As the world tries to come to terms with the strong showing of far right parties in a growing number of countries, nationalism and populism are once again at the forefront of public discussion. The aim of this timely course is to provide an introduction to key conceptual and normative debates on nationalism, populism and identity politics in the broader framework of the much-talked-about crisis of liberal democracy. Some of the questions that will be addressed in this context are: Is nationalism resurgent, or are we witnessing the emergence of a new type of nationalism? How do populism and identity politics feed off and into each other? What lies behind the appeal of anti-immigrant, anti-globalist movements? Do the electoral successes of far right parties signal the end of liberal democracy as we know it?

Assessment

To obtain full credit, students should attend all classes (face-to-face or online),  complete the weekly reading material before each class and take active part in class discussions. The final grade will be based on three components: oral presentation (25%), one response paper (25%) and one final paper (50%).

• Participation and Presentation (25%)
• Book Review (25%)
• Final Paper (50%)

Competences, learning outcomes and teaching activities (PDF)