Course Code: POL4321

Course Name: Religion and Politics

SYLLABUS 1

Instructor
Office : Faculty of Economics, Administrative and Social Sciences,
Department of Political Science and International Relations,
A Block, Upper Floor
E-Mail : zekeriya.tuzen@bau.edu.tr
Office Hours: : Tuesday 14:30-16:30 & Friday 14:30-16:30
CV (link) : https://bau.edu.tr/kadro/7061-iktisadi-ve-idari-bilimler-fakultesi

Course Information
Period : 2023 Fall
Time : 08:30-11:20 (Monday)
Course Credit / ECTS : 3/6
Classroom : A207
Mode of Delivery: : Face-to-face
Type of type : Departmental Elective
Course ECTS Page Link : https://akts.bau.edu.tr/bilgipaketi/index/ders/ders_id/9596/program_kodu/
02022101/h/294/s/7/st/D/ln/en

Course Objective and Learning Objectives

This course scrutinizes the impact of modernization and industrialization on the relationship
between religion and politics. The topics of the course consist of three parts. In the first part, the place
of religion in modern societies is examined in line with the approaches of the main analytical thinkers
in the sociology of religion. In the second part, the manifestations of the revival of religion in different
regions of the world are discussed with examples. In the third part, religion and state relations of some
specific countries are discussed by considering current issues.

Course Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course, you will be able to:

1. Grasp the various sociological theories of religion;
2. Explain the complexity of the relationship between modernization and secularization;
3. Analyse the main forms of relationships between states and religion based on examples from
different regions of the world;
4. Examine the effects of religions on national politics through examples from different regions
of the world;
5. Evaluate the religion-society and religion-state relationships in major countries of the world;
6. Identify the differences between fundamentalist, conservative and modernist interpretations of
Islam and forms of Political Islam.

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It is essential that the syllabus announced at the beginning of the term is not changed except when necessary. When a
requirement occurs, the curriculum can be changed by the lecturer of the course by notifying this situation in writing or verbally
beforehand. It is the student's responsibility to follow the current program.
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Course Structure

This course will be held face-to-face in the classroom (A207).

Course Policy
Communication Channels and Methods:
* You can choose e-mail to communicate with me during the course. While writing your e-mails, you should
consider the followings:
• Emails written in chat language should be deleted and ignored immediately.
• Remember, you are college enrolled.
• Spell-check your emails. If I use a word in an email to you and you do not know what that word
means, then look it up!
• Do not send me an email and ask me what the word means. Use this as a learning opportunity.
Usage of Digital Tools:
* Mobile Technologies: Mobile technologies such as mobile phones, tablet computers, laptop computers can only
be used for teaching purposes. Please respect the lecturer and your friends by turning off the volume or turning
off your mobile phone.
Cell Phone: Your cell phones should be muted or turned off before class. There may be some important situations
in our lives (health, family, personal) in such cases, please turn your phone to vibration and if you really need to
talk, leave the class and talk outside and come back to the lesson.

Assignments and Project Deadline: *

Your Term Paper will be sent via Itslearning course site (you can select Bahcesehir Ugur Education
Institutions from the list on www.itslearning.com, enter your username and password)
• Please do not send your Term Paper to me via e-mail. Term Paper sent directly to me via e-mail
will not be accepted.
• Sufficient time has been calculated and given to you to complete your Term Paper. If you are
unable to do your Term Paper, please contact the instructor of the course immediately and report your
situation.
• Your Term Paper must be submitted on time. After announced due dates, no work will be
accepted; and they will be counted as not submitted.

Attendance: *
Students are expected to attend and participate all teaching activities, including lectures, discussions
and personal tutorials.

There will be discussion sessions and you are expected to join these discussions actively.

Disabled Student Support:

You can contact me directly regarding the issues that may be an obstacle for you (vision, hearing, etc.). In
addition to this, there is a Disabled Student Unit in order to minimize the difficulties that our disabled students
will encounter due to their disabilities and to eliminate the obstacles. You should contact this unit regarding your
situation. Click to access the web page of this unit.

Oral and Written Communication Ethics:

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During the lesson you have to express yourself respectfully in your communication with your friends and with
me. In addition, you are responsible for maintaining this respect in discussions, homework and correspondence in
the classes.
You are expected to be honest, transparent, truthful and mindful when conveying oral and written information.

Privacy and Copyright:

It is strictly forbidden to register the participants (students and instructors) during the course.

