Extreme Politics: How Radicals Affect Political Change

Catalog description

Scholarship has increasingly focused on why radical groups emerge. Yet, there is little research to date on how and whether these groups actually have a socio-political impact. This course will examine the mechanisms whereby and the conditions under which political extremists affect political and/or social change across time and space. We will base our analysis on several historical case studies that deliberately vary radical groups according to important characteristics such as: the degree of their prominence in social and political discourse; the extent of their lifespan in a particular country; and whether their tactics include the use of violence. Graduate students only; qualified undergraduates with instructor's permission.