Political Extremism

Catalog description

The 21st century has abounded with old and new versions of political extremism across the political spectrum. The rise of Antifa, the resurgence of a fascist far-right, along with new iterations of extreme identities politics pose new threats to democratic governance. Religious fundamentalism, both violent and non-violent, similarly shows no signs of abating--rather it has become increasingly politicized. In unprecedented ways, governments are scrambling to balance state legitimacy in the eyes of their citizens with long-term survival. This course employs a chronological and case-based approach to explore the evolution of political extremism in the United States with select international shadow cases. Alongside, we compare state strategies to balance democratic governance, civil liberties, and state security in the context of ever-changing threats. In the 21st century, can the nation-state survive political extremism?