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.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- familiarise themselves with Islam as a world religion and a framework for social action during major phases in its historical development;
- reflect on, and discuss the key concepts, themes, and schools of thought pertaining to modernism and reformism in Islam;
- analyse endogenous and exogenous factors behind the radicalisation of political Islam in different geographic zones;
- distinguish various trends in radical Islam according to their social composition and engagement with issues such as violence, good government, gender and group identity; and
- locate and collate materials on topics relevant to Islamic radicalism, and present analytical findings in a coherent manner on paper.
Other Information
This is an intensive course offered over a three-week period.
Indicative Assessment
- Seminar participation (10) [LO 1,2,3,4]
- Online quizzes (10) [LO 1,2]
- Reflective book review (2000 words) (20) [LO 2,3,4,5]
- Policy brief (2500 words) (20) [LO 2,3,4,5]
- Take-home exam (40) [LO 1,2,3,4,5]
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
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.
Inherent Requirements
Not applicable
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
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.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 14
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2024 | $4440 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2024 | $6360 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
