Aims
This module introduces students to the study of one of the most important organizing principles of domestic and international society since the nineteenth century: Nationalism. The purpose of the module is twofold: first, to provide students with a theoretical and historical background of the importance of nationalism for understanding European political development; and, second, to debate the relevance of nationalism for the study of European politics in the 21st century.

The module will pursue three objectives:

• familiarize students with major debates in the field regarding the emergence of nationalism, its social bases, and political objectives;

• assess critically the dominant approaches to the study of nationalism within international relations, political science and political sociology;

• consider recent attempts made by liberal theorists, feminist scholars and students of citizenship to develop a post-structuralist account of nationalism.

Objectives
On completion of this module, students should be able to:

• critically identify and explain competing causal theories of the emergence of nationalism;
• evaluate different approaches to the study of nationalism through reference to their underlying assumptions and methods;
• apply one of these approaches to one or more case studies;
• develop an in-depth understanding of one or more of the central debates in the field of nationalism through essay work;
• demonstrate an ability to develop a research question, design, and execute a research project, using appropriate resources;
• discuss, in theoretical terms, both the historical importance of nationalism and its contemporary relevance for European politics.