What is Islam? Interview and Essay
A major aim
of this course is to give voice to how Muslims, in varying socio-historical
contexts, view themselves. This assignment requires you to meet and interview a
Muslim living in the United States about her/his understanding of Islam and to
put this experience into the form of a coherent essay.
Maximum
Length of Essay: 1,000 words
Due Date: Friday, March 26. Late papers will NOT be accepted.
Guidelines:
The one
general question that your essay must answer is: What does Islam mean for your
interview partner? You must prepare in advance for your interview and think of
suitable questions which will give the interviewee a chance to explain her/his
understanding to you and which will highlight various aspects thereof. When
interviewing, you may choose to record the conversation or take notes.
Sometimes it can be inappropriate to take notes while someone is speaking as
this may disrupt the natural flow of the conversation. An audio-recorder can
also change the atmosphere and natural flow of your conversation. Be aware of
these concerns when you decide what to do. If you decide against either of
these ways of recording your interviewee’s statements you should write down as
much as you remember about the interview as well as about your own thoughts and
impressions directly after the conversation. It is a good idea to jot down any
additional information and thoughts you have even if you were able to tape your
conversation. Informal conversations before and after a formal interview often
contain important information that is otherwise lost. These field notes will be
the basis for your writing. Without detailed notes you will have little to draw
from for your subsequent essay. When writing your essay I do not want you to
give me a word-for-word transcription of the interview. Write a coherent essay
that introduces your interview partner’s understanding and concept of Islam.
Use direct quotations sparingly and only where they highlight key ideas. As
example for a possible style of such an essay you can look at the interview
with Farid Esack on Blackboard.
Just a few more technicalities: It is your responsibility to find an appropriate partner for your interview. Over the course of the semester I will introduce you to some of the resources available in the city and on campus (such as the Muslim Student Association) which can be helpful in your search for an interview partner. I strongly advise against phone or email interviews. The distinct quality of a face-to-face encounter with another living person is clearly preferable to the mediated nature of conversations via phone or email. If you feel that there are good reasons for you to choose this you must clear your decision with me. Finally, although your essay is not intended for publication it is necessary that your interview partner sign a consent form which you can download on Bb. You must make two copies of the form. One of these is for your own records and must be turned in along with your essay while the other copy is for your interview partner to keep.