教學大綱 Syllabus

科目名稱:種族、宗教、民族主義:全球的暴力與歸屬政治

Course Name: Ethnicity, Religion, Nationalism:Violence and the Politics of Belonging in the Global World

修別:選

Type of Credit: Elective

3.0

學分數

Credit(s)

6

預收人數

Number of Students

課程資料Course Details

課程簡介Course Description

Notes:

  • Essays: Students write 1 essay (1000 words), due at the mid-term. This essay is written in a style of policy commentary. For this essay, students choose for themselves at least 2 theories from the 16-week course, and a case study.
  • Final paper: Students write 1 individual final paper of 4,000-5,000 words due at the end of the course. Students choose the topic of these final papers themselves.
  • Presentations: Students present twice: 1 on the weekly topic of their choice, 1 on the framework of their final papers.
  • The course includes stimulating activities such as debates, games, simulations, watch a film. Film Title: Argo (2012), a three-Oscars-winning film about the rescue of US embassy employees from the siege of the American embassy in Tehran, Iran. Director: Ben Affleck.
  • The course is also planned to introduce an innovative learning method which includes visits to religious civil society organizations to discuss with religious leaders/activists on the interplay between “religion” and “nationalism”, the organizations are The Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT), The Taipei Grand Mosque in Da’an, and Tzu-Chi Foundation.
     
    In light of the prolonged Israeli-Hamas war, the current war between Israel and Iran, and the involvement of the US, observers have warned of the possibility of a serious global conflict in the near future. The course “Ethnicity, Religion, Nationalism: Violence and the Politics of Belonging in the Global World” is a relevant course where students will have the chance to academically discuss and analyze a global phenomenon where ethnicity and religion have informed nationalism and induced violence, both in the Middle East and elsewhere in the world.
     
    The course explores the interaction between religion and ethnic identities in Asia (East Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia), including the Middle East, and the US, and their impact on nationalism. It embraces critical questions of identity and citizenship, inclusion and exclusion, emotive attachments, local/global linkages, conflicts and violence. How do ethnicity and religion influence political interaction? How do ethnic and religious identities aggravate conflict and/or strengthen cooperation? The course examines case studies illustrating the junctures of ethnic, religion and national identities through the exploration of the politics of belonging and citizenship. It also investigates how relevant dimensions such as sacralization and symbolic legitimation may lead to violence.  

          The course is divided into two parts. The first part examines key concepts of ethnicity, religion, identity, nation, nationalism, as well as exploring the explanations of the emergence of nationalism. The second part delves into the impact of nationalism on the sense of belonging and political identities, religious nationalism, fundamentalism, by examining case studies from countries such as China, Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, India, Turkey, Israel and the US.

On Week 11 we will watch the film “Argo” (2012, Director: Ben Affleck), which was one of the most high-profile films in 2012, about the 1979 rescue of six U.S. State Department employees from the siege at the American embassy in Tehran, Iran. On Week 14, we will have our Innovative Learning Method Week: Study Visits to Religious Organizations. We plan to visit the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT), the Taipei Grand Mosque at Da’an, and Tzu-Chi Foundation. Students will meet with religious leaders/activists to discuss the interplay between “religion” and “nationalism”, and conflict.

核心能力分析圖 Core Competence Analysis Chart

能力項目說明


    課程目標與學習成效Course Objectives & Learning Outcomes

    After completing the course, students will:

    1. Understand the meaning of key concepts, such as ethnicity, religion, identity, nation, nationalism, religious nationalism and fundamentalism.
    2. Understand the interaction and complex relations between these key concepts and its role in the politics of belonging and citizenship in various countries.
    3. Understand the interaction and complex relations between these key concepts and its role in fundamentalism and/or political violence in various countries.
    4. Able to analyze current and/or past conflicts by looking at the role of ethnicity and religion in generating nationalism, which in turn induces violence and conflict in the global world.

    每周課程進度與作業要求 Course Schedule & Requirements

    Week

    Topic

    Content and Reading Assignment

    Teaching Activities and Homework

    1

    Introduction of concepts: religion, ethnicity, nationalism.

    9/5

    Syllabus

    Evaluation Criteria

    Class Regulations

    Required Readings

    Anderson, Benedict. 1991. Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism. London: Verso, pp. 5-7

    Gellner, Ernest. 2006. Nations and Nationalism, pp.1-7.

