IPM5730 - NATIONALISM AND NATIONAL IDENTITY IN EUROPE

Module Identifier	IPM5730
Module Title	NATIONALISM AND NATIONAL IDENTITY IN EUROPE
Academic Year	2001/2002
Co-ordinator	Dr Siobhan Harty
Semester	Semester 1
Course delivery	Seminar	1 x two hour seminar per week over one semester
Assessment	Essay	1 x 4,000 word	40%
	Essay	critical review 1,000 words	10%
	Exam	3 Hours To be examined in Semester Two.	50%

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.

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.