The aim of this course is to transfer to law students sociological, politological and legal concepts related to ethnicity and ethnic diversity. The course will introduce to law students an up-to-date account of the relevant international legal standards for protection of the rights of national minorities and the developments in supervisory practice of monitoring bodies. The course will therefore analyse the measures envisaged to protect national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities in European countries, particularly those developed under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Council of Europe and the European Union, international organizations that have been continuously committed to a peaceful European order. Their efforts have resulted in developing numerous instruments that prescribe rights of national minorities. Apart from the Council of Europe's legally binding instruments developed to protect and promote rights of national minorities and to protect and preserve regional and minority languages in Europe, the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities thematic Recommendations and Guidelines developed to address ethnic tensions and to prevent hostilities over national minority issues will be thoroughly examined.
