Course for international guest/part time students

Faculty

Faculty of Social Sciences

Organization

TÁTK Minority Studies Department

Code

EKIP09

Title

Minority policies

Usual semester

Autumn

Published semester

2026/27/1

ECTS

5

Language

en

Learning outcomes

EKIP09 – Minority Policies Instructor: Diána Dunai Program: Ethnic and Minority Studies MA Contact Information Please contact me via email at dunai.diana@tatk.elte.hu or through Canvas messages. Communication Primary course communication will take place through Canvas. Please do not use Teams or Neptun messages, as these may be missed. __________________________________________________________________________ Course Description Throughout the semester, students will conduct their own small-scale ethnographic fieldwork project. The aim is to gain practical experience in qualitative research and gradually develop a project from initial observations towards interpretation. Students will select a social setting, community, group, organization or recurring social practice and engage with it regularly throughout the semester – at least once per week, and preferably more often. The main method will be participant observation, which may be complemented by informal conversations, interviews, documents, digital materials or other qualitative data where relevant. Students are expected to keep systematic fieldnotes. The field does not have to be a formal organization. It may be a setting students already participate in, such as a dormitory, workplace, university community, hobby or sports group, dog-walking community or other recurring social setting. It may also be partly or entirely digital, for example an online community or social media-based group. Because this is a Minority Policies course, students are encouraged to choose a field related in some way to minorities, marginalization, difference, inclusion/exclusion or related social issues. Minority can be understood broadly: possible fields could include an ethnic or religious community, a migrant or disability-related organization, an LGBTQ+ group, a subculture, environmental activists or an online climate-action community. Students interested in civil society organizations might consider, for example, organizations working with refugees and migrants, Roma communities, LGBTQ+ people, homelessness, disability, food redistribution, environmental issues or social inclusion, such as Artemisszió Foundation, Haver Foundation, Háttér Society, Food Not Bombs Budapest, Budapest Bike Maffia, Adománytaxi, Gólya or Auróra Klímakert. These are only examples; students are encouraged to find a field that fits their own interests. A minority-related field is preferred, but regular and realistic access is more important than forcing a minority connection. Students may also combine the project with their professional internship and/or thesis research. Students will gradually develop their research question and research design, engage with relevant academic literature, and move from description towards interpretation. Research questions may change as new themes emerge from the field. Students should pay attention to research ethics, access, consent and anonymization throughout the process. By the end of the semester, students will also be asked to connect their findings to a relevant policy or institutional issue, either by critically discussing an existing policy/practice and/or proposing an evidence-based recommendation. _______________________________________________________________________ Course Schedule Date Topic / Task September 7 Introduction to the Course – Course requirements, introduction to the fieldwork project and possible research fields. September 14 Starting Fieldwork – Ethnographic fieldwork, participant observation, entering the field, access and gatekeepers, consent, fieldnotes and digital ethnography. Students present 1–2 possible fields and initial topics. September 21 Entering the Field – Students present their selected field and initial topic and report on access and consent: whom they contacted, how it went, whether they have already entered the field, or how they plan to gain access. October 19 Fieldwork Meeting I: Getting to Know the Field – First fieldwork experiences, provisional research question, working research design, relevant literature, ethics and next steps. November 9 Fieldwork Meeting II: Emerging Patterns – Developing research question and design, emerging themes and patterns, further literature, preliminary interpretation and initial policy/institutional connections. Mini-lecture: Coding and Interpretation. December 7 Final Fieldwork Meeting: Interpretation – Final presentations: findings and empirical evidence, interpretation, literature/theory, reflexivity and limitations, and policy critique and/or recommendation. Students will receive a detailed task description before each monthly meeting explaining what they should prepare and discuss. PowerPoint presentations are not required for the October and November meetings; students should simply come prepared to discuss the assigned points. A PowerPoint presentation is required for the final December meeting. _________________________________________________________________ Requirements and Assessment The course is based on continuous participation and the development of the fieldwork project throughout the semester. Students are expected to: attend classes regularly; a maximum of two absence is permitted (please try NOT TO MISS the last class when the presentations take place); select their field by September 21 and begin fieldwork on time; conduct fieldwork at least once per week throughout the semester; keep systematic fieldnotes and engage with relevant academic literature; come prepared for the monthly meetings and address the points specified in the detailed task descriptions; demonstrate the gradual development of their research between meetings; prepare a coherent final presentation for December. If a student misses a fieldwork meeting, they must prepare and submit a PowerPoint presentation based on the corresponding task description, covering the points they would have discussed in class. Choosing a field and beginning fieldwork on time is part of the assessment. Unnecessary delays in starting the fieldwork will negatively affect the final grade. The final grade is based on regular attendance and participation, consistent engagement with the fieldwork, preparation for the monthly meetings, development of the research project, and the final presentation. The project does not need to be perfect or fully developed; assessment focuses on whether students thoughtfully engage with the required questions and demonstrate a coherent research process. ________________________________________________________________________ Course Goals By the end of the course, students should be able to: conduct a small-scale qualitative fieldwork project; use participant observation and other qualitative methods in practice; connect empirical observations to relevant academic literature; move from fieldnotes and description towards qualitative interpretation; consider the broader minority, institutional and policy implications of their findings; present their research process and findings in a clear and structured way. Notes Academic integrity: All students must follow the university’s academic integrity policies. Plagiarism and other forms of academic misconduct will be handled according to university rules. Changes to the schedule: This schedule is provisional and may be changed. Any significant changes to topics, readings, deadlines, or class arrangements will be announced in class and on Canvas.

