIT: Formation of the Persian Poetic, “adab” culture

Thursday September 11th:
Gulistan of Sa'di, The Rose Garden, 1-127

Tuesday September 16th:
Gulistan of Sa'di, The Rose Garden, 1-127

Thursday September 18th:
[catch up day, intro to Sufism]
Leonard Lewisohn, “Overview:  Iranian Islam and Persiante Sufism”, The Legacy of Mediœval Persian Sufism, Lewisohn, ed., pp. 11-43.
Javad Nurbakhsh, “The Key Features of Sufism in the Early Islamic Period”, Classical Persian Sufism:  From its Origins to Rumi, Lewisohn, ed., p. xv-xxxix.
[PDF online]

Tuesday September 23rd:
Attar, Conference of the Birds

Thursday September 25th:
Attar, Conference of the Birds

Tuesday September 30th:
Attar, Conference of the Birds

Thursday October 2nd:
Attar, Conference of the Birds

UNITt: Monarchical Iran in the 20th century.

Tuesday October 7th:
Nikkie Keddie, Modern Iran:  Roots and Results of Revolution (2, 3, 4, 5)

Thursday October 9th:
Modern Iran:  Roots and Results of Revolution (6)
*Read "Secret History of CIA in Iran", taken from NY Times

Tuesday October 14th: 
Modern Iran:  Roots and Results of Revolution (7, 8)
Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, “Westernization: Our Welcome Ideal”,  “The Eternal Question of Women”, Mission for my country, pp. 132-160, 217-237.  [on blackboard]

Thursday October 16th:   UNC Fall Break

Tuesday October 21st: 
Modern Iran:  Roots and Results of Revolution (9, 10)

UNIT: The Islamic revolution, and life after Khomeini

Thursday October 23rd:
Jalal-e Al-e Ahmad, Occidentosis, [chapter on PDF on blackboard]
Keddie, Modern Iran:  Roots and Results of Revolution 11, 12, conclusion, Epilogue.

Tuesday October 28th:
Khomeini, Islamic Government
Primary source:   Iranian Revolutionary Posters.

Thursday October 30th:
Khomeini, Islamic Government

Tuesday November 4th:
Khomeini, Islamic Government

Thursday November 6th:
Khatami

Tuesday November 11th:  

Thursday November 13th: 

Tuesday November 18th:
Iranian reformers:  Ebadi, Kadivar

Mohsen Kadivar
“The Principles of Compatibility of Islam and Modernity”
and
“Velayat-e Faqih and Democracy”
Shirin Ebadi:
“Nobel Peace Prize lecture, 2003:
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2003/ebadi-lecture-e.html

Thursday November 20th:  Soroush and Akbar Ganji
Abd al-karim Soroush:
http://www.drsoroush.com/English/Interviews/E-INT-Shariati_June2008.html
and
http://www.drsoroush.com/English/Interviews/E-INT-IAmNotTheReformistsGodfather.html
Akbar Ganji:
Republican Manifesto II:
http://freeganji.blogspot.com/2005/06/republican-manifesto-ii.html
http://freeganji.blogspot.com/2006/06/shamed-by-ghorme-sabzi-of-liberalism.html

Letter to Soroush:
http://freeganji.blogspot.com/2005/07/letter-to-dr-abdolkarim-soroush.html
to Montazeri:
http://freeganji.blogspot.com/2005/07/letter-to-ayatollah-montazeri.html
Manifest I:  http://redinblack.netfirms.com/manifest/ 

UNIT: Life in Exile, ex-pat Iranians, Diaspora and Nostalgia

Tuesday November 25th:
Satrapi, The Complete Persepolis

Thursday November 27th:  Thanksgiving

Tuesday December 2nd:   Last Day of classes
Satrapi, The Complete Persepolis

If you'd like to share your syllabus, please send it to us as an MS Word attachement at studyofislam@gmail.com.

	Bruce Lawrence, The Qur'an: Books That changed the World, Grove Press, 2008.
	Omid Safi, The Politics of Knowledge in Premodern Islam: Negotiating Ideology and Religious Inquiry, Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 2006.
	Ebrahim Moosa, Ghazali and Poetics of Imagination, Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 2005.