POL 3475 is also offered in Spring 2025
POL 3475 is also offered in Fall 2024
POL 3475 is also offered in Spring 2024
POL 3475 is also offered in Spring 2022
Spring 2021 | POL 3475 Section 001: Islamist Politics (65684)
- Instructor(s)
- Class Component:
- Lecture
- Credits:
- 3 Credits
- Grading Basis:
- Student Option
- Instructor Consent:
- No Special Consent Required
- Instruction Mode:
- Completely Online
- Class Attributes:
Online Course
- Times and Locations:
Regular Academic Session
Tue,
Thu 09:45AM - 11:00AM
Off Campus
UMN REMOTE
- Enrollment Status:
Closed (55 of 55 seats filled)
- Also Offered:
- Course Catalog Description:
- Islamic faith and its historical relationship to politics. Rise of Islamist politics in the Middle East and North Africa and south central Asia from the 1950s-80s. Failure of many Islamist revolutions. Spread/rebirth of Islam in less traditional areas of the Muslim world. Rise of global jihadists. New jihad being waged in Iraq, implications for Middle East. Possibility of synthesizing Islam and democracy.
- Class Notes:
- This course is completely online in a synchronous format. The course will meet online at the scheduled times. http://classinfo.umn.edu/?colli433+POL3475+Spring2021
- Class Description:
- Course Description: From the bloody battles of ISIS, to the Taliban in Afghanistan, to terrorism across the globe, "Islamist politics" has been at the center of political debates and US foreign policy. Particularly since 9/11, scholars and policymakers around the world have been debating the consequences of U.S. policy in the Middle East, the roots of rising Islamist movements in the 20th century, the causes of terrorism and suicide bombings, and the clash or compatibility of Islam and democracy. This class will address these issues by taking a historical and comparative political approach to the development of Islam (the religion) and Islamism (Islamic political movements) in many areas of the Muslim world. We will begin by discussing the early historical relationship between Islam and state. Then we will turn to the twentieth century, and examine the rise of Islamist politics in the Middle East and North Africa (e.g. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran) and central Asia (e.g. Pakistan, Afghanistan). We will study the successes and failures of Islamist revolutions. We will focus on the successful Islamist revolution in Iran, failed Islamist politics in Sudan. We will trace the causes of 9/11 and the subsequent US war in Afghanistan, and then the rise of ISIS in Iraq/Syria). We will study the Arab Spring and its implications for Islamic parties and democracy in that region, and the Syrian civil war. We will examine the rise of Islamist violence in Eurasia (Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Russia, and the Caucasus). We will also discuss varying ideas about jihad, and the rise of global jihadists and terrorist groups, such as Al Qaeda and ISIS. We will study the implications of militancy and terrorism for establishing stability and democracy in the Muslim world. We will read both diverse Muslim and non-Muslim perspectives on these issues. Understanding these issues is critical to gaining perspective on today's complex global politics, and US foreign policy in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere. This course aims at increasing our knowledge and understanding, tolerance, and wisdom in dealing with these critical issues.
- Who Should Take This Class?:
- The class is designed for students with an interest in policy-relevant political science-- US policy in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria!
- Grading:
- Grading will likely be based on class participation and several short papers. Final requirements will be printed on the syllabus in January.
- Exam Format:
- no exams; short papers will replace exams due to covid
- Class Format:
- lecture and discussion
- Workload:
- about 75 pages of reading per week
- Textbooks:
- https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/65684/1213
- Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
- 3 November 2020
ClassInfo Links - Spring 2021 Political Science Classes