ICS2603/101/3/2012

Tutorial letter 101/3/2012

Islamic Studies: Foundation Sources of Islam

ICS2603
Semester 1 and 2

Religious Studies & Arabic

This tutorial letter contains important information about your module.

Bar code

CONTENTS
1 1.1 2 2.1 2.2 3 3.1 3.2 3.3 4 4.1 4.2 4.3 5 6 7 8 8.1 8.2 8.2.1 8.2.2 8.3 8.4 9 10 11 INTRODUCTION AND WELCOME ............................................................................................... 3 Tutorial matter ............................................................................................................................... 3 PURPOSE OF AND OUTCOMES FOR THE MODULE ................................................................ 4 Purpose .......................................................................................................................................... 4 Outcomes ....................................................................................................................................... 4 LECTURER AND CONTACT DETAILS ........................................................................................ 5 Lecturer .......................................................................................................................................... 5 Department ..................................................................................................................................... 5 University ........................................................................................................................................ 6 MODULE RELATED RESOURCES .............................................................................................. 6 Prescribed books ............................................................................................................................ 6 Recommended books..................................................................................................................... 6 Electronic Reserves (e-Reserves) .................................................................................................. 6 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES FOR THE MODULE ................................................................ 6 MODULE SPECIFIC STUDY PLAN .............................................................................................. 8 MODULE PRACTICAL WORK AND WORK INTEGRATED LEARNING..................................... 9 ASSESSMENT ............................................................................................................................. 10 Assessment plan .......................................................................................................................... 10 General assignment numbers ...................................................................................................... 12 Unique assignment numbers ........................................................................................................ 12 Due dates of assignments ............................................................................................................ 12 Submission of assignments .......................................................................................................... 12 Assignments ................................................................................................................................. 13 EXAMINATIONS .......................................................................................................................... 14 OTHER ASSESSMENT METHODS ............................................................................................ 16 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ......................................................................................... 16

Please note / important notes:

Read this Tutorial Letter first. It contains the compulsory Assignments.

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INTRODUCTION AND WELCOME

Dear Student Welcome to the subject Islamic Studies. We trust that you will find this academic discipline both stimulating and personally enriching. 1.1 Tutorial matter

At the time of registration, you will receive an inventory letter that will tell you what you have received in your study package and also show items that are still outstanding. Some of this tutorial matter may not be available when you register. Tutorial matter that is not available when you register will be posted to you as soon as possible, but is also available on myUnisa. The Department Despatch should supply you with the following study material for this module: Study Guide (this module has recently changed its code, and your guide might still have the code ICS2014 printed on its cover) Tutorial letter 101 - General information and assignments Tutorial letter 301

Please note that your lecturers cannot help you with missing study material. You can also access study guides and tutorial letters for all modules on myUnisa at http://my.unisa.ac.za All tutorial material is loaded onto this website as soon as it leaves the department it will therefore be available here long before you can possibly receive it by post. We suggest that you check the site on a regular basis.

Apart from the tutorial letters mentioned above, you will receive other tutorial letters during the semester. These will be despatched to you as soon as they are available or needed (for instance for feedback on assignments). This tutorial letter deals with the work to be covered in the module ICS2603. A tutorial letter is our way of communicating with you about teaching, learning and assessment. This Tutorial Letter 101 contains important information about the scheme of work, resources and assignments for this module. We urge you to read it carefully and to keep it at hand when working through the study material, preparing the assignments, preparing for the examination and addressing questions to your lecturer. In this tutorial letter you will find the assignments and assessment criteria as well as instructions on the preparation and submission of the assignments. This tutorial letter also provides all the
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information you need with regard to the prescribed study material and other resources and how to obtain it. Please study this information carefully and make sure that you obtain the prescribed material as soon as possible. We have also included certain general and administrative information about this module. Please study this section of the tutorial letter carefully. Right from the start we would like to point out that you must read all the tutorial letters you receive during the semester immediately and carefully, as they always contain important and sometimes, urgent information. We hope that you will enjoy this module and wish you all the best!

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2.1

PURPOSE OF AND OUTCOMES FOR THE MODULE

Purpose

The formal purpose statement for this module is as follows: To gain insight into the foundation sources of Islam, namely the Qur'an and Hadith, together with a grasp of sciences closely aligned to them. 2.2 Outcomes Learning Outcome: 1 Learners can assimilate and understand the sacred sources of Islam.

Range statement: Learners are expected to acquire skills relating to analysis and interpretation of Islamic beliefs, thoughts and practices in societies past and present. They are also expected to apply such skills to reasonable predict possible scenarios pertaining to these societies in future. Assessment Criteria: 1 2 Analysis of sacred sources. Ability to contrast information of the different sacred sources.

