POL 356 - Islam and Politics

4 credits (Fall or Spring)

This course investigates the relationship between Islam and a variety of political outcomes, such as regime type, political violence, inequality, social tolerance, and political organization. Questions we explore include: what is “Islamism” and how did it arise as a political force? Why are so few Muslim-majority countries democratic? Are Islamic parties and organizations a threat or a resource for open politics? We take an empirical approach, examining scholarly analyses from a variety of methodological perspectives.

Prerequisite: Third or fourth-year standing and a 200-level course in comparative politics, and MAT 115, SST 115, or STA 209.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Lussier