about the program

The Nationalism Studies Program was established by Central European University with the aim of promoting the study of nationalism in the post-communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The program is a successor to CEU's Center for the Study of Nationalism in Prague directed by the late Professor Ernst Gellner. Situated at CEU's Budapest teaching site, the program offers students an American MA degree accredited by the Board of Regents of the State of New York and a simultaneous european masters degree accredited by the Hungarian State Accreditation Board. The program also offers a PhD degree in the framework of a joint History-Nationalism PhD track in collaboration with CEU's History Department. In addition, the program’s MA graduates may apply to the PhD program in Political Science based on a special agreement between the two units. Graduate students enrolled in PhD programs at universities outside CEU and who wish to utilize CEU's innovative programs and resources to assist the development of their dissertations can apply for the Doctoral Support Program.

The Nationalism Studies Program is intended to respond to the growing demand "There is no such a department anywhere else. It is a truly "CEU-spirited" program. You have a synthesis of research perspectives and a blend of various teaching traditions that is possible only here. And the combination of social science with history is an excellent professional foundation for those who study here."

Balázs Trencsényi, Hungary
Graduate of the NSP
(Assistant Professor, History
Department, CEU)for new knowledge and teaching in the field. Drawing upon the uniquely supranational milieu of the Central European University, it encourages a critical and non-sectarian study of nationalism with special emphasis on problems created by the new configuration of states, nations and minorities in the region. Students are encouraged to engage in an interdisciplinary study of nationalism, a subject that is inherently and fundamentally interdisciplinary. For this reason, the international teaching staff has been assembled to represent a wide range of relevant disciplinary expertise including history, social theory, economics, legal studies, sociology, anthropology, international relations and political science. The program offers a wide selection of courses
that provide a complex theoretical grounding in problems associated with nationhood and nationalism combined with advanced training in the methodology of applied social science. Another group of courses place problems "The Nationalism Studies Program at CEU has had a major impact on my career. The interdisciplinary nature of the program is central to its success; when examining a phenomenon as complex as nationalism, it's impossible to get a real grip on the material without such an approach. The program did more than provide me, as a history graduate, with exposure to other approaches to the study of nationalism; the interdisciplinary nature of the program really sets it apart, and is a major part of what makes it such a well-regarded academic program in many other universities. Personally, the interdisciplinary focus was a major part of what attracted me to the program. It was the course of study that I pursued at the Nationalism Studies Program that has inspired me to pursue my current career path."

Hallett Brazelton, USA
Graduate of the NSP
(Assistant Legislative Counsel, US House of Representatives, Washington DC.)of nationalism in the context of economic and political transition as well as constitution building in post-1989 East-Central Europe with a comparative outlook on regime transitions outside the region.

The 1-year MA Program

The Nationalism Studies Program was established by Central European University with the aim of engaging students in an empirical and theoretical study of issues of nationalism, self-determination, problems of state-formation, ethnic conflict, minority protection and the related theme of globalization. Drawing upon the uniquely supranational milieu of Central European University, the program encourages a critical and non-sectarian study of nationalism.

Students are encouraged to engage in an interdisciplinary study of nationalism, a subject that is inherently and fundamentally interdisciplinary. For this reason, the international teaching staff has been assembled to represent a wide range of disciplinary expertise relevant to the study of nationalism including history, social theory, economics, legal studies, sociology, anthropology, international relations and political science. The program offers a wide selection of courses that provide a complex theoretical grounding in problems associated

with nationhood and nationalism combined with advanced training in the methodology of applied social science. Additional courses focus on placing problems of nationalism in the context of economic and political transition as well as constitution building in post-1989 Central and Eastern Europe, with a comparative outlook on regime transitions outside the region.

Accreditation

The Master of Arts degree in Nationalism Studies is registered by the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York (US) for and on behalf of the New York State Education Department.

Central European University has an absolute charter from the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York amd by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools..

In Hungary CEU is accredited under the name Közép-európai Egyetem.

I remember the program as the most creative and interdisciplinary exercise, and I have not met anything close to this ever since. As I know from my colleagues in the region, the program has been immensely attractive for academics who come from more "traditional" disciplines, such as history and sociology, precisely for this reason.
Markian Prokopovych, Ukraine
Graduate of the NSP
(Juniorprofessur für Polen- und Ukrainestudien, Europa-Universität Viadrina, Frankfurt /Oder)

1-year MA Program Structure

The academic year is divided into an Orientation, two semesters and a Spring Session.

