Veidlapa Nr. M-3 (8)
Study Course Description
Politics and Religion: Governing the Middle East
Course Code
SZF_046
Branch of Science
-
ECTS
6.00
Target Audience
Political Science
LQF
Level 7
Study Type And Form
Full-Time
Study Course Implementer
Course Supervisor
Māris Andžāns
Structure Unit Manager
Ieva Puzo
Structural Unit
Faculty of Social Sciences
Contacts
Dzirciema street 16, Rīga, szf@rsu.lv
About Study Course
Objective
This course aims at examining the meanings of, and interactions between, religion and politics in a global perspective, concentrating on the issues steaming from turmoil in the Middle East.
Preliminary Knowledge
Basic knowledge of politics.
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge
1.Students will be able to describe the origins and spread of Islam, the basic tenets and beliefs of various sects. Students will be able to compare the Sharia principles in international relations. Students will demonstrate the ability to explain the political history and the main sources of conflict in the Middle East. Students will be able to assess the problems of the region and predict future scenarios.
Skills
1.Students will be able to describe the differences of various branches of Islam. Students will be able to describe the history of Islam, the basic principles of Sharia. Students will demonstrate the ability to explain the historic interaction between politics and religion in the Middle East.
Competences
1.Students will be able to differentiate political and religious conflicts. Students will be able to describe the foreign policy of various countries in the Middle East. Students will demonstrate the ability to analyse the most important regional conflicts and sources of instability.
Assessment
Individual work
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Title
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% from total grade
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Grade
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1.
Individual work |
-
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-
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• Active participation during classes and seminars (as well as criticism and recommendations given in response to other students' reports);
• Essays;
• Final report.
In order to evaluate the quality of the study course as a whole, the student must fill out the study course evaluation questionnaire on the Student Portal.
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Examination
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Title
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% from total grade
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Grade
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|---|---|---|
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1.
Examination |
-
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-
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Students have to take into account the following requirements and grading criteria:
• Active participation during classes and seminars (as well as criticism and recommendations given in response to other students' reports) – 35%
• Essays – 10%
• Final report – 20%
• Presentation of the final report – 15%
• Exam – 20%
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Study Course Theme Plan
FULL-TIME
Part 1
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Lecture
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Modality
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Location
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Contact hours
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On site
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Auditorium
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2
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Topics
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Introduction: Models of the relationship between religion and the state
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Lecture
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Modality
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Location
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Contact hours
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On site
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Auditorium
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2
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Topics
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The History of Judaism and Christianity
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Lecture
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Modality
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Location
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Contact hours
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On site
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Auditorium
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2
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Topics
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The History of Islam
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Lecture
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Modality
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Location
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Contact hours
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On site
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Auditorium
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2
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Topics
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Fundamentalism: The What and the Why?
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Lecture
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Modality
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Location
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Contact hours
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On site
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Auditorium
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2
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Topics
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Religion and violence
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Lecture
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Modality
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Location
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Contact hours
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On site
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Auditorium
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2
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Topics
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Religion and conflict resolution
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Lecture
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Modality
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Location
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Contact hours
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On site
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Auditorium
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2
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Topics
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Religious radicalism and the democracy conundrum
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Lecture
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Modality
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Location
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Contact hours
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On site
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Auditorium
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2
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Topics
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The secularization debate
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Lecture
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Modality
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Location
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Contact hours
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On site
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Auditorium
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2
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Topics
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Is there a clash of civilizations?
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Lecture
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Modality
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Location
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Contact hours
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On site
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Auditorium
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2
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Topics
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Is there a clash of civilizations?
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Class/Seminar
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Modality
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Location
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Contact hours
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On site
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Auditorium
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2
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Topics
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Research presentations
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Class/Seminar
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Modality
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Location
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Contact hours
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On site
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Auditorium
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2
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Topics
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Research presentations
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Class/Seminar
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Modality
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Location
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On site
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Auditorium
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2
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Topics
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Research presentations
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On site
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2
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Topics
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Research presentations
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Class/Seminar
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On site
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2
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Topics
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Research presentations
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Class/Seminar
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On site
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Auditorium
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2
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Topics
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Research presentations
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On site
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2
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Topics
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Research presentations
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Auditorium
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2
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Topics
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Research presentations
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On site
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Auditorium
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2
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Topics
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Research presentations
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Class/Seminar
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On site
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2
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Topics
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Research presentations
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Class/Seminar
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On site
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Auditorium
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2
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Topics
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Research presentations
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Class/Seminar
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Modality
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Location
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On site
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Auditorium
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2
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Topics
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Research presentations
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Class/Seminar
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Modality
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Location
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Contact hours
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On site
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Auditorium
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2
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Topics
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Research presentations
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Total ECTS (Creditpoints):
6.00
Contact hours:
46 Academic Hours
Final Examination:
Exam (Written)
Bibliography
Required Reading
1.
Visa literatūra ir angļu valodā un piemērota gan latviešu, gan angļu plūsmas studentiem
2.
Appleby, R. Scott. The Ambivalence of the Sacred: Religion, Violence, and Reconciliation. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield.
3.
Cleveland W.L., Bunton M. A History of the Modern Middle East. Westview Press, 2016
4.
Durkheim, Emile. 2001. The Elementary Forms of Religious Life. New York: Oxford University Press.
5.
Gerges, Fawaz A. 2009. The Far Enemy: Why Jihad Went Global. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
6.
Van der Veer, Peter. 1994. Religious Nationalism: Hindus and Muslims in India. Berkeley: University of California Press.
7.
Weber, Max. 2001. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Routledge.
Additional Reading
1.
Lust, Ellen. ed. The Middle East. 16th edition. Washington, DC: CQ Press, 2023
2.
Lewis B. The Emergence of Modern Turkey. Oxford University Press, 2003
3.
“Resurgent Religion in Politics: the Martyr, the Convert and the Black Night of Apocalypse”, in Annual Review of the Sociology of Religion [Vol.2]. ed. By Michel P., Paze E. Brill, 2011
4.
Rowe P.S. Religion and Global Politics. Toronto: Oxford University Press Canada, 2012
5.
Tibi B. Political Islam, World Politics and Europe. Democratic Peace and Euro-Islam vs Global Jihad. Routledge, 2014