Course Resources
Books:
• Fenn, Richard K. 2009. Key Thinkers in the Sociology of Religion, London & New York: Bloomsbury
Publishing Plc.
• Jelen, Ted Gerard & Wilcox, Clyde. 2002. Religion and Politics in Comparative Perspective: The One, The
Few, and The Many, Cambridge University Press.
• Martineau, Harriet. 2000-Translated. The Positive Philosophy of Auguste Comte, Vol. 3, Batoche Books,
1999.
• Esposito, John L. et. al. 2002 “Introduction: Globalization / World Religions in Everyone’s Hometown” in
World Religions Today, New York – Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 3 – 37.
• Fuller, Graham. 2003. The Future of Political Islam, New York, Palgrave.
• Haddad, Yvonne Y. 1983. “Sayyid Qutb: Ideologue of Islamic Revival”, in John L. Esposito (ed), Voices of
Resurgent Islam, New York – Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 67 – 98.
• Konidaris, Ioannis M. 2003. “The Legal Parameters of Church and State Relations in Greece” in Fotini
Bellou, eds, Greece in the Twentieth Century, Routledge, pp. 223 – 235.
• Norris, Pippa. & Inglehart, Ronald. 2011. Sacred and Secular: Religion and Politics Worldwide, New York:
Cambridge University Press.
• Somer, Murat. 2019. “Turkish Secularism: Looking Forward and Beyond the West” in Matthew Whiting and
Alpaslan Özerdem, eds, Routledge Handbook on Turkish Politics, Routledge, pp. 37 – 54.

Articles:
• Berger, Peter L. 1996/97. “Secularism in Retreat”, The National Interest, No. 46, pp. 3 - 12.
• Ghamari-Tabrizi, Behrooz. 2004. “Contentious Public Religion: Two Conceptions of Islam in Revolutionary
Iran: Ali Shari’ati and Abdolkarim Soroush”, International Sociology, Vol. 19, No. 4, pp. 504–523.
• Lobkowicz, N. 1964. “Karl Marx’s Attitude Towards Religion”, The Review of Politics, Vol. 26, No. 3, pp.
319-352.
• Madsen, Richard. 2010. “The Upsurge of Religion in China”, Journal of Democracy, Vol. 21, No. 4, pp.58 –
71.

The textbooks and articles on the syllabus are also accessible through the BAU Library.
The PPT files will be shared on Itslearning following each class.
Other required readings and video links will be uploaded on Itslearning. If you cannot access any material, please
contact the instructor of the course.

Grading and Evaluation:

Assignment Description Scoring Weight (%)

* Midterm You will have a midterm exam where you are responsible for the
topics of the first 6 weeks. 100 25
(Week1-Week6) of the course.
* Pop-up Quizzes During the semester there will be 4 Pop-up (unannounced)
100 15
Quizzes, best 3 will be graded.
* Term Paper You are required to write a term paper about relationship
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 between religion, state, and politics of a country. Country name
is chosen by student and approved by the instructor.
Term paper should be supported by at least three relevant sources and
is expected to be 3 to 5 double space computer pages. 100 15
The due date for term paper submission is the last class day of
the semester.
Term papers will be submitted via itslearning.
* Final Exam • Its date is going to be announced by Academic Planning Office.
• It will be a comprehensive exam. 100 45
TOTAL
100 100

Course Calendar

Assignments &
Week/Place Course Topic To Do
Deadline*
W1 Orientation Course Schedule Review
F2F & • Expectations
Religion, Modernization • Esposito, John, “Introduction: Globalization / World
and Globalization Religions in Everyone’s Hometown”, pp.3-37, 2002.
W2 • Esposito, John, “Introduction: Globalization / World
F2F Religions in Everyone’s Hometown”, pp.3-37, 2002.
A Brief History of Great
https://d3tt741pwxqwm0.cloudfront.net/
Religions
WGBH/sj14/sj14-int-religmap/index.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6dCxo7t_aE
W3 • Fenn, Richard K., “Introduction”, pp.1-12, 2009.
Religion, Reason and
F2F • Martineau, Harriet, “The Positive Philosophy of
Emotion / Key Thinkers
Auguste Compte”, pp.5-115., 2000.
of Sociology of Religion
• Fenn, Richard K., “Sigmund Freud”, pp.36-54, 2009.
W4 Religion, Ideology, • Lobkowicz, Nicholas, “Marx’s Attitude toward
F2F Solidarity, and Religion”, pp.319-352, 1964.
Rationality • Fenn, Richard K., “Emile Durkheim”, pp.15-35, 2009.
• Fenn, Richard K., “Max Weber”, pp.55-81, 2009.
W5 Religion and Meaning / • Fenn, Richard K., “Clifford Geertz”, pp.183-196,
F2F Religion and Secularism 2009.
• Berger, Peter, “Secularism in Retreat”, pp.3-12,
1996/97.
W6 • Norris, Pippa and Ronald, Inglehart, “The
F2F Secularisation Debate”, 3-32, 2011.
Secularization Debate
• Norris, Pippa and Ronald, Inglehart, “Secularization
and Its Consequences”, 215-242, 2011.
W7
F2F Midterm Exam

