ARAB 228 Islam and Politics in the Modern World
Islamist political movements are an undeniable force in today's world politics, yet common misunderstandings and generalizations often gloss over the plethora of ways in which the world's 1.8 billion Muslims can express their faith and identities.
This course highlights pertinent questions, contestations, and analytical frameworks that enable students to describe situations in which Islam has operated as a political force. Primarily focusing on Muslim-majority societies in the modern Middle East, some issues facing minority Muslim communities in the United States, Europe, and beyond will also be considered.
"Islam and Politics" outlines how various Islamist political movements have evolved within a comparative perspective by drawing on readings representing political science, Islamic studies, and to a smaller extent, history and anthropology. It provides some basic information about religious beliefs and practices in Islam but this is not a course on religion. Rather, students identify the wide spectrum of actors who claim to speak for Islam in order to better observe and understand which voices are most often heard, and by whom.
Taught in English.
Cross Listed Courses
ARAB 228 & POL 331