Prof Farid Esack
Prof. Farid Esack is a South African Muslim scholar, writer, and political activist known for his opposition to apartheid, his appointment by Nelson Mandela as a gender equity commissioner, and his work for inter-religious dialogue.
More Information:
Recent Updates
- Introduction to the Qur’an as a Text, and Its Major Themes (ISK 3207 Qur’an and Tafsir).
- Arabic Literature (ARS 3209)
- The Shari’ah (Islamic Law) and its application within South Africa’s Liberal Constitutional Democracy (ISK 3107 Shari’ah and Formalized Thought)
- Critical Issues in Contemporary Islam. (Environmental Justice; Race Class, Jihad and the War on Terror; Islam and AIDS, Democracy and Human Rights) (ISK 22071 Muslim History and Politics)
- Studies in Hadith (Muhammad’s Narrations) (Hadith and Sirah)
- Islam and Gender Justice
- Islamic Spiritual Tradition (Sufism)
- Selected Arabic Texts
Postgraduate Honours - The Study of Islam and Arabic at UJ
The University of Johannesburg welcomes applications for the BA Hons program that will be offered in the Study of Islam and Arabic. The program consists of five modules. Tuition in each module consists of an intensive course of three days (usually in February and July) and seven two-hour evening classes (or equivalent time) during the course of the semester. Students not based in Johannesburg are free to make enquiries about possibilities for them.
Students who also choose the Arabic modules have a choice of taking the course full-time (doing five modules over one year) or part-time, spreading them over two years. Modules are scheduled in such a way as to enable students who chose the Arabic module to take two a semester if they choose to do so.
Students have to choose four from the following eight modules, in addition to the compulsory research essay which counts as an additional module. (The module name and numbers in brackets are as they currently appear in the university’s 2010 yearbook)
2010 – First Semester
2010 – Second Semester
2011 – First Semester (Courses envisaged subject to Senate Approval)
2011 – Second Semester
Throughout
The Compulsory Research Essay is an obligatory module. The specific topic is selected by students in consultation with, and consistent with the capacity (expertise, time, etc.) of the instructor.
Who may apply?
Appropriate candidates are normally graduates in Islamic Studies, religious studies or a related field wherein Islamic Studies was a significant component. Others in possession of a senior school certificate (grade 12) who have not had a formal university education but have completed significant work in Islamic Studies, or have graduated but not in Islamic Studies or related disciplines may also be eligible if they can demonstrate (by means of a written and oral test) that they comply with the university’s prescribed Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) requirements. Candidates will be informed of the dates and dates and requirements for this test after we have received the application.
Where students have had limited exposure to research and writing skills, the university may also organize a short bridging program and offer ongoing additional support mechanisms to address this.
Each module costs approximately R 2680. UJ may be able to offer partial financial support for those who need it and who it considers particularly promising.
Next steps?
Please fill in the application form and send it to Prof Farid Esack at fesack@uj.ac.za. If you are seen as tentatively eligible for the course you may be asked to sit for the Recognition of Prior Learning test and will be informed of the date and venue of this.
UJ Islamic studies grows
"In the coming year, we will significantly expand our Masters of Arts (MA) intake with 10 students and also expand our PhD Program. In addition, we will be taking on two Post-Doctoral Fellows. UJ is a genuinely exciting place to be - a place of critical and socially relevant scholarship with a serious commitment to public intellectual engagement," he said.
