High School Students’ Attitudes toward Islam and Muslims: Can a Social Studies Course Make a Difference?
2014; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 105; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1080/00377996.2013.850054
ISSN2152-405X
Autores Tópico(s)Values and Moral Education
ResumoAbstractDespite 9/11, the seemingly endless Israeli–Palestinian conflict, the possibility of Iran developing nuclear weapons capabilities, and the Arab Spring and its aftermath, the social studies curricula of high schools throughout the nation generally put little emphasis on the Middle East and Islam as the foundation for understanding vital issues that will confront the United States for years to come.Keywords: discriminationIranIslamMiddle EaststereotypingUnited States Appendix A: Middle East History Syllabus(Note: For this article, dates of have been removed and only assignments related to the measurement of possible change in student attitudes have been retained. The last two units, The Israeli–Palestinian Conflict and Iraq, could not be used to measure success in changing student attitudes for reasons set out in the body of this article. In this version of the syllabus, only high level outlines for these two concluding units are presented.)Course Description: As a member of our democracy you will play a role in the future course and development of relationships with the peoples and governments of the Middle East. This class examines the history, current state, and future of these vital relationships which will determine the possibilities for conflict or reconciliation in the 21st century.Major Topics: Judaism, Islam, Tenets of Islam, Islam as a way of life, Women in Islam, Interpretations of Islam from Fundamentalism to Liberalism, Islamic Extremism, Iraq.Course Goals: In this course, we will: Develop critical thinking skillsBetter understand the perspectives of people in the Middle East; andBecome more culturally literate as individuals and as a group.This course also challenges us to develop intellectual and academic skills, such as analysis of primary source documents, essay writing, and archival research, that are necessary to achieve the three main objectives listed above.Required Books:Required summer reading book: Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver, and Priscilla Warner, The Faith Club: A Muslim, A Christian, A Jew—Three Women Search for Understanding. New York: Free Press, 2007.Knauer, Kelly (ed.), Time: The Middle East: The History, the Conflict, the Culture, the Faiths. New York: Time-Life Books, 2006.Marjane Satrapi, The Complete Persepolis. New York: Pantheon Books, 2007.Other Assigned Readings:These appear throughout the syllabus and are available on reserve in the library or on the Internet or will be handed out in class.Copies of the Bible and the Koran are available in the classroom and the library.IntroductionVocab brainstorm? What comes to your mind when you hear the following?Middle East, Muslims, Israel, Palestinian, Iraq, Afghanistan, religion of Islam, Prophet Muhammad, how women are treated in Islam, Middle East extremists, Arab Spring, People of the Middle East, Countries of the Middle East.Color in countries on map, mark countries, capitals, and Nile, Tigris, and Euphrates RiversGroups of students prepare and present basic information on various countries of the Middle East.The Importance of AbrahamRead: from the Bible, Genesis 12: 1 to 12:7; 16:1 to 17:27; and 22: 1–18; Answer and discuss in class: Describe the covenant that Abraham makes with GodWhat are the relationships between Abraham, Sarai (Sarah), Hagar, Ishmael, and Isaac. You could do this in the form of a family tree.What is circumcision, and what is its significance to the Jewish people?In chapter 22, what supreme sacrifice does God ask of Abraham? How does Abraham respond?The History of Judaism and IslamThe history of Judaism and of Jerusalem Read Alan Mairson and Annie Griffiths Belt, "The Three Faces of Jerusalem," National Geographic 189, no. 4 (April 1996).The Life of the Prophet Muhammad and the birth of Islam: Arabia in the 7th century (social and political context). The Koran, interpretation of Muhammad's pronouncements after his death, early development of Islam.The Tenets of IslamIslam as a total way of lifeVideo: PBS, Islam: Empire of Faith, DVD, 2005.Read: Don Belt, "The World of Islam,"National Geographic Magazine, January, 2002;Answer and discuss in class: What aspects of Islam make it possible for great differences of opinion to exist as to what constitutes "proper" Islamic practices?What crucial role did Islamic scholars play in preserving Western culture?Why is Western culture, and specifically that of the United States, viewed so negatively throughout much of the Islamic world?Comparison of Islam, Judaism and ChristianityFive Pillars of Islam and JihadVideo: PBS, Frontline—Muslims, DVD, April 15, 2003.Video: PBS, Nightline—The Hajj: One American's Pilgrimage to Mecca, DVD, August 31, 2004.Traditionalist vs. Reformist Islamic ThoughtRead: Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Islamic Life and Thought, Kazi Publications Inc., 2001;Feisal Abdul Rauf, "Five Myths about Muslims in America," Washington Post, April 1, 2011, http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2011–04–01/opinions/35230068_1_american-muslims-diverse-muslim-community-muslims-on-active-dutyElizabeth Fernea, "A Veiled Revolution," in Everyday Life in the Muslim Middle East, 2nd ed., edited by Donna Lee Bowen and Evelyn A. Early. