Nationalism

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

This seminar examines selected aspects of 19th- and 20th-century nationalism, combining theoretical readings with case studies. The case studies are mostly European (simply because that happens to be the instructor's field), but not exclusively so. The approach is broadly comparative, and issues discussed will include some of the classic ones debated in the field, such as: What connections are there between modernity and nationalism? What is the relationship between civic and ethnic conceptions of nationhood? How did evolving information/communication environments and systems shape the development of nationalisms? Although the geographical focus of most assigned readings is on modern Europe, students are encouraged to write their term papers on any region and time period they are interested in, as long as the theme is connected to nationhood and nationalism. The course can thus be counted toward any regional field, depending on the paper topic and subject to approval.