During the Orientation students will be given information about the resources available at the university and in Budapest, and will pass a course in basic computer skills. A readings course covering basic texts in theories of nationalism will also be offered in the Orientation. Semesters I and II include courses and seminars. In the Spring Session, students write their MA thesis.

All students are required to maintain a minimum grade point average (GPA), earn a standard number of credits per semester and attend classes as required by the program. Students are required to earn 24 credits from designated core courses (see section Credit requirements om tje Student Handbook for details). One class from other departments can be selected throughout the academic year. Most courses are in seminar format; active participation is required.

1-year MA Student HandbookThe Nationalism Studies Program at CEU has a significant role in modeling the mentality of the young elite in CEE countries. This project is a long-term one which will, hopefully counteract the negative effects of the absence of a sustained dialogue between intellectuals of different cultures and ethnies in our region. This is "the most practical" aim the Nationalism Studies Programis achieving every year.

Christian Lupu, Romania
Graduate of the NSP
PhD student, Philosophy Department, CEU

Download the 1-year MA Student Handbook 2009 - 2010 from here.

Winter Schedule for 1-year MA students

Download the Winter Schedule for 1-year MA students from here.

Winter Schedule for Jewish Studies students

Download the Winter Schedule for Jewish Studies students from here.

Programme Outcome Matrix

Download the Programme Outcome Matrix from here.

The 2-year MA Program

The Department of Nationalism Studies is now accepting applications for academic year 2009/2010 for the 2-year MA. Program. The program was accredited by the Hungarian Higher Education Accreditation Board in March, 2007, (as Kisebbségpolitika Mesterszak" in Hungarian) The Nationalism Studies Program (Kisebbségpolitika mesterszak) responds to the rapid growth of demand for knowledge and teaching in the field that has been obvious for the past decade. Besides considerable gains in empirical knowledge however, the resurgence of interest in nationalism and minority protection has also led to an alarming process, observed in East-Central Europe, the FSU region and beyond, as a result of which the field is being swamped by quick converts to the study of nationalism and minority protection producing works and educational materials that are theoretically and conceptually poor, narrowly focused and frequently reflect parochial, or even nationalist views. A non-sectarian and internationally comparative program in nationalism and minority protection is in a strategic position to counteract this disturbing tendency. The program will therefore fill a vital role in Hungarian higher education. It aims to shape the next generation of scholars, public officials and activists, endow them with rich empirical knowledge, and sensitize them to a non-sectarian, open and critical perspective on nationhood, nationalism and minority protection. Given the specificities of the region, it also places heavy emphasis on the study of Roma issues within the wider framework of minority studies.

Students enrolled in the Nationalism Studies Program receive the opportunity to engage in a complex approach to the study of nationalism and minority protection, subsumed under the general heading of political science with involvement of history, sociology, legal studies and anthropology as subfields.

The aim of the Program is to train future scholars, educators and professional experts. A comparative, theoretically grounded and empirically well-informed curriculum will sensitize students to the bewildering complexities of issues of nationalism, ethnic relations and minority protection both in global and local contexts. More concretely, students will get a full year's immersion in questions of citizenship, migration, statelessness, multiculturalism, racism, xenophobia, the refugee problem within and outside the European Union. Special attention will be devoted to those mechanisms and institutions within the European Union that are devoted to handle national and ethnic diversity such as processes of regionalisation and power sharing, the mechanisms of the OSCE and the developments related to the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. Special attention is devoted to the study of Roma society. Beyond the relevant scholarship, graduates of the program will exit with a firm knowledge in the political, legal and institutional frameworks available for dealing with issues of ethnic relations and minority protection.

Specialists trained in the program will be prepared for employment in supranational organizations, such as the offices and institutions of the European Union, OSCE, in international and domestic foundations for the protection of minorities, for employment in domestic public administration, local governments and in NGOs as well as for employment in the private sector, especially within the media and public survey institutions.

2-year MA Student Handbook

Download the 2-year MA Student Handbook 2009 - 2010 from here.

Winter Schedule for 2-year MA students

Download the Winter Schedule for 2-year MA students from here.

PhD program

A PhD specialization in Nationalism Studies is offered by the CEU Department of History, PhD in Comparative History of Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe.

If admitted to PhD program in the framework of this agreements, students may rely on continuing support by the Nationalism Studies Program in their research.