Module SGIA3271: ISLAM AND POLITICS IN THE MODERN WORLD

Department: Government and International Affairs

SGIA3271: ISLAM AND POLITICS IN THE MODERN WORLD

Prerequisites

• Any Level 2 SGIA module

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• The module will enable students to develop an understanding of the diversity of modern Muslim political thought and the relationship between Islam and politics in the contemporary Muslim world. It will require them to study in depth a number of key theories and concepts and place them in their historical and intellectual contexts.
• The module will contribute to the development of a systematic understanding of the relationship between Islam, politics and the state in the modern Muslim world, knowledge of which is crucial if one is to make sense of the 'religious revival' which is said to have occurred in the Muslim world, and the thinking behind theses such as the 'clash of civilisations' that is deemed inevitable in some quarters as a corollary of that revival.
• The module will build on the introduction to the culture, politics and religion of Muslim civilisations which students receive in the first year module Introduction to Islam and the Muslim World, and also from the second level module Islam, State and Government when available. It will aim to give students detailed and specific knowledge, informed by developments at the forefront of academic enquiry. It will contribute also to a wider understanding of key concepts, theories and methods.

Content

• The course will focus (a) on a selection of writings by modern Muslim political thinkers, ideologues and leaders; and (b) on several case-studies in which we explore the political role played by Islam in various parts of the modern Muslim world. Topics include:
• Pre-modern revivalism: militant Sufism; Wahhabism;
• Islamic 'modernism': Afghani, Abduh and Rida;
• Modernism and secularism in Turkey;
• Shi'ism and revolution: Shari'ati and Khomein;
• The Rise of Islamism: Hasan al-Banna and the Muslim Brotherhood;
• Sunni radicalism: Qutb and Mawdudi;
• Islam, nationalism and the nation state;
• Country studies: Egypt, Pakistan, Iran.

Learning Outcomes

• Students will develop a knowledge and understanding of: Key theories and concepts of renewal, reform and revival as espoused by leading political ideologues in the Muslim world over the past 150 years.
• The socio-cultural context of modern Muslim political theory.
• Modern Muslim theoretical approaches to issues such as modernity, secularism and democracy.
• The diversity of approaches within Muslim discourse to issues such as reform, revival and the Koranic approach to leadership and government.
• The tension between the trans-historical idealism of Koranic theory and the realpolitik of political Islam and radical Islamism.
• The histories and internal dynamics of a range of Muslim / Islamist political movements over the past 150 years.

• Students will develop an increasing range and depth of subject-specific skills, including:
• The ability accurately and effectively to describe modern Muslim and Islamist political theories, concepts and movements.
• Sophisticated application of appropriate methods of critical analysis to key debates in modern Muslim and Islamist political thought.
• Researching evidence from a variety of primary and secondary sources on modern Islam and politics.
• Appreciation of the nature of the debate on the role of Islam in politics by placing it in its specific historical and intellectual contexts.
• Understanding the interplay between Islamic faith and political ideas in the conduct of political practice.
• Form defensible judgements and develop a self-critical and independent approach to learning.

• Students will develop a range of key skills, including:
• Retrieving and utilising resources to which they have been directed, including more advanced secondary materials as well as primary sources.
• Identifying resources on their own initiative, including more advanced secondary materials as well as primary sources.
• Evaluating the suitability and quality of resources.
• Planning and successful completion of written assignments of differing scale.
• Self-organisation and time-management in managing diverse assignments.
• Self reliance and self criticism.
• Producing longer pieces of written work to high standards of structure and presentation

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Lectures will give a detailed outline, appropriate to a level three module, of the context and content of the texts and ideas to be studied and advice as to critical approach and reading.
• Student-led seminars will supplement and deepen the content of lectures and provide an opportunity for the presentation and discussion of selected issues. The meetings will be based upon prescribed texts with suitable guidance on the issues they raise. The seminar programme will enable students to explore aspects of modern Muslim / Islamist political thought critically and in detail and to develop skills in communication and group discussion. They will also provide a basis on which to select their areas of specialist research for summative essays.
• The 2,000 word summative essay demonstrates the ability to communicate precisely and concisely on a sutable topic. The 4000 word summative essay tests the ability to plan a more substantial piece of work, identifying and retrieving sources and selecting and displaying appropriate subject specific knowledge and understanding. With its greater length it tests the ability to develop an extended discussion which utilises concepts and examines competing interpretation and analysis. It also develops key skills in sustaining effective written communication and information presentation to high scholarly standards.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Seminar presentations, formatively assessed by feedback sheet and individual discussion where necessary.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University