University of St Andrews

Key information

SCOTCAT credits : 30

ECTS credits : 15

Level : SCQF level 9

Semester: 2

Planned timetable: To be confirmed

What are national minorities? And why is it important to study state policies towards these groups in order to understand nationbuilding and security practices in the 20th and 21st centuries? This module offers an overview of the origins of population engineering policies and tracks states' efforts to restore, maintain, build or transform their national identities. It invites students to examine current events in light of this framing. The course will explore the dominant state approaches towards national minorities including accommodation, integration, containment, assimilation, expulsion, and genocide. It will also explore the conditions under which states choose one policy over the next depending on a particular group’s relationship to the state, its elites and the state’s current allies and enemies. And finally, the course will examine the legal infrastructure that emerged to help protect national minorities in times of war and peace.

Learning and teaching methods and delivery

Weekly contact: Weekly 2-hour seminars x11 weeks and 2 film screenings.

Scheduled learning hours: 28

Guided independent study hours: 264

Assessment pattern

As used by St Andrews: Coursework = 100%

As defined by QAA
Coursework: 100%

Re-assessment: Examination = 100%

Personnel

Module coordinator: Dr R A Brubaker
Module teaching staff: Dr Rebecca Brubaker
Module coordinator email rab46@st-andrews.ac.uk

Intended learning outcomes

• Understand the historical and political context around state policies towards national minorities
• Assess the nature of state policies towards national minorities in a range of key cases.
• Critically evaluate these policies
• Anticipate future policies and recognise risks of conflict
• Build familiarity with international legal protections.
• Write policy briefs and present persuasive policy pitches.