Islam and Politics

Subject ISLM90008 (2016)

Note: This is an archived Handbook entry from 2016.

Credit Points: 12.5
Level: 9 (Graduate/Postgraduate)
Dates & Locations:

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2016:

July, Parkville - Taught on campus.
Pre-teaching Period Start 03-Jun-2016
Teaching Period 18-Jul-2016 to 22-Jul-2016
Assessment Period End 22-Sep-2016
Last date to Self-Enrol 13-Jun-2016
Census Date 18-Jul-2016
Last date to Withdraw without fail 12-Aug-2016

This is an intensive subject taught in July.



Timetable can be viewed here. For information about these dates, click here.
Time Commitment: Contact Hours: This subject is delivered as an intensive over the period of one week, via lectures, seminars and/or workshops (total 36 hours)
Total Time Commitment:

170 hours total

Prerequisites:

Admission into the fourth-year honours program, or any graduate program in the Arts Faculty.

Corequisites: None
Recommended Background Knowledge: None
Non Allowed Subjects: None
Core Participation Requirements:

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

Coordinator

Dr Kylie Baxter

Contact

Email:kabaxter@unimelb.edu.au

Subject Overview:

This subject will explore the origins of ‘political Islam’ or ‘Islamism’- a backlash against the economic, political and cultural dominance of the ‘West’. It will survey the gamut of Islamist organisations in the Middle East, South and South East Asia against the backdrop of an increasingly shrinking world. This subject begins with the study of Islamic responses to European imperialism in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It then focuses on the growth of Islamic movements and their response to contending ideologies, including secular nationalism and socialism. This subject will conclude by considering the impact of the Arab Uprisings and the rise of the Islamic State.

Learning Outcomes:

Students who successfully complete this subject should:

  • have gained a critical understanding of Islamic radicalism, in its different manifestations globally, and the political and conceptual forces that extend or hamper its scope
  • be able to place political Islam within the context of a shrinking world and offer students a nuanced appreciation of relations between the West and the Muslim world
  • have a deeper understanding of the basic ideological tenets and historical roots of Islamic radicalism and the global context within which it has emerged
  • have an appreciation of the diversity within Islam in relation to the above
  • have a deeper appreciation and improved ability to analyse the literature on Islam and politics.
Assessment:
  • A 5000 word essay due at the end of the teaching period (80%)
  • Continuous seminar participation due throughout the teaching period (20%)

Hurdle requirements: Students are required to attend a minimum of 100% of classes in order to pass this subject.

Prescribed Texts: None
Recommended Texts:

Gilles Kepel. Jihad, The Trial of Political Islam ( IB Tauris, 2003). Olivier Roy, The Failure of Political Islam ( Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1994). Shahram Akbarzadeh &amp.amp.amp.amp.amp.amp. Samina Yasmeen: Islam and the West: Reflections from Australia ( Sydney: UNSWPress, 2005).

Breadth Options:

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

Fees Information: Subject EFTSL, Level, Discipline & Census Date
Generic Skills:

Students who successfully complete this subject should

  • have a deeper understanding of the basic ideological tenets and historical roots of Islamic radicalism and the global context within which it has emerged
  • have an appreciation of the diversity within Islam in relation to the above
  • have a deeper appreciation and improved ability to analyse the literature on Islam and politics –.. with reference to ‘..clash of civilisations’..
  • have improved oral skills by participating in seminars
  • have improved writing skills by producing a well-researched paper
Notes:

None.

Related Majors/Minors/Specialisations: 100 Point Master of International Relations
100 Point Master of Islamic Studies
100 Point Master of Journalism
150 Point Master of Islamic Studies
150 Point Master of Journalism
200 Point Master of International Relations
200 Point Master of Islamic Studies
200 Point Master of Journalism
EMA 150 point program - full time over 1.5 years
EMA 200 point program - full time over 1.5 years
EMA 200 point program - full time over 2 years
Graduate Diploma in Arts (Advanced) - Arabic
Graduate Diploma in Arts (Advanced) - Islamic Studies
Islamic Studies
PD-ARTS Arabic
PD-ARTS Islamic Studies

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