Course content

The course gives an introduction to the public policy analyses of minority related issues. It gives an overview about the different dimensions and categorisations of policies and about the trends and theories of Europeanisation and multi-level governance. Discusses the phenomena of ethnic bias within the policy cycle and ethnic power sharing and highlights their effect through international examples on the everyday life of minorities in Europe. Finally it illustrates and analyses the European models of minority participation in policy making.

Assessment method

ATTENDANCE/EXAM POLICY: Attendance is compulsory. Four classes can be missed without any consequences. If you miss 3, or more classes, you will NOT receive a grade. COURSE REQUIRMENTS: Weekly Readings: Each student will be responsible for ALL the assigned readings!!!! Each week, every student is required to read the assigned articles BEFORE that week’s class. Each student must write ONE response PER week and upload it to Canvas BEFORE that week’s class. Additionally, EACH student MUST read/present at least ONE response during class. This means that everyone must speak at least once every class. Be prepared to read your response in class every week! The written response must demonstrate that you have read all of the articles for that week. To be clear, you 5 are writing ONE response paper for each week, NOT for each article! Written responses can include a question, a critique, an analysis, etc. Your response, regardless of type, MUST be supported with context, citations from the assigned texts, explanation, justification, and relevance. DO NOT write a summary of the articles!!!!! Your written responses should analyze the texts’ content, arguments, logic and critically consider its academic validity, potential usefulness and the insights being offered by the author’s research. Participation/Preparedness: Classes will meet for 120 minutes once a week. Students should be present and engaged in class every day. Participation in classroom discussions is mandatory. Because this is largely a discussion-based course, students are required to interact not only with the instructor, but with each other as well, asking questions, providing assistance and constructive criticisms of each other's ideas. Peer-review is expected!

Bibliography

COURSE TEXTS: Majtényi, B. & Majtényi, Gy. (2016). A Contemporary History of Exclusion - The Roma Issue in Hungary from 1945 to 2015. Budapest-New York, Central European University Press Birkland, T. A. (2011). An Introduction to the Policy Process - Theories, Concepts, and Models of Public Policy Making. London-New York, Routledge Terrence E. C. (2003). Separation, Assimilation, or Accommodation - Contrasting Ethnic Minority Policies. Westport, Connecticut-London, Praeger Harrison, M. & Sanders, T. (Eds). (2014). Social Policies and Social Control - New Perspectives on the 'Not-So-Big Society'. Bristol, Policy Press Assigned peer-reviewed journal articles – uploaded to Canvas.

Programmes of the course