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2002.The Crusades; the Sunni vs. Shia splitThe Islamic Empire and the CrusadesRead: Medieval Sourcebook, Urban II, Speech at Council of Clermont, 1095, Five versions of the Speech http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/urban2–5vers.html,Ken Ringle, " A Thousand Years of Bad Memories," Washington Post National Weekly Edition, Oct 29–Nov 4, 2001; Answer and discuss in class: What lead Pope Urban II to call for first crusade in 1095?Why does the term "crusade" have a radically different connotation in the Islamic world than the United States?Explain the viewpoint of those Muslims who find in the Crusades an explanation for the current state of the Islamic world.Why do some Muslims still find the Crusades relevant to their lives today?Islam Divides: Sunni and Shiite IslamRead "Division of the Faithful" page 28 in Time: The Middle East; Answer and discuss in class: Why did the death of Muhammad represent a political problem for the Muslim community?Why is martyrdom a central tenet of Shia Islam?How are inequalities in economic and social class relevant to Sunni vs. Shiite tensions today?Women in IslamWomen in Islam: The Model of KhadijaDivorceWomen in the KoranSharia Law (Patriarchy and interpretation)Women in the Islamic WorldRightsPolitical and Legal RightsVeilingVerses used from the Koran and the Bible for the above discussion:Qur'an: [16:58–59); [4:128], [4:3], [4:129], [33:50], [33.35], [4:124], [4:19], [4:34]Old Testament: Genesis 3:16New Testament: 1 Timothy 2:11Qur'an: [2:282], [4:7], [4:11],[4.32],[4.124], [24:31]Read: "Iraqi Women Eye Islamic law," in The Middle East and North Africa: Regional Studies Series, edited by Reeva Simon et al. Paramus, NJ: Globe Book Company, 1993.Amina Wadud, Qur'an and Woman: Rereading the Sacred Text from a Woman's Perspective, New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.Answer and discuss in class: Define the following terms: Sharia, theocracy, secularism.What does Abeer Rashid mean when she says, "Sharia depends on the man who is giving the law"?What are some of the different interpretations of Sharia?How would these different versions affect Iraqi women?Read Geraldine Brooks, Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women. New York: Anchor, 1995; Answer and discuss in class: Why did the practice of veiling and seclusion begin in the Islamic community?What had these practices represented in this region of the world prior to the revelations of Islam?In your opinion did Sahar's transition to the veil represent greater empowerment?How does the Arabic language play a role in the development of wide ranging interpretations of the Koran?Read: Elizabeth Fernea, "A Veiled Revolution," in Everyday Life in the Muslim Middle East, edited by Donna Lee Bowen and Evelyn A Early, 2nd ed. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2002; Answer and discuss in class: Give some reasons why middle- and upper-class women in Egypt are selecting to wear the veil in greater numbers.What advantages can women in Egypt gain from wearing the veil?Explain how the veil "means different things to Westerners than it does to Muslim Middle Easterners."Assign Women in Islam PaperRead: John L. Esposito, The Future of Islam, 150–53. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010. Answer and discuss in class: What is patriarchy? What is the relationship between patriarchy and religion in the Muslim world? How does this affect women in Islamic countries?The author gives a number of statistics and facts regarding the standing of Muslim women politically, economically, socially, and educationally. What is the author's message regarding women's status in Muslim societies?Why are Muslim societies hesitant to adopt western norms and values of greater female equality?Islamic Fundamentalism and ExtremismAl Qaeda and the Islamic fundamentalist movement Islamic ResurgenceImperialismIndependenceIdentity Crisis and modernityAfghanistan (War, Taliban, and Al Qaeda)Osama Bin Laden and the goals of Al QaedaRead: Text of Osama Bin Laden urging jihad agai-nst Americans http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/military/jan-june98/fatwa_1998.htmlJuan Cole, Prof. of History, University of Michigan, "Top Ways 9/11 Broke Islamic Law," posted on September 11, 2010, http://www.juancole.com/2010/09/top-ways-911-broke-islamic-law.htmlAnswer and discuss in class: Why does Bin Laden refer to U.S. troops as "Crusaders"?What are Bin Laden's grievances against the United States?How does Bin Laden justify his jihad of the sword against the United States?Did the assassination of Bin Laden lessen the extremist threat the United States?Video: PBS, Frontline, Obama's War, October 13, 2009Islamic Fundamentalism and Extremism TestIsraeli–Palestinian Conflict (high level outline only)ZionismBritish InvolvementThe Birth of IsraelWarsPalestinian NationalismThe Failure to Find PeaceIraq (high level outline only)MesopotamiaColonialism and IndependenceRise of Saddam HusseinInvolvementAppendix B: Note on Statistical MethodsIndependent sample t-tests were used in this article for changes in mean student responses to survey items between pre-survey and post-survey. Several objections can be raised to using a t-tests. First, the survey questions are Likert scale items, and the underlying distribution may depart from the required normal distribution for t-test. And Likert scale items are ordinal in nature, so interpreting the magnitude of changes is problematic. However, as one commentator notes, the t-test is fairly robust with respect to deviations from normality (Norman 2010). And the results reported here are only concerned with the direction of change as a result of interventions in the course and not the magnitude of change. Second, the pre- and post-survey results are obviously not independent, having been obtained from the same students. But the more appropriate paired-samples t-test was not possible because students were specifically instructed not to identify themselves on their pre- and post-survey responses to preserve anonymity. A more sophisticated study design would get around the pairing problem by using methods that preserve anonymity while allowing statistical study of paired results.
Referência(s)