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3.1

LECTURER AND CONTACT DETAILS

Lecturer

The lecturer responsible for this module is: Prof Y Dadoo Theo van Wijk Building 6th floor Room 152 Tel: (012) 429-6027 Fax: (012) 429-4417 E-mail: dadooy@unisa.ac.za General enquiries with regard to this module may be directed to Prof Y Dadoo. 3.2 Department

If you have any problem in contacting your lecturer, you may contact the secretary on (012) 429-6029 and leave a message for your lecturer. Should you prefer to write to us, letters should be sent to: The Module Leader ICS2603 Department of Religious Studies and Arabic P O Box 392 UNISA 0003 If you want to contact us via e-mail, please make sure that you give us the module code and your student number. Lecturers work on a number of modules each, and we may get e-mails to which we must reply "That depends. Which module are we talking about?" Also make sure that your subject line is descriptive, like "ICS2603 - query about Assignment 2". If your subject is something like "hello", your message may be viewed as junk e-mail by the system and deleted before it even gets to us. All queries that are not of a purely administrative nature but are about the content of this module should be directed to us.

3.3

University Communication with the University

If you need to contact the University about matters not related to the content of this module, please consult the publication my Studies @ Unisa that you received with your study material. This booklet contains information on how to contact the University (e.g. to whom you can write for different queries, important telephone and fax numbers, addresses and details of the times certain facilities are open). Always have your student number at hand when you contact the University. Please note that all administrative enquiries should be directed to: Fax number (RSA) (012) 429 4150 Fax number (International) +27 429 4150 Email: study-info@unisa.ac.za

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4.1

MODULE RELATED RESOURCES

Prescribed books

There are no prescribed books for this module. 4.2 Recommended books / Additional Reading

There are no recommended books for this module. However you will need to do additional reading for assignment 02. A list of books for further reading is included here: Al-Suyuti, J. 1951. Al-Itqan fi Ulum al-Quran. Cairo: Mustafa al-Babi. Siddiqi, M Z. 1993. Hadith literature: Cambridge: Islamic Texts Society. its origin, development and special features.

Please consult any of these titles. If such books are not within your reach, you are also welcome to consult a good encyclopaedia in your local library. Such a source normally contains sound information brought together by experts. 4.3 Electronic Reserves (e-Reserves)

There are no e-Reserves for this module.

STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES FOR THE MODULE

For information on the various student support systems and services available at Unisa (e.g. student counselling, tutorial classes, language support), please consult the publication my Studies @ Unisa, which you received with your study material.
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Contact with fellow students Study groups: It is advisable to have contact with fellow students. One way to do this is to form study groups. The addresses of students in your area may be obtained from the following department: Directorate: Student Administration and Registration P O Box 392 UNISA 0003 myUnisa If you have access to a computer that is linked to the internet, you can quickly access resources and information at the University. The myUnisa system is Unisas online campus that will help you communicate with other students, your lecturers and the administrative departments of the University. To go to the myUnisa website, start at the main Unisa website, http://www.unisa.ac.za and then click on the Login to myUnisa link on the right-hand side of the screen. This should take you to the myUnisa website. You can also go there directly by typing in http://my.unisa.ac.za. Please consult the publication my Studies @ Unisa which you received with you study material for more information on myUnisa. Discussion classes If discussion classes are arranged for this module, you will receive a separate tutorial letter with the relevant information soon after registration.

Repeat students Just a word to any students who are repeating this course: please ensure that you contact us as soon as possible, so that we can work out a strategy for your studies together. Please do not wait you need to start working immediately and we would like to support you. It is expected from a repeating student to submit all the assignments again. Students will not obtain examination admission without the submission of assignments. If we only find in April or September that you are experiencing difficulty, then it is too late for us to be of any help.

MODULE SPECIFIC STUDY PLAN

A work schedule First semester Assignment 01 Due date 07 March Remarks Compulsory. Must be in by 07 March in order to gain admission to the examination. Important!! This counts for a semester mark

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30 March

Second semester Assignment 01 Due date 17 August Remarks Compulsory. Must be in by 17 August in order to gain admission to the examination. Important!! This counts for a semester mark