    Additional

    Chandra, Kanchan. 2006. "What is ethnic identity and does it matter?" Annual Review of Political Science 9: 397-424.

    • Introduction of syllabus and regulations
    • Lecture: Introduction of concepts
    • Students choose on which week they would like to do their weekly presentations.
    • No Homework

    2

    Deeper into Ethnicity and Nationalism

    9/12

     

    Required Readings

    Brubaker, Rogers. 2004. “’Civic’ and ‘ethnic’ nationalism”, in Ethnicity without Groups. Harvard: Harvard University Press. Chapter 6, pp. 132-146

    Hutchinson, John and Anthony D. Smith (eds.). 1994. Nationalism. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, Introduction, pp. 3-5

    Additional

    Fearon, James, and David D. Laitin, 2000, "Ordinary language and external validity: Specifying concepts in the study of ethnicity."

     

    • Lecture: the congruence of ethnicity and nationalism
    • Presentation of the readings (for one or two students who chose to do the topic)
    • Other activities: games, simulation, debates.

    3

    Primordialism and Constructivism

    9/19

     

    Required Readings

    Maxwell, A. (2020) Primordialism for Scholars Who Ought to Know Better: Anthony D. Smith’s Critique of Modernization Theory. Nationalities Papers, 48(5): 826-842.

    Bayar, Murat. (2009) "Reconsidering primordialism: an alternative approach to the study of ethnicity." Ethnic and racial studies 32.9: 1639-1657.

    Additional

    Wang, Chia-Chou (2018) Primordialism, Instrumentalism, Constructivism: Factors Influencing Taiwanese People’s Regime Acceptance of Mainland China’s Government, Journal of Contemporary China, 27:109, 137-150

    • Lecture: ethnicity: is it a primordial or a constructed identity?
    • Presentation of the readings (for one or two students who chose to do the topic)
    • Other activities: games, simulation, debates.

    4

    Ethnic and Communal Violence

    9/26

     

    Required Readings

    Brubaker, Rogers and David D. Laitin. 1998. "Ethnic and Nationalist Violence." Annual Review of Sociology 24:423-52

    Additional

    Horowitz, Donald. 1985. Ethnic Groups in Conflict. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, pp. 21-54

    • Lecture: how ethnicity leads to violence
    • Presentation of the readings (for one or two students who chose to do the topic)
    • Other activities: games, simulation, debates.

    5

    Religious Nationalism

    10/3

    Required Readings

    Juergensmeyer, Mark. (2010) "The global rise of religious nationalism." Australian Journal of International Affairs 64.3: 262-273.

    Grzymala-Busse, Anna. (2019). Religious nationalism and religious influence. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics

    Additional

    Brubaker, Rogers. (2012). Religion and nationalism: Four approaches. Nations and nationalism, 18(1), 2-20.

    • Lecture: introduction on how religion can evoke nationalist sentiments
    • Presentation of the readings (for one or two students who chose to do the topic)
    • Other activities: games, simulation, debates.

    6

    Double Ten Hol.

    NO CLASS

    10/10

     

    NO CLASS

    Students start writing their essays.

    7

    Religious Nationalism and Fundamentalism

    10/17

    Required Readings

    Emerson, Michael O., and David Hartman. (2006) "The rise of religious fundamentalism." Annual review of Sociology (2006): 127-144.

    Friedland, Roger. "Religious nationalism and the problem of collective representation." Annual Review of Sociology (2001): 125-152.

    Additional

    Juergensmeyer, Mark (1993) Why religious nationalists are not fundamentalists, Religion, 23:1, 85-92

    • Lecture: the similarities and differences between religious nationalism and fundamentalism
    • Presentation of the readings (for one or two students who chose to do the topic)
    • Other activities: games, simulation, debates.

    8

    Religion, Nationalism and Ethnicity

    10/24

    Required Readings

    Mitchell, Claire (2006). The Religious Content of Ethnic Identities. Sociology, 40(6), 1135–1152

    Gorski, Philip S., and Gülay Türkmen-Dervişoğlu. "Religion, nationalism, and violence: An integrated approach." Annual Review of Sociology 39 (2013): 193-210.

