Natl ID/Interest in Settler SO

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

This course surveys the origins and projection of national values and state institutions of settler societies, especially the United States, Australia, and Canada. Students will explore how people in these countries have defined their national identity, the relative salience of those identities compared to other beliefs, and the consequences of different conceptions of nationhood for defining interests at home and abroad. Key questions include: What is the role of myth in nation building? How do elites and institutions mold a sense of community? How do migration and sub-national identities shape efforts to define national interests? And how does national identity affect foreign policy making and practice. Comparison with the settlement and nation building experiences in Israel, New Zealand, South Africa, Latin America, and elsewhere will provide additional insight into how political traditions—transplanted over time through migration and enduring social, economic, and cultural ties—affect contemporary domestic and foreign policies.