Overview

This course is designed to introduce you to the social histories and current challenges of religious, ethnic, and sexual minority groups in Eastern Europe.   Beginning with a study of the European construction of “other” and ethnic border making, we will draw from diverse, and often competing, disciplines to analyze the complexity of ethnic identity in Eastern Europe and how nation building and nationalism has served to assimilate, segregate, or exclude minorities.  For the first half of the semester we will explore ethnic Muslim minorities in Eastern Europe in order to understand the intellectual, cultural, and spiritual synthesis of Muslim communities and the highly complex relationship between Islam and the nation-state.  We will also look at different aspects of politicization and how they have shaped interaction in the “New Europe.”  Lastly, we will examine the complicated and historically volatile conditions of Muslims in the former Yugoslavia.  We will begin the second half of the semester with an analysis of sexual minorities in Eastern Europe, paying special attention to the recent discrimination against LGBTQ groups in Russia.  We will spend a week surveying Jewish communities in post-Communist transition, including participation in national politics and problems of anti-Semitism.  We will then investigate the unique situation of national minorities, citizenship, and nation-building in Kosovo.  For the remainder of the semester, we will focus on Romani minorities.  As the largest minority in Europe, the Roma have a long history of persecution and discrimination.  Together, we will evaluate case studies of Roma in Hungary, Romania, and the Balkans.  Finally, we will close the semester with a discussion on ethnic cleansing in the region and the impact of the European Union on the future of minority groups.

Throughout the course, we will survey cultural representations of Eastern European minorities, including film, music, and images.  We will probe the purposes of artists, including filmmakers, and the impact cultural representations have had on perceptions of minority groups, paying special attention to (mis)representation and stereotypes.  We will also consider how these representations connect to ethnic and cultural identification both from within and from without ethnic groups. 

This course has three primary goals: to foster an environment of intellectual engagement and collaborative learning; to provide you with an in depth exposure to scholarship on minorities and Islam in Eastern Europe; to encourage a more critical understanding of representations of minorities in Eastern Europe; and to enhance your critical thinking and analytical skills.  

Objectives

Upon completion of this course you should be able to:

1.Identify key theories, concepts, ideas, and issues related to the discourse on Islam and ethnic minorities in Eastern Europe.

2.Critically analyze media representations of minorities and how they impact and influence society.

3.Discuss the role of the state, civil society, and the private sector in developing politics and policies related to Eastern European ethnic relations.

4.Explain social and political decisions and events that influence minority rights to education, cultural expression, religious freedom, family life, economic success and political participation.

5.Formulate a carefully constructed and persuasive ethnological case study in an essay.

Readings

You are responsible for reading the materials for this course in their entirety.  Please come to class having read, heard, or viewed the material for that day.  We will discuss, in class, specific articles listed on the course schedule.  You should use the timing of those discussions as guideline for keeping up with the readings.  A list of suggested readings and other resources such as primary texts and videos will also be available on Blackboard under “Course Resources.”

Coursework

Weekly Reaction Paper: For each week with assigned readings, you will write a reaction paper to the readings and email it to your classmates and myself by Monday noon.  Include in your reaction a summary of the thesis and key points of each of the assigned readings for that week.  The key is to react to the readings, not to summarize them.  Also include one or two questions relevant to the week’s theme that would facilitate class discussion.  There is no word count or page requirement, but your work should demonstrate that you have read the material and are prepared to discuss it in class.   Reaction papers are designed to help you synthesize and comprehend the reading material. 

Discussion Lead: Beginning in week three, each of you will facilitate a Friday class discussion based on course readings and media for the week.  Utilizing your reaction paper, you will first briefly synthesize and discuss the arguments for each assigned article and then compare the emailed responses of your colleagues. Comment on each response, and identify conflicting opinions in the responses. Select two to three questions for class discussion (these may be taken from the emailed responses of colleagues or your own reaction paper).  The best discussion questions will be drawn from points of disagreement among your colleagues.  During your discussion week, you will need to take the time to thoroughly read your colleagues’ reaction papers in order to effectively lead the discussion. 

Paper Prospectus Presentation: At the end of the semester, you will present a ten to fifteen minute summary of your research for the class. This is an excellent opportunity to articulate your work and to seek input from your colleagues.

Final Paper: Choosing any country in Eastern Europe, you will investigate a minority group and complete an ethnographic case study of that group.  Include a historical perspective, current situation in terms of agency and structure, and projection of future conditions.  Complete instructions and a guide to get you started will be available on Blackboard.

Sustainability at FSU

I fully support sustainability initiatives on the FSU campus. To reduce paper use, most of your course documents (including the syllabus and readings) will be provided on the course Blackboard page. Please try to save paper by reading these documents online, if possible. If you must print out documents, please consider printing double-sided and with two pages per sheet of paper. I grade the electronic versions of your essays through email.  If you prefer to turn in a hard copy, I will accept (and encourage) assignments on recycled paper and/or double-sided printing.  Please note, my flexibility in accepting essays this way does not exempt you from formatting requirements.  For more information about sustainability on campus, please see http://www.sustainablecampus.fsu.edu.

Evaluation

Reaction Paper: 25%
Discussion Lead: 20%

Presentation: 15%
Final Paper: 40%

Grading Scale:

93-100%     A

90-92%       A-

87-89%       B+

83-86%       B

80-82%       B-

77-79%       C+  

73-76%       C

70-72%       C-

67-69%       D+

63-66%       D

60-62%       D-

>60%          F

Academic Honor Policy

Plagiarism is a serious offense and will be dealt with according to the University Policy—I will always pursue the strictest recourse.   I do not accept papers that were written for other courses.  If you are in doubt or have any questions, please come talk to me.

The Florida State University Academic Honor Policy outlines the University’s expectations for the integrity of students’ academic work, the procedures for resolving alleged violations of those expectations, and the rights and responsibilities of students and faculty members throughout the process. Students are responsible for reading the Academic Honor Policy and for living up to their pledge to “. . . be honest and truthful and . . . [to] strive for personal and institutional integrity at Florida State University.” (Florida State University Academic Honor Policy, found at http://dof.fsu.edu/honorpolicy.htm.)

Americans with Disabilities Act

Students with disabilities needing academic accommodation should: (1) register with and provide documentation to the Student Disability Resource Center; and (2) bring a letter to the instructor indicating the need for accommodation and what type. This should be done during the first week of class. This syllabus and other class materials are available in alternative format upon request. For more information about services available to FSU students with disabilities, contact the:
Student Disability Resource Center
874 Traditions Way, 108 Student Services Building
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL 32306-4167 
(850) 644-9566 (voice); (850) 644-8504 (TDD)
sdrc@admin.fsu.edu; http://www.disabilitycenter.fsu.edu/

University Attendance Policy

Excused absences include documented illness, deaths in the family and other documented crises, call to active military duty or jury duty, religious holy days, and official University activities. These absences will be accommodated in a way that does not arbitrarily penalize students who have a valid excuse. Consideration will also be given to students whose dependent children experience serious illness.

Syllabus Change Policy

"Except for changes that substantially affect implementation of the evaluation (grading) statement, this syllabus is a guide for the course and is subject to change with advance notice.”