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Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies · ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences
The growing political strength, self-awareness and solidarity of Muslim communities across the world have been evident since the early 1970s. In the wake of the Cold War, Muslim politics has caused particular concern in the West, where the notion of ‘Islamic Radicalism’ has been increasingly used to create an image of the threatening cultural ‘Other’. This course is aimed at a better understanding of Islam, Islamic movements, Islamic revivalism or Islamism in a variety of settings. Specifically, it is a course about how to think about Islamic radicalism as a conglomeration of context-specific policies, projects, ideals, institutions, and movements that have their origin in Muslim societies’ response to “modernity”. It is designed to introduce students to major theoretical perspectives on Islamism, and its practical manifestations in individual countries (not confined to the Arab World), as well as in the regional and global arena.
Seminar participation
Learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4
Online quizzes
Learning outcomes 1, 2
Reflective book review (2000 words)
Learning outcomes 2, 3, 4, 5
Policy brief (2500 words)
Learning outcomes 2, 3, 4, 5
Take-home exam
Learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
130 hours of total student learning time made up from: a) 24 hours of seminars; and b) 106 hours of independent student research, reading, writing and online activities over 3 weeks. Other Information This is an intensive course offered over a three-week period.
The course has an electronic reading brick. Preliminary Reading - John L. Esposito and Emad El-Din Shahin, eds. Key Islamic Political Thinkers. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018. - Mohammed Ayoob. The Many Faces of Political Islam: Religion and Politics in the Muslim World. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press, 2008. - Roxanne Euben. Enemy in the Mirror. Islamic Fundamentalism and the Limits of Modern Rationalism. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1999.