Extreme Politics: How Radicals Affect Political Change

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.