The course provides a critical overview of the origins, development and current state of race and ethnicity relations in Britain, and discusses the transformation of the United Kingdom into a multicultural society. It seeks to make students aware that while for some the British Isles may be merely a geographical term, for others they represent a highly problematic political issue. The course considers social, political and cultural changes in the British Isles, with race relations being closely linked to a number of issues that are seen as central to contemporary British life. With regard to the existence of the various parts of the United Kingdom, the course highlights the fact that although the term ?British? is not itself an explicit political term, it reflects the political situation in which the four separate nations of the United Kingdom were brought together. Although the term British Isles may have a seemingly long history of common usage, it is becoming increasingly controversial, particularly in Ireland, where some people reject the connotations of political and cultural links between Ireland and the United Kingdom. The course also examines the political and ideological developments that resulted in the establishment of two separate states on the island of Ireland: the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland. In the context of this division, it then analyses the period after 1998, examines unionist and nationalist "expectations and fears" within the thought patterns embedded in nationalism and unionism, and evaluates the functioning of government institutions in Northern Ireland.
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