Undergraduate Module Descriptor

ARA2028: Islamist Movements: From the Muslim Brothers to the Islamic State

This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.

Module Aims

This module aims at presenting the major movements affiliated with both Shiite and Sunnite political Islam in the contemporary Middle East and North Africa. By familiarising you with the history, beliefs and practices of Islamist movements, it seeks to help you understand their action rationale and interactions, adopting a cross-regional comparative analysis.

You will also learn to engage critically with the historiographic debates surrounding the interpretations of the causes and the political consequences of the rise of Islamist movements in the Muslim-majority states – with a particular focus on the period ushered by the Arab uprisings.

Finally the module aims at having you reflect on the role of Islamist movements in the political dynamics of the Middle East, such as revolutions, civil wars, armed insurgencies, democratic transitions and civil resistance to authoritarianism.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here – you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.

On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills1. Understand and present the major Islamist political forces and trends, their history, beliefs and the contexts in which they operate, as well as distinguish between them;
2. Construct informed and nuanced arguments based on critical and comparative analysis relating to the topic of Islamist movements throughout history in the Middle East;
Discipline-Specific Skills3. Build an argument orally or in written handling recent Islamist terminology and engaging critically with contemporary debate relating to political Islam in the Middle East;
4. Analyse and critique both primary and secondary sources on a contentious issue;
5. Reflect on the terms of the debate as posed in the press, interrogate popular and political discourses, and question knowledge production within academia;
Personal and Key Skills6. Demonstrate critical and argumentative skills and an ability to undertake comparative analysis through readings, class discussions and presentations;
7. Effectively manage time and resources;