Policies for Constructive Intergroup Relations SIS 419.022; 619.022 Spring 2010 Mondays 5:30 – 8:00 pm SIS 355 Professor Margaret Smith Office: East Quad Building 201 Email: [email protected] Phone: 202-885-1564; mobile 202-403-1352 Office hours: Tuesdays 3-6 pm or by appointment Course Description: Creating trusting, cooperative intergroup relations is one of the challenges of our era. This course will examine past and current policies, as expressed in law and institution building, to accommodate diverse populations and to ensure justice and fairness in situations where prejudice has held sway. We will look at a variety of constitutional models designed to share power, and study recently written peace treaties and constitutions to see how these models have been adopted. In addition we will become familiar with the most salient debates about such issues as immigration policy, education policy, affirmative action, multiculturalism and the proper nature of religious toleration. The course will use case studies from Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, France, Germany, India, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Malaysia, the UK, and the US. Course Goals: My hope for students in this class is that you will gain a deeper, nuanced understanding of the issues that lie behind citizenship, nationalism, the state, federalism, consociationalism, secession and partition, multiculturalism, minority rights and toleration as they play out in various parts of the world. More broadly, the goal is to gain an appreciation of how norms and expectations have shifted over time with regard to our treatment of diversity, and of the dilemmas and challenges these issues pose in the 21st century. Learning Outcomes: Students will be able to Speak knowledgeably of a variety of countries where diversity has or has not been effectively accommodated, with the ability to focus the spotlight on the key issues relevant to each country Articulate the strengths and weaknesses of various constitutional approaches to accommodating diversity: assimilation, federalism, consociationalism, partition. Articulate the value and limitations of other policy approaches: immigration, religious toleration, education, addressing the past, creating a national narrative, creating an attitude of tolerance. Compare the way these approaches have been handled in countries addressing similar issues Be able to speak about how our norms with regard to these matters have changed over time2 Course Requirements: (Fuller instructions for all assignments will be provided.) 1. Oral presentation, giving the class background on one case study. 20% of grade (See final page of this syllabus for full instructions.) 2. Research essay proposal. Due February 14. 10% of grade. Submission of the essay proposal requires a prior conference with Professor Smith. Please be sure to schedule a meeting sooner rather than later, even if you are not sure what you want the subject of your paper to be. In reflecting about possible topics, be sure to look ahead to issues we will discuss later in the semester to get more ideas. 3. Paper responding to the proposition “Iraq has a good chance of becoming a functioning pluralist federation.” Grads 2,500-3,000 words. Undergrads 2,000-2,500 words. Due February 28. 20% of grade 4. Outline and 2,000-3,000 words (Grads must submit over 2,500 words) of Research Essay text. Due April 4. 10% of grade. 5. Completed Research essay. Due April 30. 30 % of grade. 6. Participation – 10 % of grade. Students are expected to contribute to the discussion of the readings by raising questions and contributing ideas. This course is heavily dependent on a culture of group collaboration and learning. Required Books: Ian Buruma. Murder in Amsterdam: Liberal Europe, Islam, and the Limits of Tolerance. New York: Penguin, 2006. Ryszard Kapuscinski. The Other. New York: Verso, 2008. Jennifer Jackson Preece. Minority Rights: Between Diversity and Community. Malden, MA: Polity Press, 2005. Gillian Slovo. Red Dust. New York: Norton and Norton, 2000. Michael Walzer. On Toleration. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1997. Recommended Books: The following books represent the work of some of the best thinkers on these subjects, and should not be overlooked. Neil Bissoondath. Selling Illusions: The Cult of Multiculturalism in Canada. New York, Penguin, 1994. Larry Diamond and Marc F. Plattner. Nationalism, Ethnic Conflict and Democracy. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1994. Will Kymlicka. Multicultural Citizenship. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1995. Will Kymlicka and Wayne Norman, Eds. Citizenship in Diverse Societies. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.3 John McGarry and Brendan O‟Leary, Eds. The Politics of Ethnic Conflict Regulation: Case Studies of Protracted Ethnic Conflicts. New York: Routledge, 1993. Bhikhu Parekh. Rethinking Multiculturalism: Cultural Diversity and Political Theory. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2000. Charles Taylor [et al.]. Multiculturalism: Examining the politics of recognition. Edited and introduced by Amy Gutmann. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1994. Charles Tilly. Durable Inequality. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998. Other required and recommended readings, in the form of articles and chapters, are listed in the syllabus, and can be found on E-Reserves on our class Blackboard site. Some of the recommended readings are included particularly for those who are giving the oral case studies. A few readings can be accessed on the web, in which case a url is provided. ALL STUDENTS MUST ADHERE TO THE ACADEMIC INTEGRITY CODE http://www.american.edu/provost/registrar/regulations/reg80.cfm As the code states, "By enrolling at American University and then each semester when registering for classes, students acknowledge their commitment to the Code. As members of the academic community, students must become familiar with their rights and their responsibilities. In each course, they are responsible for knowing the requirements and restrictions regarding research and writing, examinations of whatever kind, collaborative work, the use of study aids, the appropriateness of assistance, and other issues. Students are responsible for learning the conventions of documentation and acknowledgment of sources. American University expects students to complete all examinations, tests, papers, creative projects, and