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Religions and Global Policy 

Code: 104483 ECTS Credits: 6
2024/2025
Degree Type Year
2503778 International Relations OT 4

Contact

Name:
Avraham Yehudah Astor
Email:
avi.astor@uab.cat

Teachers

Avraham Yehudah Astor
Marta Simo Sanchez

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for this course.


Objectives and Contextualisation

Religion remains a powerful political and social force worldwide despite past predictions that its relevance would fade with deepening processes of secularization. This course provides a critical overview of religion’s influence on international relations and domestic politics. It covers an array of topics that are core to understanding how religion has both shaped and been shaped by global political transformations. These topics include:

·   Religion, nationalism, and international relations

·   Secularization and the changing place of religion in the public sphere

·   Globalization and religious fundamentalism

·   Religion and democracy

·   Religion and the far right

·   Religion, migration, and citizenship

·   Religious pluralism and the governance of religious diversity

 

The course is taught from an interdisciplinary perspective that draws from the fields of sociology, political science, anthropology, and international relations.


Competences

  • Act with ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights and duties, diversity and democratic values.
  • Apply quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques in research processes.
  • Identify data sources and carry out rigorous bibliographical and documentary searches.
  • Learn and analyse the impacts of the globalisation process on domestic political systems and on the behaviour of the political actors and the public.
  • Make changes to methods and processes in the area of knowledge in order to provide innovative responses to society's needs and demands.
  • Produce and prepare the presentation of intervention reports and/or proposals.
  • Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  • Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
  • Take account of social, economic and environmental impacts when operating within one's own area of knowledge.
  • Take sex- or gender-based inequalities into consideration when operating within one's own area of knowledge.
  • Use metatheoretical data to argue and establish plausible relation of causality and establish ways of validating or rejecting them.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Analyse the indicators of sustainability of academic and professional activities in the areas of knowledge, integrating social, economic and environmental dimensions.
  2. Analyse the sex- or gender-based inequalities and the gender biases present in one's own area of knowledge.
  3. Apply quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques in research processes.
  4. Communicate using language that is not sexist or discriminatory.
  5. Consider how gender stereotypes and roles impinge on the exercise of the profession.
  6. Critically analyse the principles, values and procedures that govern the exercise of the profession.
  7. Critically evaluate the impacts of globalisation in different areas: security, environment, human rights, migrations and peace.
  8. Explain the explicit or implicit code of practice of one's own area of knowledge.
  9. Identify data sources and carry out rigorous bibliographical and documentary searches.
  10. Identify the principal forms of sex- or gender-based inequality and discrimination present in society.
  11. Identify the social, economic and environmental implications of academic and professional activities within the area of your own knowledge.
  12. Produce and prepare the presentation of intervention reports and/or proposals.
  13. Propose new experience-based methods or alternative solutions.
  14. Propose new ways to measure success or failure when implementing ground-breaking proposals or ideas.
  15. Propose projects and actions in accordance with the principles of ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights, diversity and democratic values.
  16. Propose projects and actions that incorporate the gender perspective.
  17. Propose viable projects and actions that promote social, economic and environmental benefits.
  18. Propose ways to evaluate projects and actions for improving sustainability.
  19. Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  20. Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  21. Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  22. Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
  23. Use metatheoretical data to argue and establish plausible relation of causality and establish ways of validating or rejecting them.
  24. Weigh up the impact of any long- or short-term difficulty, harm or discrimination that could be caused to certain persons or groups by the actions or projects.
  25. Weigh up the risks and opportunities of one's own ideas for improvement and proposals made by others.

Content

PART A:  SOCIAL SCIENTIFIC APPROACHES TO STUDYING RELIGION AND POLITICS

A.1. Course introduction: How do social scientists conceptualize and analyze the relation between religion and politics? 