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07 September

Website Please note that the department has a web site where additional information on the department and the modules are available. The address is: http://www.unisa.ac.za/default.asp?Cmd=ViewContent&ContentID=1611 Tutorial Letters are available from the myUnisa website. (See my Studies @ Unisa) The web address for the submission of assignments online is: http://my.unisa.ac.za Should you encounter any problems in submitting an assignment on myUnisa, you may contact the help line at: myUnisaHelp@unisa.ac.za Plagiarism An assignment is designed to be a product of your own study and your own thought. It is not intended to be a piece of work which merely reproduces details, information or ideas from a study guide, from books or articles, or from the Internet. If you do this, you commit plagiarism. Plagiarism is the act of copying word for word with or without acknowledgment from study sources (e.g. books, articles, the Internet). In other words, you must submit your own ideas in your own words, sometimes interspersing relevant short quotations that are properly referenced.
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Yes, simply copying a few pages from the prescribed book is plagiarism. Pasting paragraphs from Wikipedia into your assignment is plagiarism. And it does not stop being plagiarism if you mention the source. Skilled scientific writers can use direct block quotations to make a specific point. They know what they are doing. You still need to develop your own voice, your own style of arguing the point. Do not plagiarise. Note that you also commit plagiarism if you copy the assignment of another student. We do encourage you to work together and form study groups, but you are expected to prepare and submit your own assignments. When we receive two or more identical assignments, we are not able to work out who copied from whom. We will therefore penalize both students. If you commit plagiarism you will be penalized and given no marks for your assignment. This will have a serious effect on your chances to succeed in your studies because you will have no semester mark. Furthermore, you may be penalised or subjected to disciplinary proceedings by the University. Plagiarism is also an offence in terms of the law. A Signed Declaration Every essay-type assignment we receive must include the following declaration along with your name and the date:

I declare that this assignment is my own work and that all sources quoted have been acknowledged by appropriate references.

We will subtract marks if this declaration is absent from your assignment, just as we will subtract marks if your assignment does not have a Table of contents, List of references cited, and so on.

MODULE PRACTICAL WORK AND WORK INTEGRATED LEARNING

There are no practicals for this module.

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8.1

ASSESSMENT
Assessment plan

Criteria for Marking of Assignments Please note that we regard our under-graduate students as members of the large community of researchers into the religion of Islam. We therefore also regard your assignment essays as small research projects. Assignments are scholarly reports in the full sense of the word. The real difference between a first year assignment and a doctors thesis is not in kind, but in level. Overall, exactly the same criteria apply to both levels of work. It is therefore essential that you know what these general academic criteria are, for our evaluation of your assignment essays will be done in accordance with exactly these criteria. Below we provide you with a list of general criteria, applicable to all academic research. We also provide you with the relative weight attached to each general criterion. For example, the 15% attached to language, editing and technical presentation means that 15% is the highest mark that you can obtain in a given assignment as far as this aspect is concerned. It is of course possible to receive considerably less, depending on the quality of the language, editing and technical presentation. Language, editing and technical presentation Of course we take into account that the majority of our students do not submit their assignments in their home language. Yet, even if we are not a language Department, we regard good language and writing as a high priority. Each assignment should also have a Table of Content, headings and sub-headings, references to articles and books and a List of references cited. Content/substance and logical development There is difference between a research report that is thin, with little substance, and one that is strong and packed with content/substance that is well substantiated. How your ideas are organised is also important. Are they presented as a jumble of random thoughts without logical coherence, or are they marshalled in a clear, coherent structure, leading up from beginning (a clear statement of the problem investigated in a given assignment) to conclusion? Exploration of the literature Part of being a good scholar, is to know what others, the experts in the field, have done. Applied to your assignments, it means that we expect you to consult literature (unless a specific assignment does not expect it), to take such literature seriously, to understand it, and to present such views sympathetically and critically. Consult at least the literature that we suggest. But any other literature, found and explored by yourself, will be rewarded. Independence and originality This criterion refers to the expectation no, demand that you should submit you own work, and not someone elses. Plagiarism that is, taking and using another persons work and presenting it as ones own is one of the deadly sins in scholarly work. Of course students may work in groups.
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That is an excellent thing. But even then it is expected that the work submitted will be your own, having passed through your own mind, and carrying the stamp of your own effort. Leaving copying (plagiarism) aside, there will obviously be varying degrees of meeting the high expectation of independence. A first year student in the subject may rely more heavily on, say, study guides or prescribed books, whereas a third year student will undoubtedly exhibit more selfreliance, more confidence, a stronger personal profile. Nothing gives us more joy than observing how our students develop this ability to stand on their own feet, and think their own thoughts. An assignment simply giving back our own study guides or the prescribed books, cannot claim to receive high marks. The expectation refers to the ability to come up with something new and to add something to our knowledge or insight. This is not given to all in equal measure. But we find that a lack of originality is not the result of inability so much as a result of a lack of confidence. Most students feel very inhibited. Dont feel that way. Try your ideas out on us. You will be given a sympathetic and supportive hearing. CRITERION 1 2 3 4 Language, editing and technical presentation Content/substance and logical development Exploration of the literature Independence and originality TOTAL WEIGHTING % 15 50 15 20 100

Commentaries and feedback on assignments You will receive the correct answers automatically for multiple-choice questions. For written assignments, markers will comment constructively on your work. However, commentaries on compulsory assignments will be sent to all students registered for this module in a follow-up tutorial letter, and not only to those students who submitted the assignments. The tutorial letter number will be 201, 202, etc. We strongly suggest that you scan myUnisa weekly for new tutorial letters: the pdf file of the letter appears there weeks before the postal system can get it to you. As soon as you have received the commentaries, please check your answers. The assignments and the commentaries on these assignments constitute an important part of your learning and should help you to be better prepared for the examination. Semester mark Assignment 02 provides you with a semester mark. The semester mark will count for 20 percent of the final mark for the examination.

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If you submit assignment 02 and you get, say, a mark of 66 percent, you will have earned 13 for a semester mark. Let's assume that you write the examination and get 50%. Exam mark Semester mark Final mark 50 out of 100 re-calculated to 40 out of 80 for the final exam mark 13 out of 20 53 percent

It must be clear to you that it is very important and in your best interest to do well in Assignment 02 in order to earn a good semester mark. 8.2 General remarks PLEASE NOTE: Please refer to the assignment information in the my Studies @ Unisa for general assignment information and rules.

Assignments should be addressed to: The Registrar PO Box 392 UNISA 0003

8.2.1

Unique assignment numbers

In addition to the general assignment number (eg 01), written assignments as well as assignments to be completed by means of mark-reading sheets must all have their own unique assignment number. Make sure that you use the correct unique number and complete the information as required. (See point 8.4).

8.2.2

Due dates of assignments FIRST SEMESTER Assignment Due date 07 March 01 30 March 02 SECOND SEMESTER Assignment Due date 17 August 01 7 September 02

8.3

Submission of assignments

Students may submit written assignments and assignments completed on mark-reading sheets either by post or electronically on myUnisa. Assignments may not be submitted by fax or e-mail.
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For detailed information and requirements as far as assignments are concerned, see the brochure my Studies @ Unisa that you received with your study material. To submit an assignment via myUnisa: Go to myUnisa. Log in with your student number and password. Select the module. Click on assignments in the menu on the left-hand side of the screen. Click on the assignment number you wish to submit. Follow the instructions. Assignments

ASSIGNMENT 01

Due date:

First Semester: Second Semester:

07 March 17 August

This short assignment is COMPULSORY. This is the assignment you do for examination admission purposes.

UNIQUE NUMBERS First Semester 863604 Second Semester 661365

Assignment (01) question Write an essay on the topic below. Your essay should be of approximately 5-6 pages typed or 8-10 hand written pages on the following topic. Please number this assignment 01. Analyse the kinds of metaphor found in the Quran.

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ASSIGNMENT 02

Due date:

First Semester: Second Semester:

30 March 07 September

This assignment is very important since it will count towards a semester mark worth 20 percent of your final mark in the examination.

UNIQUE NUMBERS First Semester 778418 Second Semester 746502

You will need ... You WILL need the Study Guide to complete this assignment. Also consult additional literature for this assignment, as discussed above. Assignment (02) question Please number this assignment 02. Write an essay on philosophical, mystical and juristic tafsirs by citing relevant examples of exponents and their thoughts. Your essay should comprise approximately 5-6 typed or 8-10 handwritten pages.

