Postgraduate Course: Political Islam in the Middle East (PGSP11298)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Ever since Ayatollah Khomeini proclaimed Iran an 'Islamic Republic' in 1979 political Islam has seemed an unstoppable force. Though often accused of being 'anti-democratic' Islamists of various stripes have excelled in electoral politics. In 2002 the Justice and Development Party swept to power in Turkey and played a key role in reinforcing the 'civil' nature of the Turkish state. In 2006 Islamist Hamas routed secular Fatah in democratic elections in Palestine. In Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Yemen and elsewhere, Islamists thrived as opposition forces under authoritarian rule and realised extensive cultural gains. In early 2011 it was a largely secular wave of mass protest that toppled dictatorships in Tunisia and Egypt, but Islamism appears to be consolidating itself in each of these states. So what is political Islam? Is it compatible with democracy? What are its intellectual, social and historical roots? What is its relationship to violence and what questions does it raise for International Relations? These are some of the central questions to be addressed in this course. |
| Course description |
Week 1, 19 January: Political Islam: concepts and approaches
Week 2, 26 January: Formative stages: Islamic politics in the age of empire
Week 3, 2 February: Islamist alternatives in the post-colonial Middle East
Week 4, 9 February: Islam and revolution in Iran
Week 5, 16 February: Hamas and Hezbollah: violence and Islamic politics
Week 6, 23 February: No Seminar (Innovative Learning Week)
Week 7, 1 March: Islamism, democracy and the state
Week 8, 8 March: Islamism at the grassroots
Week 9, 15 March: Jihadisms local and global
Week 10, 22 March: Political Islam and the 'Arab Spring'
Week 11, 29 March: Political Islam and International Relations
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
1. Detailed knowledge of the main trends of political Islam in the Middle East
2. Ability to relate the ideological aspects of political Islam to political context
3. Critical understanding of different scholarly approaches and perspectives on political Islam
4. Ability to discuss and debate political Islam with reference to broad academic literature on the topic.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Ewan Stein
Tel: (0131 6)50 4264
Email: ewan.stein@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Gillian Macdonald
Tel: (0131 6)51 3244
Email: gillian.macdonald@ed.ac.uk |
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