A.2. Religion and international relations

A.3. Religion and political conflict

 

PART B: MODERNIZATION AND SECULARIZATION: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS

B.1. Secularization theory

B.2. Multiple secularities

B.3. Modernization, secularization, and international relations

 

PART C: GLOBALIZATION, PLURALISM, AND RELIGIOUS TRANSFORMATION

C.1. Globalization and religious transformation

C.2. Religious fundamentalism

C.3. Religious pluralism and the governance of religious diversity

 

PART D. RELIGION AND POLITICS

D.1. Religion and the public sphere

D.2. Religion and democracy

D.3. Religion and the far right

D.4. Religion and geopolitics 

D.5. Religion, nationalism and civil society in Eastern Europe


Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Lectures 48 1.92 4, 6, 10, 11, 22
Tutorials scheduled with the professors 3 0.12
Type: Supervised      
Oral group presentation 35 1.4 1, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 22, 23, 24
Type: Autonomous      
Readings and preparation for class discussion 22 0.88 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 22, 23

The course is premised on a model of interactive engagement, rather than the simple transmission of knowledge from professor to student. The classes will thus include a combination of lecture and discussion among the students about weekly assigned readings. These discussions will sometimes be held together and sometimes in small groups. The class will also include oral presentations by students and participation in in-class exercises and activities.

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Assessment

Continous Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Final exam 40% 16 0.64 6, 11, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24, 25
Group presentation 20% 10 0.4 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Mid-term exam 40% 16 0.64 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 13, 19, 20, 22

The subject will be evaluated on the basis of the following: 

1) Oral group presentation (20%): The presentation will be prepared and delivered by groups of 3-4 students on a subject related to the class.

2) Mid-term exam (40%): The exam will consist of several short essays on topics to be specified during the course. Students ust demonstrate that they have correctly understood the main contents of the first half of the course, and that they are able to argue theoretical positions in a rigorous way. 

3) Final exam (40%): The exam will consist of several short essays on topics to be specified during the course. Students must demonstrate that they have correctly understood the main contents of the entire course, and that they can engage critically and creatively with lectures and assigned readings.

In addition, it is important to consider the following issues:

- Students who have not completed the course assignments will receive a grade of “not evaluable”.

- If a student does not pass, there is the possibility of taking a 'retake' exam. To participate in the retake exam, students must have been previously assessed in a set of activities whose evaluation comprises a minimum of two thirds of the total grade of the course. Students must also have obtained a minimum grade of 3,5.

Single evaluation

For those who choose to undergo a single assessment, it will consist of a comprehensive exam of greater length comprising essays on material from the entire class.

The revision of the final grade follows thesame procedure as for the continuous evaluation, and the recovery exam will be the same.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is to use the work of others as if it were your own. When using books, articles, websites or any other material, it is mandatory to reference the original work, clearly indicatingwithin the text which references correspond to which phrases orsentences. When quoting a text word by word, it is essential to put the fragment quoted in quotation marks. Plagiarism is a serious infraction, equivalent to copying on an exam.

For more information on plagiarism, you can look at the guide on "How to cite and how to avoid plagiarism": <https://www.uab.cat/doc/GuiaCitesiPlagiEstudiants>. See also: <https://www.uab.cat/web/study-and-research/how-to-cite-and-create-your-bibliography-1345738248581.html>.


Bibliography

* All texts will be accesible via the Campus Virtual

Bowen, John R. 2007. “A View from France on the Internal Complexity of National Models.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 33(6):1003–16. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13691830701432905?casa_token=9nE4Kaje32oAAAAA:DMeYBEA7mmF-b66jnQ1pAjL9h94J4iKD3E_WuMFsPGtfiNtPs9YqNkJQswTZcDaOP7vrQvR6Y3ij

Brekke, Torkel. 2012. Fundamentalism: Prophecy and Protest in an Age of Globalization. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Brubaker, Rogers. 2015. “Religious Dimensions of Political Conflict and Violence.” Sociological Theory 33(1):1–19.

Brubaker, Rogers. 2017. “Between Nationalism and Civilizationism: The European Populist Moment in Comparative Perspective.” Ethnic and Racial Studies 40(8):1191–1226.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01419870.2017.1294700

Casanova, José. 1994. Public Religions in the Modern World. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Casanova, José. 2006. “Rethinking Secularization: A Global Comparative Perspective.” The Hedgehog Review 8(1–2):7–23. https://brill.com/downloadpdf/book/edcoll/9789047422716/Bej.9789004154070.i-608_007.pdf

Cesari, Jocelyne. 2018. What Is Political Islam? Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers.

Cesari, Jocelyne. 2021. “Political Islam and International Relations Theory.” Pp. 83–99 in Handbook on religion and international relations. Edward Elgar Publishing.

