Minority Rights and the State   

Aims of the Course

This course explores the difficulty of protecting minority rights in a liberal state. It discusses Kymlica, a leading scholar on minority rights issues, and Brubaker, a leading sociologist interested in nationalism questions.  Then it examines a series of case studies in light of these theories. Several of the sources examined are court cases: this course focuses on the difficulty of finding solutions in practice.

Class Requirements:  Students will lead discussion in groups and write a paper.

Presentation (20% of grade) On the first day, students will be assigned a topic for presentation in groups.  These presentations are marked on the syllabus. Students must introduce what they see as the key issues of the class reading, and examine them in light of the theoretical ideas discussed in this course. 

Paper (50% of grade) 15 pages long, not counting bibliography and diagrams/illustrations. Times New Roman, 12 pt double spaced, default margins. This paper must present primary sources, a theoretical concept that the sources illustrate or call into question, and discuss the applicability of sources and theory to each other.  Students must present their findings to the class in conference-style format, then answer questions from the class. Students must find a journal which they believe might hypothetically publish their paper, and write their paper in conformity with the style sheet of that journal.

Final (30% of grade) will ask students to define key terms or explain the significance of key concepts discussed in the class.  

Attendance is mandatory. At the instructor’s discretion, outstanding participation or absence from class may raise or lower your final grade.

Week 1: Introduction to Culture and Nationalism
M            Cultural belonging. Introduction to the course. Presentation topics.        
W            Will Kymlicka Multicultural Citizenship, “The Value of Cultural Membership,” 84-93.

Week 2: Kymlicka’s case for Minority Rights Protection        
M            Kymlicka, Multicultural, ch. 2-3, “Politics of Multi-culturalism,” “Individual Rights... ” 10-48.                               
W            Kymlicka, Multicultural, ch. 7, 8. “Ensuring a Voice…” “Toleration and its Limits,” 131-172.
              

Week 3: Kymlicka and Brubaker  
M            Who is a Metis? Canadian aboriginal rights case. http://www.metisnation.org/harvesting/PDF/powley.pdf
                (Additional info: http://www.metisnation.org/harvesting/powley/powley_sc_torontoSTAR2.html)  
                Presenter: ________________________________________
W            Rogers Brubaker Nationalism Reframed Ch. 3, 4 “National Minorities, Nationalizing states…” 55-106 

Week 4: The Terminology of Nationhood
M            Ernest Renan “What is a Nation?”  www.nationalismproject.org/what/renan.htm ;
                E. Arndt “the German Fatherland” http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/arndt-vaterland.html                            
W            Brian Porter “The Social Nation and its Futures” American Historical Review, vol. 104, no. 5 (1996)
                Presenter: ________________________________________

Week 5: Possession and Nationalism
M            Yael Tamir Liberal Nationalism ch. 4-5 “Particular Narratives & General Claims”, “The Magic Pronoun” 78-116
W            Conversion in Israel: summary of three cases, http://www.adl.org/Israel/Conversion/testing-principles.asp#2
                                                                              

Week 6: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
M            UN Declaration of Human Rights http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html
W            “Recognizing and Combatting Racial Discrimination: A Short Guide” available online       
                http://errc.org/publications/pamphlets/discrimination.shtml
                Presenter: __________________________________
 

Week 7: European Law and Central Europe
M            Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union http://www.europarl.eu.int/charter/pdf/text_en.pdf
W            Hungarian Status Law LXII  http://www.htmh.hu/lawnew.htm
                Presentor (Status Law): _________________________________
                T.G. Masaryk The Making of a State, “The Problem of Minorities.”                                                                          http://www.ucis.pitt.edu/eehistory/H200Readings/Topic5-R3.html
                Presentor (Masaryk): ___________________________________
                                                                                              

Week 8:  Yugoslav peace plans
M            Rambouillet agreement http://www.usofficepristina.usia.co.at/doc1.htm     
                Presenter: __________________________________             
W            The Dayton plan
                http://www.ohr.int/dpa/default.asp?content_id=380    
                Presenter: __________________________________
 

Week 9 : Islam and Human Rights
M            “Hijab Story”  weblog "Losing Myself,"  ihath,  http://www.ihath.com/2004/02/hijab-story.html
                Sarah Eltantawi “Yes or No to Hijab: Not for Men to Answer”:      
                http://muslimwakeup.com/mainarchive/000541.php
                Jean Baubérot “The Secular Principle” on French Embassy page:  http://www.info-france-usa.org/atoz/secular.asp
                Presentor (Eltantawi): __________________________________
                Presentor (Baubérot): ___________________________________
W            Irshad Manji The Trouble with Islam, ch. 7-9, 158-218.
                Presentor (Manji): ____________________________
                See also the  Europe Wide Hijab Project  http://www.ihrc.org.uk/file/hijabquestionnairepost.doc
                El Saadawi The Hidden Face of Eve

 
Week 10: “Civil Rights” as a model in Central Europe

M            University of Michigan – Affirmative action case, http://www.umich.edu/~urel/admissions/legal/ussc-transcripts.html ;
                http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/02pdf/02-516.pdf    
                Presenter: ________________________________    
W            European Roma Rights Center  “Barriers to the Education of Roma in Europe”  Follow links at
                http://www.errc.org/publications/position
                Presenter: __________________________________                             

Week 11: Census and Naming

M            “Census 2000” at Adversity.net http:/www.adversity.net/special/census2000.htm
W            “Politics of Names” [article from the CEU library]

Week 12: Minority Protection in Wartime

M            The Korematsu case (Japanese in WWI)
                http://www.tourolaw.edu/patch/Korematsu/ROBERTS.html                                              
W            Teleford Taylor “Opening Statement” pp. 12-28 Prosecution” Nueremburg War Crimes Tribunal
                http://nuremberg.law.harvard.edu/NurTranscript/TranscriptPages/51_12.html