AAPTIS/MENAS 491 - Modern Islamic Movements in Comparative Perspectives, Open Michigan

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University of Michigan Open Courseware,
Ann Arbor, MI 48109,

Course Description,
This course examines the rise and evolution of Islamic political movements in different areas of the Muslim world. After a brief introduction to Islam as a religious, cultural, and political tradition, the course will focus on the phenomenon of so-called "political Islam" and political movements associated with it. The course will address their historical roots and ideological underpinnings. While the ideological premises shared by most Islamic movements are important, the course will also highlight the distinctive political and social strategies and agendas of the participants in such movements in different geographical regions. Special consideration will be given to the role of the political and social environments in which modern Islamic movements rise and evolve and which give them their distinct character. In addition to readings, course materials include recent films, lectures by guest speakers with expertise in different regional manifestations of political Islam, and a visit to an Islamic center in the Detroit Metro area.