Study Abroad: Paris and Providence Courses

Sciences Po and Brown University Joint Program on Political Science: National Identity in a Globalized World

Course Descriptions

POLS 1370 - National Identity in the 21st Century

The purpose of this course is to expose students to both how historical experience, state institutions, and government policies foster certain identities over others and the multiplicity of ways in which identity formation, in turn, affects politics -- at the personal, local or community, state, and international levels -- with an empirical focus on Europe and the United States. Broad themes in the first half of the course, which take place at Science Po in Paris, France, include European identity as distinct from or composite of national identities within Europe and the role of anti-Americanism in the formation of a European identity. In the second half of the course, which takes place at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, comparisons will be made with United States concerning the experience of colonialism and imperialism, nation-state formation, and the evolution of citizenship in a multi-racial and multi-cultural environment. Students will also be introduced to the leading theoretical perspectives on identity formation and the mobilization of identity into politics: primordialism, constructivism, and instrumentalism. They will be encouraged to apply these perspectives to the case material in both halves of the course. The course concludes by examining a range of policy “solutions” to incorporating multiple identities in Europe and the U.S., including assimilation and multiculturalism.

National Identity in a Globalized World  - Paris, France

The 4-week seminar in Paris is devoted to the question of a European identity: is there such an identity which would differ from the mere sum of national identities? Some scholars, like A. D. Smith, contend that there is no European identity because of the lack of common pasts, memories and symbols. Others on the other hand look for similarities which underline a European specificity – as opposed to other continents or sub-continents: this is the case that sociologists such as Göran Therborn, political scientists as Gerard Delanty, historians as Tony Judt, Charles Maier or Hartmut Kaelble, or anthropologists such as Marc Abeles, forcefully support. During the four week seminar we will look at various aspects and at various approaches of this question with the help of specialists.

Comparing Identity in Europe and the United States – Providence, RI

The purpose of this course is to expose students to both how historical experience, state institutions, and government policies foster certain identities over others and the multiplicity of ways in which identity formation, in turn, affects politics -- at the personal, local or community, state, and international levels -- with an empirical focus on Europe and the United States. This is the second half of the course, for which topics include nation-state formation, the evolution of citizenship in a multi-racial and multi-cultural environment, and the politics of religion. Students will also be introduced to the leading theoretical perspectives on identity formation and the mobilization of identity into politics: primordialism, constructivism, and instrumentalism. They will be encouraged to apply these perspectives to the case material in both halves of the course.