    Additional

    Brubaker, Rogers. (2015), "Religious dimensions of political conflict and violence." Sociological Theory 33.1: 1-19.

    • Lecture: how ethnicity and religion reinforce nationalism.
    • Presentation of the readings (for one or two students who chose to do the topic)
    • Other activities: games, simulation, debates
    • Students submit their Mid-Term Essay (1,000 words)

    Essays are based on at least two theories that they have learnt in the class, and a relevant case study. The usage of other additional theories is encouraged.

    9

    Ethnoreligious conflict and religious nationalism in Indonesia

    10/31

     

    Required Readings

    Menchik, J. (2014). Productive intolerance: Godly nationalism in Indonesia. Comparative Studies in Society and History, 56(3), 591–621

    Simandjuntak, Deasy (2021) "Disciplining the Accepted and Amputating the Deviants: Religious Nationalism and Segregated Citizenship in Indonesia." Asian Journal of Law and Society 8.1: 88-107

    Additional

    Aspinall, Edward (2008) Ethnic and religious violence in Indonesia: a review essay, Australian Journal of International Affairs, 62(4): 558-572

    • Lecture: how Islamic nationalism is connected to electoral politics in Indonesia
    • Presentation of the readings (for one or two students who chose to do the topic)
    • Other activities: games, simulation, debates

    10

    Nationalism and Authoritarianism: Comparing Iran and Turkey

    11/7

    Required Readings

    Marashi, Afshin. "Paradigms of Iranian Nationalism: History, Theory, and Historiography." Rethinking Iranian nationalism and modernity. University of Texas Press, 2021. 3-24.

    Skocpol, Theda. "Rentier state and Shi'a Islam in the Iranian revolution." Theory and society 11.3 (1982): 265-283.

    Findley, Carter Vaughn. "Turkey, Islam, nationalism, and modernity." Turkey, Islam, Nationalism, and Modernity. Yale University Press, 2010.

    Additional

    Matin-Asgari, Afshin. "The Berlin circle: Iranian nationalism meets German countermodernity." Rethinking Iranian nationalism and modernity. University of Texas Press, 2021. 49-66.

    • Lecture: the similarities and differences of modernity and religious nationalism in Iran and Turkey
    • Presentation of the readings (for one or two students who chose to do the topic)
    • Other activities: games, simulation, debates

    11

    FILM WEEK

    11/14

    We are watching Argo (2012) Director: Ben Affleck.

    One of the most high-profile film in 2012, Argo tells the story of six U.S. State Department employees who managed to escape the 1979 siege at the American embassy in Tehran (which resulted in the 444-day hostage saga), but who were still trapped in Iran.

    Watch Film

    Discussion

    12

    Ethnoreligious and religious nationalism in Myanmar and Thailand, with a comparison of how religions are practiced in Chinese societies.

    11/21

     

    Required Readings

    Kyaw, Nyi Nyi. "The role of myth in anti-muslim buddhist nationalism in Myanmar." Buddhist-Muslim Relations in a Theravada World. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore, 2020. 197-226.

    Tonsakulrungruang, Khemthong. "The Revival of Buddhist Nationalism in Thailand and Its Adverse Impact on Religious Freedom." Asian Journal of Law and Society 8.1 (2021): 72-87.

    Kuo, Cheng-tian. "Religion, state, and religious nationalism in Chinese societies." Religion and Nationalism in Chinese Societies, edited by Cheng-tian Kuo. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press (2018). Ch.1

    Additional

    Chowdhury, Arnab Roy (2020) “An ‘un-imagined community’: the entangled genealogy of an exclusivist nationalism in Myanmar and the Rohingya refugee crisis”, Social Identities  26:5, 590-607

    • Lecture: Comparing Buddhist nationalism in Myanmar and Thailand
    • Presentation of the readings (for one or two students who chose to do the topic)
    • Other activities: games, simulation, debates
    • Final Presentation batch 1

    13

    Comparative Religious Nationalism in India and Israel

     

    11/28

    Required Readings

    Van der Veer, P. (2021). Minority Rights and Hindu Nationalism in India. Asian Journal of Law and Society, 8(1), 44-55

    Goldstein, W. S. (2025). Israel/Palestine: Towards a one-state solution. Critical Research on Religion, 13(1), 3-16.

