STV4302B – Nationalism and ethnic politics
Course description
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
- What are nations?
- How are they formed?
- What is the relationship between ethnicity and the state?
The course focuses on the phenomenon of nationalism and the expressions of ethnicity in the political sphere. It combines theoretical and empirical inputs from comparative political science as well as political sociology, but also draws on social anthropology, sociology and history to provide a comprehensive introduction into the issue.
It tries to strike a balance between teaching theories and anchoring them in empirical "selected issues" - contemporary manifestations of ethnic politics and influence of nationalist ideologies on political life.
The students will learn about the major theories of nationalism and the emergence of nations, which will then be applied to two empirical cases:
- Norway
- Central Europe (the Visegrád states)
The second half of the course discusses contemporary points of interest in which ethnicity and nationalism act both as conflict generators and potential tools of conflict resolution. Topics covered include:
- modern nationalist political parties
- ethnic minorities, with an emphasis on Eastern Europe
- immigration, with a focus on Western Europe
Learning outcome
Knowledge
The students will:
- become familiar with the main theories of nationalism, including primordialism, modernism, ethnosymbolism and postmodern approaches
- learn about the historical background of "the age of nationalism"
- be encouraged to use the theories they have learned to the empirical cases of Norway and Central Europe
- learn about contemporary nationalist and right-wing populist political parties in Europe
- discover the differences and similarities between two manifestations of the issue of ethnic minorities:
- the question of irredentist and historical minorities in Eastern Europe (e.g. Ukraine, the Baltic States or Romania)
- the problems of immigration and integration in Western Europe (e.g. France, Germany or Britain)
Skills
The students will:
- learn to think in terms of theory and to evaluate competing theoretical approaches.
- develop the ability to employ theories in empirical research .
- be able to communicate academic knowledge in writing and orally
Competences
The students will:
- enhance their capability to think critically about nationalist ideologies and politics.
- acquire a good theoretical background in an important area of politics.
- inquire in depth into some of the most important of today’s debates that engage scholars and intellectuals across Europe and beyond.
Admission to the course
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester?register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for?in Studentweb.
Students enrolled in other Master's Degree Programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.?Apply for guest student status?if you are admitted to another Master`s programme (deadline 1 August / 5 January).
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about?admission requirements and procedures.
Recommended previous knowledge
Bachelor's degree in Political Science or equivalent.
Overlapping courses
- 10 credits overlap with STV4302.
- 10 credits overlap with STV802.
- 10 credits overlap with STO80286.
- 9 credits overlap with STV802B.
Teaching
Lectures and seminars.
Compulsory activities
- Oral presentation
- Attend student presentations
Examination
4 hour examination.
You must have passed the compulsory activities in order to sit the exam.
Examination support material
Students may use dictionaries at this exam. Dictionaries must be handed in before the examination. Please read regulations for dictionaries permitted at the examination.
Language of examination
The examination text is given in English.You may submit your response in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
Resit an examination
More about examinations at UiO
- Use of sources and citations
- Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
- Withdrawal from an exam
- Illness at exams / postponed exams
- Explanation of grades and appeals
- Resitting an exam
- Cheating/attempted cheating
You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.