W8 Religion and • Jelen, Ted Gerard and Wilcox, Clyde, Religion and
F2F Politics in USA & Politics in Comparative Perspective: The One, The Few,
Western Europe and The Many, Chapters: 8&13, 2002.
W9 Religion and • Jelen, Ted Gerard and Wilcox, Clyde, Religion and
F2F Politics in Poland Politics in Comparative Perspective: The One, The Few,
and Greece and The Many, Chapter 2, 2002.
• Konidaris, Ioannis M., “The Legal Parameters of

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 Church and State Relations in Greece”, pp.223-235,
2003.
W10 Religion and • Jelen, Ted Gerard and Wilcox, Clyde, “Religion and
F2F Politics in Israel, Politics in Comparative Perspective: The One, The Few,
India and China and The Many”, Chapter: 5&11, 2002.
• Madsen, Richard, “The Upsurge Religion in China”,
pp.58-71, 2010.
W11 • Haddad, Yvonne Y., “Sayyid Qutb: Ideologue of
F2F Islamic Revival, pp.67-98, 1983.
Theory of Islam • Ghamari-Tabrizi, Behrooz, “Contentious Public
and Politics Religion: Two Conceptions of Islam in Revolutionary
Iran: Ali Shari’ati and Abdolkarim Soroush”, pp.504-
523, 2004.
W12 • Fuller, Graham, The Future of Political Islam, Chapter
F2F 6, 2003.
Political Islam • Jelen, Ted Gerard and Wilcox, Clyde, Religion and
Politics in Comparative Perspective: The One, The Few,
and The Many, Chapter 7, 2002.
W13 Religion and
F2F Politics in Turkey • Somer, Murat, “Turkish Secularism: Looking Forward
and Beyond the West”, pp.37-54, 2019.
W14 Conclusions Due date
F2F & Overview of the main topics of the course for term
Course Review paper

Matters Needing Attention

• Make sure you read all weekly course materials.
• The student must strictly follow the instructions given in all assignments (quizzes, term paper,
midterm and final exams).
• There will be no make-up for the pop-up quizzes.
• Make-up exams are granted only in case of a valid and documented excuse, and it is not at the
instructor’s discretion.
• Absence in exams without any valid documented reason will result in a grade of “0” on that exam. In
case of an illness, you are required to bring a formal doctor’s note from a hospital and have it verified
by the university health service and submit it to the related faculty unit.
• Participate positively in classroom activities and discussions.
• Attend the classes actively every week

Academic Integrity, Cheating and Plagiarism

Hexham (2005) defines plagiarism as a planned deliberate action to deceive the reader by pretending
to be someone's word or words. Academic plagiarism is also in the form of an author’s use of more
than four words in his own research, without using quotation marks from a written source, without a
precise reference to the original source published before, or in the form of similar fraudulent behavior
in scholarship-application forms he wrote to contribute to his research.
• Actions that can be defined as contrary to publication ethics in the scientific community are defined
as follows:
- plagiarism, - cheating, - paraphrasing,
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 - fabrication and falsification of data,
-to help copying and plagiarism, -To prevent others from accessing a source or data,
- Appearing as a writer in joint studies without contributing,
-Use of widely known / anonymous information, -No regular attribution,
-Self plagiarism etc.
• Not everything on the Internet is public and cannot be obtained without permission or reference.
• Studies conducted without proper reference are graded with a score of zero.
• Large amounts of manuscripts copied without being quoted will be considered plagiarism and you
will be responsible.
• Please be aware that the penalties for plagiarism can range from grading homework to dropping you
out of class.
• If you copied, plagiarized or copied / pasted, do not expect the instructor of the course to write you a
reference letter or to be your advisor.
• How is plagiarism penalized?
If it is revealed that you have overcame the course, the instructor of the course will refer to the
program coordinator. Depending on the seriousness of the situation, the Program Coordinator decides
with the committee the appropriate penalty from giving a grade of 0 from the homework grade to
leaving the course. In any case, the student has the right to defend himself.

ARTICLE 25 – (1) In case it is doubled that a student cheats or attempts to cheat, commits plagiarism
or similar violations defined in the applicable disciplinary regulation in any exam, assignment or other
assessment activities, a disciplinary proceeding is brought against the student. Such activity is not
assessed during the proceedings. A student who is found guilty is assigned zero point in addition to the
disciplinary punishment. If the student is found innocent as a result of disciplinary proceeding, the
exam taken by the student shall be assessment or a make-up exam or activity is provided.

Prepared by Name Surname and Date of Preparation:

Asst. Prof. Zekeriya Tüzen

02.10.2023