Esposito, John L., Darrell Fasching, and Todd T. Lewis. 2007. Religion and Globalization: World Religions in Historical Perspective. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Huntington, Samuel P. 1993. “The Clash of Civilizations?” Foreign Affairs72(3):22–49. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-349-62965-7_6

Hurd, Elizabeth Shakman. 2008. The Politics of Secularism in International Relations. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Hurd, Elizabeth Shakman. 2015. Beyond Religious Freedom: The New Global Politics of Religion.

Kalyvas, Stathis N. 1996. The Rise of Christian Democracy in Europe. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.

Kuru, Ahmet T. 2007. “Passive  and Assertive Secularism: Historical Conditions, Ideological Struggles, and  State Policies toward Religion .” World Politics 59(4):568–94. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/world-politics/article/passive-and-assertive-secularism-historical-conditions-ideological-struggles-and-state-policies-toward-religion/414FA9A6E9FDF0414FCA57D220447DF7

Menchik, Jeremy. 2017. “The Constructivist Approach to Religion and World Politics.” Comparative Politics 49(4):561–81.

Philpott, Daniel. 2000. “The Religious Roots of Modern International Relations.” World Politics 206–45. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/world-politics/article/religious-roots-of-modern-international-relations/DF274D42FAADEDE5452FFDAAD9415A6A

Roy, Olivier. 2004. Globalized Islam: The Search for a New Ummah. New York: Columbia University Press.

Roy, Olivier. 2013. Holy Ignorance: When Religion and Culture Part Ways. London: Oxford University Press.

Scott, Joan. 2007. The Politics of the Veil. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Soper, J. Christopher, and Joel S. Fetzer. 2007. “Religious Institutions, Church-State History andMuslim Mobilisation in Britain, France and Germany.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 33(6):933–44. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13691830701432780?casa_token=5wvNS16t-e4AAAAA:xNmh2ev01ClObuaQgAwWX2OCv4-G6NaKpwve72aqy1S2A6As7befvUnSSisKfN3Xp317HWBr85QW

Stepan, AlfredC. 2000. “Religion, Democracy, and the ‘Twin Tolerations.’” Journal of Democracy 11(4):37–57. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/17085/summary?casa_token=_4skVMCXBDwAAAAA:5iPitNqHDSZi-PmA-okPlVnY5yYT1od7gi9-upsY-eBeZm58_ePLpOVaWCe_XfYpRJFBVFaX5A

Sullivan, Winnifred Fallers. 2005. The Impossibility of Religious Freedom. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Wedeen, Lisa. 2003. “Beyond the Crusades: Why Huntington, and Bin Laden, Are Wrong.” Middle East Policy 10(2):54–61. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1475-4967.00105

  

Bibliografia complementaria

Crouch, C. (2000). The quiet continent: religion and politics in Europe. The Political Quarterly, 71(s1), 90-103.

Dijkink, G. (2006). When geopolitics and religion fuse: a historical perspective. Geopolitics, 11(2), 192-208.

Fox, J. (2001). Religion as an overlooked element of international relations. International Studies Review, 3(3), 53-73.

Guan, Y. S. (2011). In defence of the secular? Islamisation, Christians and (new) politics in urbane Malaysia. Asian Studies Review, 35(1), 83-103.

Haynes, J. (2007). Introduction to international relations and religion.Pearson Education.

Hurd, E. S. (2004). The political authority of secularism in international relations. European Journal of International Relations, 10(2), 235-262.

May, S., Wilson, E. K., Baumgart-Ochse, C., & Sheikh, F. (2014). The religious as political and the political as religious: Globalisation, post-secularism and the shifting boundaries of the sacred. Politics, Religion & Ideology, 15(3), 331-346.

Merdjanova, I. (2000). In search of identity: nationalism and religion in Eastern Europe. Religion, State & Society, 28(3), 233-262.

Mohamad, M. (2008). Religion, human rights and constitutional-contract politics in Malaysia. Intellectual Discourse, 16(2).

Sheikh, M. K. (2012). How does religion matter? Pathways to religion in International Relations. Review of International Studies, 365-392.

Solarz, A. M. (2020). Religion and International Relations in the Middle East as a Challenge for International Relations (IR) Studies. Religions, 11(3), 150.

Xu, Y. (2012). Religion and international relations in the age of globalization. Journal of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies (in Asia), 6(4), 19-50.


Software

This subject does not require use of specific software.

Language list

Name Group Language Semester Turn
(PAUL) Classroom practices 1 English first semester morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 1 English first semester morning-mixed