EXAMINATIONS

How the Examination System works For general examination guidelines and examination preparation guidelines, see the brochure my Studies @ Unisa which you received with your study material. Examination admission Submission of the first assignment before 07 March or 17 August will confirm your registration for that semester and you will be noted as an "active student". (This is so that Unisa will receive subsidy from the Department of Education for you as a student). This also provides you with admission to the examination. Please note that if you do not submit this assignment on time you will NOT be allowed to write the examination. There will be NO extensions given and NO exceptions made.
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Examination time table The examination time table that you receive on registration is a temporary time table, you will receive your final time table with your admission permit. A sub-minimum of 40% Because you can earn a semester mark which will contribute to the final mark, the university requires that a sub-minimum of 40% must be achieved in the examination to pass the module. Examination period This module is offered in a semester period of fifteen weeks. This means that if you are registered for the first semester, you will write the examination in May/ June 2012 and the supplementary examination will be written in October/ November 2012. If you are registered for the second semester you will write the examination in October/ November 2012 and the supplementary examination will be written in May/ June 2013. . During the semester, the Examination Section will provide you with information regarding the examination in general, examination venues, examination dates and examination times. If your final mark (taking the semester mark into account) is between 40% and 49%, you will be given an opportunity to rewrite the examination in the next examination period. This examination will count out of 100% and the semester mark will not be brought into account. However, if you write an aegrotat examination the semester mark will count towards the final mark. If you are registered for the second semester and you have to write a supplementary or aegrotat examination in May/June, of the next year, you MUST contact the course leader to check that there have not been any changes in the study material. These changes are made from time to time and always start in a new year. Duration of the examination The examination will be of two hours duration. A special tutorial letter on the examinations You will receive a tutorial letter that will explain the format of the examinations. It will also give you examples of questions that you may expect and set out clearly what material you have to study for examination purposes. This letter may be combined with one containing feedback on Assignment 02.

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Previous examination papers Previous examination papers are available to students. You may check on the myUnisa website where old examination papers will be loaded. We advise you, however, not to focus on old examination papers only as the content of modules and therefore examination papers changes from year to year. You may, however, accept that the type of questions that will be asked in the examination will be similar to those asked in the activities in your study guide and in the assignments.

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OTHER ASSESSMENT METHODS

We will not use other assessment methods.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The my Studies @ Unisa brochure contains an A-Z guide of the most relevant study information. Please refer to this brochure for any other questions.

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Unisa Library login

You will be required to provide your login details, ie. your student number and your myUnisa password, in order to access the librarys online resources and services. This will enable you to View or print your electronic course material Request library material View and renew your library material Use the librarys e-resources

Requesting books from the library

Students are expected to purchase their own copies of prescribed books listed in Tutorial Letters 101. A limited number of copies are housed in the Unisa Libraries, subject to each branch librarys lending regulations. Problems experienced in obtaining copies from booksellers should be directed to the Prescribed Book section at email vospresc@unisa.ac.za or telephone +27 12 429 4152. Electronic requests The preferred way of requesting recommended or additional books is online via the librarys catalogue. Go to http://oasis.unisa.ac.za or via myUnisa, go to http://my.unisa.ac.za > Login > Library > Library catalogue, or for mobile access (AirPAC), go to http://oasis.unisa.ac.za/airpac

Telephonic book requests This can be done on +27 12 429 3133. Please supply the reservation order number (RON).

Postal requests Books may also be requested by completing one library book request card for each book. Request cards are included in your study package. These should be mailed to The Head: Request Services Department of Library Services PO Box 392 UNISA 0003 or faxed to +27 12 429 8128.

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Enquiries about requested books should be addressed to bib-circ@unisa.ac.za note that requests should not be sent to this email address. Telephonic enquiries can be made at +27 12 429 3133/3134. An after-hour voicemail service is also available at these numbers.

Requesting journal articles from the library

Electronic course material / e-Reserves Recommended material can be downloaded from the librarys catalogue at http://oasis.unisa.ac.za. Under search options, click on Course code search and type in your course code, eg. CST1501. Click on the Electronic reserves for the current year. The recommended articles are available in PDF (portable document format). The Adobe Reader should be loaded on your computer so that you can view or print scanned PDF documents. This can be done free of charge at http://www.adobe.com.

Additional journal articles The preferred way of requesting journal articles is online via the librarys catalogue. Go to http://oasis.unisa.ac.za or via myUnisa, go to http://my.unisa.ac.za > Login > Library > Library catalogue, or for mobile access (AirPAC), go to http://oasis.unisa.ac.za/airpac

Telephonic requests Telephonic requests can be done at +27 12 429 3133/3134. Please supply the reservation order number (RON) if available.

Postal requests Journal articles may also be requested by completing an article request card for each item. These should be mailed to the same address as postal requests above or faxed to +27 12 429 8128. Enquiries about requested articles should be addressed to bib-circ@unisa.ac.za; telephonic enquiries can be made at +27 12 429 3432.

Requesting literature searches from the library

You may request a list of references on your topic from the librarys Information Search Librarians if you are enrolled for an undergraduate course which has a research essay. To request a
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literature search, go to the catalogues homepage, and click on Request a Literature Search, fill in the form and return it to the address provided.

Services offered by the Unisa Library

The my Studies@Unisa booklet, which is part of your registration package, lists all the services offered by the Unisa Library at http://www.unisa.ac.za/contents/myStudies/docs/myStudies_unisa2012.pdf

ICS2603_2012_TL_101_3_B 2011-06-24

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