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From ethnic clothing to ethnic cleansing, ethnicity and nationalism have come back into fashion. Why is nationalism such a persistent feature of modern political life? Is ethnic identity intrinsically 'good' or
'bad'?
How can its political expression
be channeled in a benign direction?
The purpose of this course is to study the main theories of nationalism, and then to explore some of the complexities of specific cases of ethnic conflict in the contemporary
world, and to encourage creative
thinking about these issues. The case studies will include Canada, Northern Ireland, Sri Lanka, Rwanda and Yugoslavia, plus other countries selected by the students.
Each student will write a research paper of a
specific country, and give a class
presentation reporting their main conclusions in the final two weeks of the class. Each report should explain the character of ethnic identity
and patterns of ethnic conflict in the chosen country, and discuss which
of the various theories seem to fit
that case.
Unless preregistered students attend the first class meeting or communicate directly with the instructor prior to the first class, they will be dropped from the class list. NOTE: Students must still submit a completed Drop/Add form to the Registrar's Office.
COURSE FORMAT: Lecture
Level: UGRD Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: SBS GOVT Grading Mode: Graded
Prerequisites: NONE Links to Web Resources For This Course.
Last Updated on MAR-19-2002
Copyright Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, 06459