Program Overview

Discovering Muslims in Britain (online)

This free six-week online course will teach you about Muslims in Britain and how to understand and explore Islam from a sociological perspective in the RE classroom.

Who it's for

• teachers who teach about Islam at a Primary or Secondary level
• teachers who may be looking for support in developing a scheme of work about Islam and Muslims for their RE curriculum
• educators who may wish to improve their subject knowledge about Islam

What you'll learn

On completion of the course learners should be able to:

• describe basic beliefs and practices in the Islamic tradition
• consider the ways Muslims understand and practice Islam within a British context
• understand aspects of the history of Muslims in Britain and how this has shaped contemporary Muslim communities
• approach the study of religion from a sociological disciplinary lens, using basic concepts and methods of analysis
• incorporate these ideas in your teaching and learning in the classroom

Topics covered

• how can we understand religion in society?
• what does Islam mean to Muslims?
• how do Muslims follow religious sources of wisdom and authority today?
• how do Muslims practice their faith?
• what is the history of Muslims in Britain?
• where are Muslim communities located?
• what is a mosque?
• how do Muslims express their faith through the arts?
• how do Muslims in Britain experience Islamophobia?

Equipment

You will not require any specialist equipment and only need access to a computer with a good internet connection.

Delivery

The course will be delivered fully online.

• learners will engage with illustrated articles, videos, quizzes and an online discussion forum
• there will be a topical weekly live webinar led by leading experts in the field, and an opportunity to post questions before and after the webinar
• each week consists of 2 – 3 sessions that take approximately 1 hour to complete
• the online forum will allow delegates to discuss questions with each other and with a tutor, in an unrestricted timeframe
• via a virtual 'office hour' the course tutor will reply to questions within a maximum of 72 hours
• delegates will be encouraged to use the online forum to present their experiences at certain places in the course
• the course is scheduled to take 6 weeks

Benefits

This course has been developed by a team at the Islam-UK Centre, who specialise in sociological research exploring Muslims in Britain, alongside experts in other fields of Islamic Studies.

• Knowledge covered in this course is not available comprehensively from other sources
• The course also showcases current pedagogical thinking in RE through the application of various disciplinary lenses
• This approach has the endorsement of the Muslim Council of Britain, the Muslim Council of Wales and RE Today - one of the leading professional bodies for RE teachers in Britain
• The course is accompanied by a fully-resourced scheme of work that includes teaching PowerPoints, lesson plans, pupil worksheets and other associated resources
• Learners also have access to library resources, as well as collections of free extra resources for each topic
• The course also offers reflection on how to implement your learning in your RE teaching
• Successful completion is rewarded with a certificate
• The course offers an opportunity to network with other RE teachers from around the UK, and to share experiences and ideas