Antisemitism and Islamophobia in modern European history

Module overview

Reports about the growth antisemitic and Islamophobic speech and acts regularly make the headlines in Europe and globally. In the case of antisemitism, this has led to accusations that left-wing antizionism or postcolonial migration are to blame for the rise of a new form of antisemitism. And yet, if contemporary commentators often draw parallels between antisemitism and Islamophobia, they rarely look at these two phenomena in the same frame or in a wider historical context. Focusing on modern Europe, this course will explore the origins, causes, and motivations of antisemitism and Islamophobia, as well as their connections to both religion and secular ideologies. We will consider how these two projects of exclusion overlap and diverge, whether antisemitism differs from other forms of prejudice (and if so, how so), their constitutive role in national and imperial projects, as well as the various forms they have taken.

Aims and Objectives

Learning Outcomes

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

research historical questions and communicate your findings convincingly and concisely in assessments.
locate and use effective textual, visual and material culture sources in the library and on-line, synthesizing this material in order to develop cogent arguments.
utilize and develop your time-management skills.

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

key secondary source material relating to antisemitism and Islamophobia.
key primary sources relating to antisemitism and Islamophobia.
the history and development of antisemitism and Islamophobia, in particular the origins, causes and motivations for these two forms of discrimination.

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

analyze critically a variety of textual, visual and material culture sources.
engage with secondary literature on antisemitism and Islamophobia, and contribute to the debates relating to the historiography of antisemitism and Islamophobia within the context of modern Europe.
structure your ideas and research findings into well-ordered essays.

Learning and Teaching

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching methods include lectures and seminars.

Learning methods include close analysis of a range of primary sources and discussion of key themes and ideas.

Study time
Type	Hours
Completion of assessment task	76
Preparation for scheduled sessions	50
Practical classes and workshops	24
Total study time	150

Resources & Reading list

Textbooks

John Weiss (2004). The Politics of Hate: Anti-Semitism, History, and the Holocaust in Modern Europe. Ivan R Dee.

Emily Greble (2022). Muslims and the Making of Modern Europe. Oxford University Press.

Frank Peter and Rafael Ortega (2014). Islamic Movements of Europe: Public Religion and Islamophobia in the Modern World. I. B. Tauris.

James Renton, Ben Gidley (Eds.) (2017). Antisemitism and Islamophobia in Europe: A Shared Story?. Palgrave Macmillan.

Ivan G. Marcus (2024). How the West Became Antisemitic: Jews and the Formation of Europe, 800–1500. Princeton University Press.

Assessment

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Written assignment	40%
Essay	60%

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Resubmit assessments	100%

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Essay	60%
Written assignment	40%

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External