SEM: Militant Islamic Organizations

This seminar is designed to provide a survey of select militant Islamic movements, specifically “gradualist” Islamist organizations that do not rely mainly on waging armed jihad and other types of fundamentalist or Islamist organizations that do not fall clearly into the jihadist category, and is specifically intended for graduate students who have already taken lecture-oriented undergraduate or graduate courses dealing with terrorism. The class will be divided into three separate portions. In the first portion, the lectures and readings will focus on the basic tenets of Islam; an overview of Islamic history; the distinction between Islamic fundamentalism, political Islam, and Islamism; and important examples of the different types of movements noted above in particular regions. Given the threat that such networks and their supporters currently pose to the security of the West, Russia, India, various states in Asia, and moderate Muslims everywhere, it is necessary for every student interested in contemporary extremism, subversion, and terrorism to become much more knowledgeable about key Islamic fundamentalist and “stealth” Islamist groups, their agendas, and their tactics. During the second portion of the course, students will spend their time working independently on the individual research topics they have selected, which can deal with any aspect of Islamic fundamentalism or Islamism (including terrorism) that interests them. During the third and final portion of the course, each student will give an oral report in class to present and analyze his or her research paper findings, which will then be discussed by the entire class. Near the end of this last portion of the class, if not earlier, students must submit their completed research papers. The course requirements are as follows: regular attendance and active participation in class discussions (30% of grade), an oral report to be delivered in class (30% of grade), and a 15-20 page research paper (40% of grade).