December 19, 2001

KEEPING THE FAITH
Exploring the Intersection of Religion and Modernity

Grades:  6-8,9-12

Subjects:  Geography, Current Events, Social Studies

Related New York Times Article
"Where Muslim Traditions Meet Modernity, By SUSAN SACHS", December 19, 2001

Overview of Lesson Plan:: In this lesson, students examine the ways in which various religious faiths have responded to social, ideological, and technological changes in "modern" times.

SUGGESTED TIME ALLOWANCE:   1 hour

OBJECTIVES:
Students will:

  1. Share prior knowledge of various world faiths; determine common characteristics existing among all religions; explore the concept of modernity and religious response to some modern issues.
  2. Examine conflicts that exist between religion and modernity in some Muslim nations and communities by reading and discussing "Where Muslim Traditions Meet Modernity."
  3. Investigate how several religions have changed or maintained practices and views as they respond to several "issues of modernity," including social class and equality, women's legal rights, marriage and divorce, sexuality, and technology.
  4. Synthesize their research in creative class presentations.

RESOURCES / MATERIALS:

ACTIVITIES / PROCEDURES:
NOTE TO TEACHER: This lesson explores different tenets of several religions. Because this lesson places the teacher in the precarious role of a religious "authority," you should review notions of faith, doctrine, orthodoxy, and history of Judeo-Christian-Islamic traditions, in particular, before class. The initial warm-up exercise can be used, if you wish, as an opportunity to dispel myths and address misconceptions and possible stereotypes regarding various faiths.

  1. WARM-UP/DO-NOW: Students respond to the following prompt in their journals (written on the board prior to class): "List as many religions as you can, skipping two lines after each. On the first line beneath each religion you've listed, write down one of its core beliefs. On the next line, write a question that you have about this faith." After about five minutes, ask students to share their responses.
    Hold a brief class discussion exploring the following questions: What characteristics do all religions have in common? (Create a list on the board.) What does "modernity" mean? (Depending on the level of the class, you may wish to address the notion of modernity as the ideas, methods, and technology of the prevailing world culture; in this day and age, the standards set by Western post-Industrial society are considered "modern." Some use the term "postmodern" to describe this period, as Western standards are subject to debate.) How might our definition of "modernity" change throughout history? How might religions be affected when dominating cultures change? In what ways might very religious people have difficulty accepting or adapting to "modernity"?
  2. As a class, read and discuss the article "Where Muslim Traditions Meet Modernity," focusing on the following questions:
    1. How do legal practices vary from core religious teachings in most Muslim countries?
    2. What are some examples of this, according to the article?
    3. Who is challenging these legal codes?
    4. What is meant by "patriarchal tradition"?
    5. According to the article, why are "instructions" from the West often rejected by many Muslim women?
    6. How have some attempts to broaden rights for women in Muslim countries been thwarted?
    7. Why do you think Morocco was chosen as the "case study" for this article?
    8. What is the "moudawana," and how would it change with proposed legislation?
    9. What do religious fundamentalists in Morocco fear will happen if the moudawana is changed?
    10. How has Islam changed over the years, according to the article?
    11. What are some of the ways in which "respect has come to mean control," according to the article?
    12. What is Al Jazeera?
    13. How have women's roles in government varied in different Muslim countries around the world, and why?
  3. Divide students into five groups, and assign each group one of the following topics related to modernity: social class and equality, women's legal rights, marriage and divorce, sexuality, and technology. Using all available resources, each group investigates how Judaism, Christianity and Islam have responded to this issue of modernity. (You may add both topics and religions to this assignment based on class curriculum and grade level.)

    Each group should address the following questions in their research (written on the board for easier student access):
    • What is the general history of your topic in each of these faiths?How did some of the early followers of each faith (in history texts) view this topic?
    • What references can you find in the religious texts of these faiths that address this topic?
    • How do current religious authorities or leaders address this topic today, in modern times?
    In the interest of good scholarship and to avoid generalizations, have students note the branch of the religion with their examples (e.g., Orthodox, Fundamentalist, Reform, Protestant, Catholic, Sunni, etc.)
  4. WRAP-UP/HOMEWORK: Once group research is complete, each group develops a creative class presentation that synthesizes their understanding of how the various religions researched have responded over time to their group's "issue of modernity." Presentations can take any form, as long as they address all of the research questions for each religion studied. Groups might perform television or radio talk show skits in which different members share their views on the modern issue, create a series of newspaper articles, develop a PowerPoint presentation, debate their modern issue as members of the different religions represented, etc.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

EVALUATION / ASSESSMENT:
Students will be evaluated based on their initial written journals, participation in class discussions, participation in group research and thoughtful, creative group presentations.

VOCABULARY:
cosseted, modernity, collides, presume, capricious, agitation, strictures, integrating, orthodoxy, emancipator, subordinate, gulf, mired, patriarchal, medieval, entrenched, establishment, fundamentalists, resent, stooges, emir, segregate, inequities, rallied, contentious, polygamy, custody, assets, dissident, clandestine, vehemence, fixated, preoccupation, debauchery, empowerment, codified, institutionalized, ostensibly, monopoly, jurisprudence, damning, literal, progressive, testimony

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES:

  1. One of the Muslim traditions mentioned in the article is the practice of women covering their heads. Historians trace veiling to pre-Islamic Byzantine or Persian roots. Research how this custom became adopted by the religion and how it represents the Islamic faith today. Make an illustrated timeline of this tradition.
  2. Issues of morality have arisen in nearly every society in which women have sought major social change. The Moroccan fundamentalists who fear that changes "would encourage homosexual marriage, make condoms available everywhere and encourage the debauchery of high school girls" could be compared to religious fundamentalists in other countries in recent times. Research the role of Christian fundamentalism in contemporary American political debates. Write a comparative analysis.
  3. While post-Enlightenment Western beliefs might define "modernity" today, some modern scholars consider the Islamic Golden Age (900-1200 A.D.) and its dedication to preserving and expanding on Classical civilization to be one of the most important periods in world history. Choose a Muslim scholar, poet, philosopher, scientist, or mathematician from this era and write a biographical profile.
  4. Women's suffrage has been a defining moment in women's rights in nearly every political system. Choose twenty countries, ensuring accurate representation of the continents and hemispheres, and research the years in which women in those countries gained the right to vote and the conditions under which those rights were won. Make sure to note, as you read in the article, where women do not yet have suffrage. Chart the dates on a map of the world.

INTERDISCIPLINARY CONNECTIONS:
Civics- Does religion play a role in United States government? Write a persuasive essay in response to this question.

Media Studies- Screen the 1976 film "The Message," a story about the advent of Islam, then write a movie review. How does the film portray the development of this religion? You might also watch a movie about the advent of Christianity or another religion, or read a similarly themed book (like Hermann Hesse's "Siddhartha") and write a comparative analysis.

Teaching with The Times- Read the articles from The New York Times' "The Force of Islam" series (linked in the Related Times Articles section below), and write a letter to the editor expressing your views on one or more of them. Letters can be submitted to The Learning Network for possible publication on the site (http://www.nytimes.com/learning/students/letters/submit.html).

Technology- Visit the Web site Islam Online (http://www.islam-online.net), which is mentioned in the article, and then search for others like it. Compile a directory of English-language Internet sources related to the discussion of women in Islam.

Copyright 2001
The New York Times Company

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