Teaching Responsibility

LJMU Schools involved in Delivery:

Humanities and Social Science

Learning Methods

Lecture

Seminar

Module Offerings

New-JAN-MTP

Aims

  1. To explore the major arguments within nationalism studies, and develop a sociological understanding of nation-states and their history.
  2. Develop students critical thinking skills in relation to nationalism and nation-states.
  3. Critically reflect on nationalism’s interaction with social categories and contemporary life, e.g. media, gender, race and ethnicity

Learning Outcomes

1.
Critically evaluate the key theories of nationalism and their application
2.
Establish a reflective understanding of how nationalism operates in everyday life.
3.
Utilise theories of nationalism to critically examine existing nation-states and their relations.

Module Content

Outline Syllabus:
Week 1-4: Introduction to Nationalism

These weeks will introduce the main thematic content. We’ll begin by introducing students to the concept of everyday nationalism, to get them thinking about how nationalism surrounds their lives, before moving into discussing the two main theoretical blocs: Modernism and Ethno-symbolism.

 

Block II: Week 5-8: Approaches to Nationalism

Here we consider differing approaches to nationalism. We will look at how gender, and race and ethnicity interact with nationalism; post-colonial approaches and the media’s role in furthering national identity.

 

 

Block III: Week 9-12: Historical and Contemporary Issues

The final block will address contemporary and historical issues in the development of nations. Historically, we will look at a case-study of Scotland and Japan and the development of nationalism within both, putting this in a comparative and international perspective. Scotland provides a bridge to the contemporary world, in looking at the development of the independence movement and Brexit. We will consider the relationship between war and nationalism as well as multiculturalism, and the challenges of integrating groups within the national identity.

 
Module Overview:
Module Overview: This module will give students the opportunity to engage with the dominant political ideology of our time, and draw a critical awareness to it and how it operates. The module begins by introducing students to the notion of everyday nationalism, helping to see the way nationalism is embedded in daily life, and then follows this with a discussion of the main theoretical approaches to nationalism. The second block will then consider some major approaches to nationalism, giving students the opportunity to consider how nationalism interacts with other major social categories and aspects of contemporary life. Finally, we will look at some case-studies that engage with historical and contemporary issues that provide an overview of how nationalism can be critically examined to understand the contemporary world, and how it came to be.
Additional Information:
n/a

Assessments

Essay

Essay