Paper
delivered at a strategy meeting to plan writing introductory textbooks held at
Kuala Lumpur on 2-3 February 2012 by Professor Omar Hasan Kasule Sr. MB ChB
(MUK), MPH (Harvard), DrPH (Harvard) Professor of Epidemiology and Bioethics
King Fahad Faculty of Medicine Riyadh Saudi Arabia
1.0 OVERVIEW
1.1 The Islamic
Epistemology (IE) and Curriculum Project started in 2006 in Indonesia and
Malaysia has been able to disseminate the idea of IOK in the region. This has
been achieved by holding many seminars and workshops some general and some
specialized on IE.
1.2 The idea is
now widely accepted. Teachers and students are asking for the next step in the
project; they want to see some practical implementation.
1.3 The next
step of practical implementation is practical implementation in undergraduate
courses as course outlines and course descriptions that will be taught backed
up with textbooks and other teaching materials. This paper highlights the main
milestones of the work in the next three years.
2.0 VISION AND MISSION
2.1
It is envisaged that at the end of 2013 we shall have course outlines with a
reformed Islamic content for the major disciplines.
2.2
It is envisaged that by the end of 2014 we shall have a draft of a textbook for
each course. The draft will have been tried out in classroom teaching (formally
or informally).
2.3
It is envisaged that by the end of 2015 the various textbooks will have been
processed for publication and will be available for sale by January 2016.
2.4
Textbooks shall be available for the following major disciplines: economics,
sociology, anthropology, sociology, psychology, etc. [the complete list will be
determined by the workshop participants].
3.0 THE EPISTEMOLOGY & CURRICULUM REFORM PROJECT: background
3.1
The ummat is experiencing a crisis of duality in education (Islamic alongside
secular) with many intellectual and practical consequences.
3.2
The solution of the crisis of duality is integrating Islamic values and
concepts in all disciplines of learning
3.3
Epistemology and curriculum reform is the basis for knowledge/education
renaissance in the ummat
3.4
Education reform is the basis for social reform, islah & tajdid
4.0 THE CONCEPT OF AN
INTRODUCTORY COURSE / TEXT BOOK
4.1 The
introductory course/book will be an epistemological to the discipline. It is a temporary
but necessary measure in curriculum reform. The introduction will orient the
students before they start study of the discipline so that they can understand
the Islamic epistemological foundations and how these differ from European or
secular paradigms. The introduction will be the foundation stone for
epistemological reform of all disciplines which will be achieved in the long
run.
4.2 The initial
steps in preparing the course/textbook are (a) summarization of available
writings on Islamic methodological sciences as they relate to disciplines of
knowledge. (b) Reading the Qur’an and sunnat with understanding of the
changing time-space dimensions as they relate to the discipline. (c) Clarification
of basic epistemological issues and relations and an Islamic critique of basic
paradigms, basic assumptions, and basic concepts of various disciplines using
criteria of Islamic methodology and Islamic epistemology. (d) Islamic reviews
of existing text-books and teaching materials to identify deviations from the tauhidi episteme and the Islamic
methodology.
4.3 The initial
output of the Islamization process will be Islamic introductions to
disciplines, muqaddimat al ‘uluum, establishing
basic Islamic principles and paradigms that determine and regulate the
methodology, content, and teaching of disciplines. This parallels Ibn Khaldun’s
Introduction to History, muqaddimat
presented generalizing and methodological concepts on historical events.
4.4 The
introductory text book will not be the end of the Islamization process. Publication
and testing of new text-books and other teaching materials is a necessary step
towards reform by putting into the hands of teachers and students reformed
material in all courses taught in the university. Developing applied knowledge
in science and technology from basic knowledge will be the last stage of the
reform process. This is because in the end it is science and technology that
actually lead to changes in society.
5.0 STAGES OF IMPLEMENTATION
5.1 Preparing course
outlines/descriptions as well as basic references (Islamic and others; books
and journal articles). IIIT will provide funding to buy references that are not
available in local libraries.
5.2 Deciding on
the details of the book: (a) title (eg Islamic Introduction to…), (b) units /
sections, and chapters (a chapter is one classroom session), and eventual size
of the text book (number of pages).
5.3 Deciding
the structure of the chapter: learning objectives, detailed outlines, key
words, Islamic input, glossary, index, case studies, texts from Islamic sources
(Qur’an, sunnat, other books), illustrations, chapter summary, review
(questions, tests, exercises), assignments
5.4 Designation
of editors, assistant editors, chapter writers, reviewers, advisors,
consultants
5.5 Allocation
of chapters to writers with scheduled deadlines for completion
5.6 Regular
workshops among writers to review written material. Consultants will be invited
to attend some of the workshops to give advice.
5.7 Authors who
will be undergraduate lecturers will test the material being written in their
classrooms and give feedback.
5.8 Evaluation
and adoption of the final versions
5.9 Editing,
proof reading
6.0Publication
and distribution
5.0 DESIRED FEATURES OF THE TEXT BOOK
5.1 Scope: one
text book for each course
5.2 Size:
150-200 pages; paper size ?
5.3 Cover: soft
vs. hard
5.4 Fonts,
colors, boxes
5.5 Price:
USD5-15
5.6
Accompanying CD / DVD and web based resources
6.0 BUSINESS ASPECTS
6.1
Copy right held by IIIT
6.2
Editing, reviewing, printing, and distribution costs by IIIT
6.3
Royalties for authors 10% of cover price to be shared equally among the writers
of each book.
6.4
New editions every 2-3 years
7.0 PROJECT MANAGEMENT
7.1
Prof Omar Hasan Kasule Sr will be the liaison between the project committee and
the IIIT administration
7.2
Prof Osman Bakar will chair a project committee that will consist of
academicians (Prof Hashim Rosnani, Prof Aslam Hanif, Prof Mulyadhi + others)
and will be assisted by administrative coordinators (Br Shabrimi Sidek for
Malaysia, Pak Mohammad Siddik for Sumatra, Pak Habib Chirzin for Java, Br
Shahran Kasim for Malaysia + others). Brother Abdulaziz will attend to share
the experience of Bangladesh. An allowance will be paid for each meeting for
members who are not members of the IIIT East Asia Team.
7.3
As far as possible the work on a course/book should be in one city or at one
university so that the members can meet and interact easily and efficiently. To
provide diversity, more than one group may work on one course/book and all can
be published separately or can be combined.
7.4
Three monthly progress reports will be submitted.
7.5
All available academic material shall be distributed on CDs to make sure that
all writers have a copy. Additional material will be bought and will be distributed
in due course.
8.0 IMPACT OF THE
COURSE/TEXTBOOK PROJECT ON CURRENT IE PROGRAMS OF IN EAST ASIA
8.1 General
seminars/workshops to introduce the concepts of Islamic epistemology shall continue
at university campuses where such programs were never held
8.2 Only
discipline-specific seminars shall be held at campuses where general programs
were held before. The focus will be on teaching, course outlines, and textbook
writing.
8.3 The East
Asia budget will be amended to reflect the present project as the priority work
in the next three years.
