Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2021-2022 (archived)
Module SGIA3271: Muslims and Politics in the Modern World
Department: Government and International Affairs
SGIA3271: Muslims and Politics in the Modern World
Type | Open | Level | 3 | Credits | 20 | Availability | Available in 2021/22 | Module Cap | Location | Durham |
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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 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 Muslims’ perceptions of the relationship between Islam, politics and the state in the modern world.
- The module 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 provide an introduction to historical developments and ideas which have had an impact on the modern politics of the Muslim world. It will then, focus (a) on a selection of writings by modern Muslim political thinkers, ideologues and leaders; and (b) on several case-studies that explore the political role played by Islam in various parts of the modern Muslim world.
Learning Outcomes
Subject-specific Knowledge:
- Students will develop a knowledge and understanding of a range of issues, typically including:
- Key theories and concepts of renewal;
- The diversity of approaches within Muslim discourse to issues such as reform, revival, leadership and government;
- The socio-cultural context of modern Muslim political theory;
- Modern Muslim theoretical approaches to issues such as modernity, secularism and democracy;
- 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.
Subject-specific Skills:
- Students will develop an increasing range and depth of subject-specific skills, including:
- The ability to effectively describe and analyse 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;
- 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 various interpretations of the Islamic faith and political ideas in the conduct of political practice;
- Form defensible judgements and develop a self-critical and independent approach to learning.
Key Skills:
- 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;
- Ability to reflect critically on their own work and performance;
- Develop a an independent approach to learning;
- Planning and successful completion of written assignments of differing scale, using their analytical, research and writing skills;
- Self-organisation and time-management in managing diverse assignments.
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 in depth discussion of selected issues. The seminars will be based upon prescribed texts with suitable guidance on the issues they raise. The seminar programme will enable students to explore issues 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 suitable topic. The 3,000 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
Activity | Number | Frequency | Duration | Total/Hours | |
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Lectures | 15 | Weekly, distributed appropriately across two terms | 1 hour | 15 | |
Seminars | 10 | Distributed appropriately across two terms | 1 hour | 10 | ■ |
Preparation and Reading | 175 | ||||
Total | 200 |
Summative Assessment
Component: Essay 1 | Component Weighting: 33% | ||
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Element | Length / duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
Essay 1 | 2,000 words | 100% | None |
Component: Essay 2 | Component Weighting: 67% | ||
Element | Length / duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
Essay 2 | 3,000 words | 100% | None |
Formative Assessment:
A 1,500 word essay.
■ 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