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The Arab World And The West

Center: 
Granada
Program(s): 
Granada - Study in Granada
Discipline(s): 
International Relations
Course code: 
IR 330
Terms offered: 
Fall
Spring
Credits: 
3
Language of instruction: 
English
Description: 

This course will explore the cultural and political interaction between Islam and the West in the contemporary world. Topics will include the long-term impact of the penetration of Europe into the Islamic World, Orientalism and Occidentalism, Islamic immigration into western societies, the impact of 9-11 and the Afghan and Iraq wars, and the role of oil and the Middle East conflict.

Method of presentation: 

Lectures by the instructor, supported with bibliographical and other didactic materials, followed by debates with the students.

Required work and form of assessment: 

Class participation (15%); presentation in class (15%); 10-15 page term paper (20%); mid-term exam (25%); final exam (25%).

content: 
  1. An introduction to Islamic civilization: The Arab context and the influence of the preceding monotheisms. The golden age of Islam and the contribution of the dhimmis. The Western debt to Islamic civilization.
  2. History of relations between the Islamic world and the West: Arab expansion; the Crusades; Ottoman conquest; European colonialism and nahda; political independence and Western neo-colonialism.
  3. The perception of the Other: Orientalism and Occidentalism. Beyond the stereotypes.
  4. Two responses to Western hegemony: Reforming religion (Salafism) or adapting European ideas (Ba'athism). The rise and fall of Pan Arabism and the appeal of Pan Islamism.
  5. The growth of fundamentalism after the Six-Day War. Fundamentalism: The Muslim Brotherhood, Hizbullah and Al-Qaeda.
  6. Muslim immigration to the West. The enemy within? The new converts: The case of Granada. Activities: Visit to the new mosque in Granada; projection of the British film "My son, the fanatic" (87 minutes).
  7. The image of Islam in the Western media. A comparison of some European and American media. The effects of September 11.
  8. A Muslim perspective: Al-Jazeera and its influence in the Arab world. Activities: Projection of the documentary "Why the Hate? America, from a Muslim Point of View" (44 minutes).
  9. The future of relations between Islam and the West: The fight against international terrorism. The prospects for reform in the Arab world.
Required readings: 
  • Armour, Rollin. Islam, Christianity, and the West: A Troubled History. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2002.
  • Hourani, Albert (ed.). The modern Middle East: A reader. University of California Press, 1994.
  • Ramadan, Tariq. Western Muslims and the future of Islam. Oxford University Press: 2003.
Recommended readings: 
  • Ali, Tariq. The Clash of Fundamentalisms: Crusades, Jihads and Modernity. Verso, 2002
  • Azzam, M., “Islam: Political Implications for Europe and the Middle East”, in P. Ludlow (ed), Europe and the  Mediterranean, London: Brassey's/CEPS, 1994, chapter 3.
  • Bin Sayeed, Khalid. Western Dominance and Political Islam: Challenge and Response. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1995.
  • “Dim Drums Throbbing in the Hills Half Heard” in: The Economist. 364:21-23, August 10, 2002. Also available in: http://www.economist.com/PrinterFriendly.cfm?Story_ID=1270416.
  • Fregosi, Paul. Jihad in the West: Muslim Conquests from the 7th to the 21st Centuries. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 1998.
  • Goody, Jack. Islam in Europe. Cambridge: Politypress, 2004.
  • Hafez, Kai (ed). Islam and the West in the Mass Media: Fragmented Images in a Globalizing World. Cresskill, N.J: Hampton Press, 2000.
  • Hunter, Shireen T. (ed.) Islam, Europe's Second Religion: The New Social, Cultural, and Political Landscape. Praeger, 2002.
  • Lewis, Bernard. Islam and the West. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993.
  • Maalouf, Amin. The Crusades through Arab eyes. Random House, 1989.
  • Prasad, Udayan. My son, the fanatic. Miramax Home Entertainment, 2003 (DVD).
  • Rodinson, Maxime. Europe and the Mystique of Islam. Seattle/London: University of Washington Press, 1991.
  • Said, Edward. Culture and Imperialism. New York: Knopf, 1993.
  • Why the Hate? America, from a Muslim Point of View. Princeton, NJ: Films for the Humanities & Sciences, 2002.
Source URL: http://www.iesabroad.org/study-abroad/courses/granada/spring-2013/ir-330