    Additional

    Chacko, Priya. (2019). Marketizing Hindutva: The state, society, and markets in Hindu nationalism. Modern Asian Studies, 53(2), 377-410

    Abiri, Gilad. (2021). Intimate Rivals: The Freedom of Religious Nationalism. Asian Journal of Law and Society, 8(1), 19-43

    • Lecture: comparing religious and nationalism in India and Israel: ethnicity, religion and territoriality
    • Presentation of the readings (for one or two students who chose to do the topic)
    • Other activities: games, simulation, debates
    • Final Presentations batch 2

    14

    Innovative Learning Method Week: Study Visits to Religious Organizations

    12/4

    Visits to:

    The Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT), The Taipei Grand Mosque, and Tzu-Chi Foundation

    • Meet with religious leaders/activists
    • Discuss the interplay between “religion” and “nationalism”, and conflict

    15

    Bonus topic:

    Christian Nationalism in the US

    The complex relations between ethnicity, religion and nationalism

    12/5

     

    Required

    Smith, Anthony D. "Culture, community and territory: the politics of ethnicity and nationalism." International Affairs 72.3 (1996): 445-458.

    Juergensmeyer, Mark. "Religious nationalism in a global world." Religions 10.2 (2019): 97.

    • Lecture: concluding the course: is religious nationalism the most lethal kind of nationalism?
    • Discussion: US Christian nationalism
    • Presentation (for one or two students who chose to do the topic)
    • Other activities: games, simulation, debates
    • Final Presentations batch 3

    16

    Final Presentation Week

    12/19

    Student Final Presentations

    Final Presentations batch 4

     

    FINAL PAPER DEADLINE is on 12/22

    授課方式Teaching Approach

    30%

    講述 Lecture

    25%

    討論 Discussion

    30%

    小組活動 Group activity

    10%

    數位學習 E-learning

    5%

    其他: Others:

    評量工具與策略、評分標準成效Evaluation Criteria

    Evaluations

    • Attendance and active participation       : 15%
    • 2 Presentations (1 on week topic, 1 on final) : 30%
    • 1 Essay                              : 25%
    • 1 Final paper                                         : 30%

     

    Criterion

    • Attendance and active participation: quality and frequency of contribution to class discussions and intervention. Excellence is marked by continuous contributions to class discussions and interventions which show high levels of analysis. Students should complete the assigned readings prior to the meetings and therefore are prepared to discuss the readings.
    • Presentations: Students present twice: the first one is on the essay topic of their choice; the second one is on the outline of their final paper. Evaluation is based on the quality of argument, evidence of research, presentation structure and cohesiveness, speech flow and quality of oral delivery. Excellence is marked by structured delivery, clear and analytical argument, fluent speech and use of power point or other tools.
    • Essay at mid-term: students choose at least 2 theories and a case study on which they would like to write essays. The essay is 1,000 words long, based on the theories in at least 2 (two) of the readings, plus apply them to a case study that is relevant case study, thus not only a summary of the readings. The essays are submitted on mid-term.
    • Final paper: The final paper is 4,000-5,000 words, focusing on a case study which is analyzed using the theories and concepts learned in the class. Students should consult the instructor about the topics at least four weeks before the paper is due. Evaluation is based on the quality and structure of the written piece, evidence-based and conceptually grounded argument, adequate literature review. The usage of relevant additional materials not listed in this syllabus is encouraged. Excellence is marked by analytical argument, usage of relevant theories and concepts, understanding of current events, well-argued position.

     

     

    指定/參考書目Textbook & References

    The reading materials are listed in the course schedule table.

    已申請之圖書館指定參考書目 圖書館指定參考書查詢 |相關處理要點

    維護智慧財產權,務必使用正版書籍。 Respect Copyright.

    本課程可否使用生成式AI工具Course Policies on the Use of Generative AI Tools

    有條件開放使用:AI tools are permitted ONLY for limited parts of a learning task, such as grammar check and assist with practicing foundational concepts, thus students are NOT to rely on it for the entire assignment. Conditional Permitted to Use

    課程相關連結Course Related Links

    
                

    課程附件Course Attachments

    課程進行中,使用智慧型手機、平板等隨身設備 To Use Smart Devices During the Class

    需經教師同意始得使用 Approval

    列印