National and ethnic minorities 1900-1-MNE-SE
The aim of the course is to present the cultural diversity (national, ethnic, linguistic, religious) of Poland and Europe; developing students' skills in analyzing and interpreting source materials: scientific studies, legal acts and statistical summaries; shaping attitudes of openness, tolerance and respect towards representatives of various cultural groups.
During the course, the issues related to the situation of national, ethnic and religious (denominational) minorities in Poland and Europe will be discussed. In addition, issues related to the protection of minorities in international and Polish law (selected tools in force in Europe and Poland) and the terminology used (key terms and their definitions), monitoring of the situation of minorities, reliability and credibility of data on the size of individual groups (sources, methods and tools, purpose). The contemporary cultural diversity of Poland and Europe will be discussed in detail, as well as changes in the national-ethnic and religious structure resulting from geopolitical and political changes in Europe and in the world. On selected examples of national and ethnic minorities in Poland (i.e. Ukrainian, Lemko, Belarusian, Lithuanian, German, Kashubian), issues concerning their legal, socio-cultural and identity situation as well as their spatial differentiation will be presented. An important aspect of the course is shaping the attitudes of openness towards representatives of other ethnic, national and religious groups, respect for and understanding of cultural differences, and making people aware of the value of various ethnic and religious groups in Polish and European culture.
Student workload includes participation in classes (1 ECTS) and own contribution (1ECTS), including: reading the literature on the subject, preparing and delivering a presentation, preparation for a written test.
Main fields of studies for MISMaP
Type of course
Mode
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Directional effects: K_W05, K_U07, K_K05
Knowledge: Student:
• lists and discusses the basic instruments of international and Polish law relating to the protection of national, ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities;
• describes the differences in terminology used in European and Polish law with regard to the protection of minorities and explains the reasons and consequences of these differences;
• presents how the approach to the protection of minorities in the world and in Poland has changed;
• lists the main sources of data on the number of national, ethnic and religious minorities, and characterizes the tools and methods used to monitor the situation of minorities in Poland (censuses);
• describes the changes in the ethnic structure in Europe and Poland in the 20th century and at the beginning of the 21st century in relation to geopolitical and political changes in the region;
• lists and characterizes the national, ethnic and regional (linguistic) groups in Poland, which are considered a minority according to the applicable law;
• explains the relationship between ethnic identity and religious affiliation;
• describes the socio-political conditions of the legal situation of individual minorities in Poland, explains the situation of the Silesian community and its efforts to be formally recognized as an ethnic (national) minority in Polish law.
Skills. The classes are aimed at acquiring the following skills by the student:
• searching for and using scientific literature and other studies (eg reports, expert opinions) to present a selected problem related to the topic of classes;
• interpreting statistical statements regarding the number of minorities in Poland;
• interpreting and explaining the relationship between political and geopolitical changes and the situation of minorities in Poland and in Europe;
• justifying and arguing one's position in the scope of taking various actions aimed at the protection of minorities;
• cooperation in a team as part of the preparation of a paper and presentation on a given topic.
Social competence. The student is ready to:
• active participation in the classes, taking part in discussions and expressing one's opinion respecting the different position of other participants of the classes;
• promoting the values resulting from the cultural diversity of Poland and Europe and observing the principles of respect for representatives of other cultures.
Assessment criteria
During the classes, various forms of work are used: individual, group and collective, as well as teaching methods: analysis of source texts, discussion, presentation, written work (essay).
Assessment elements:
• preparation of a paper in the form of a presentation in teams of 2-3 people and presenting it in class;
• participation in discussions during the classes;
• written work (essay) - for those willing;
• colloquium conducted on the penultimate class.
Class attendance is obligatory. Two absences are allowed. In other cases, the form of credit for absences should be individually agreed with the teacher.
In the summer semester 2020/21, classes are conducted remotely using GoogleMeet tools and the Kampus platform.
Bibliography
Babiński G., 1997, Pogranicze polsko-ukraińskie: etniczność, zróżnicowanie religijne, tożsamość. Wyd. NOMOS, Kraków.
Barwiński M., 2013, Geograficzno-polityczne uwarunkowania sytuacji Ukraińców, Łemków, Białorusinów i Litwinów w Polsce po 1944 roku, Wyd. Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego.
Barwiński M., 2014, Struktura narodowościowa Polski w świetle wyników spisu powszechnego z 2011 r., Przegląd Geograficzny, 86 (2), s. 217-241.
Barwiński M., 2015, Spisy powszechne w Polsce w latach 1921–2011 – określanie czy kreowanie struktury narodowościowej?, Folia Geographica Socio-Oeconomica, 21, s. 53-72.
Rusek H., 2015, Wielokulturowość z konfliktem w tle – Ślązacy: naród? Nardoowość? Grupa etniczna?, Pogranicze. Studia społeczne, 25, s. 13-24.
Sadowski A., 1995, Pogranicze polsko-białoruskie. Tożsamość mieszkańców, Trans Humana, Białystok.
Reports:
Europe’s Ethnic Mosaic, A Short Guide to Minority Rights in Europe, 2008, (edit) Thomas Benedikte, EURAC.research
European Union Minorities and Discrimination Survey (EU-MIDIS) Main Results Report. 2009, European Agency for Fundamental Rights
Prawo mniejszości narodowych i etnicznych w prawie międzynarodowym i polskim, 2011, Opracowanie tematyczne OT-599, Kancelaria Senatu. Biuro analiz i Dokumentacji.
Struktura narodowo-etniczna, językowa i wyznaniowa ludności Polski, 2015, GUS, Warszawa.
Wyznania religijne w Polsce w latach 2015-2018, 2019, GUS, Warszawa.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: