PSYb2996 Understanding Ethnic Prejudice: sociological and social psychological approaches

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2026
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Attila Balla (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Attila Balla
Department of Psychology – Faculty of Social Studies
Supplier department: Department of Psychology – Faculty of Social Studies
Prerequisites (in Czech)
PSYb1020 Personality Psychology
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 30 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/30, only registered: 38/30
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives

The course consists of five main thematic blocks focusing on different aspects of prejudice. In the first block the concept of prejudice and the main approaches and dilemmas of prejudice research will be in the focus and we will look at the most influential theoretical approaches in this field. The second thematic block is an overview of the ways in which prejudice is studied. In order to be able to critically review the results of empirical studies and to plan your own research projects, we will familiarize with a wide range of research methods and will discuss their pitfalls and applicability. In the third thematic block, we look at various forms of prejudice based on results of recent national and international empirical studies. Consequently, in the fourth block, we will seek answers to the question “Why people have prejudices?” looking at prejudice in its complexity by a multi-level approach. The fifth block will conclude the study of prejudice by discussing the possibilities of prejudice-reduction through an overview of various intervention and prevention methods. 


Learning outcomes
By the end of the semester, participants of the class will be able to understand how people perceive, relate to, and interact with each other as members of different groups. They will also be able to plan an own study in the field of intergroup relations and will have the skills to critically review existing theories and empirical studies in this field. 
Syllabus
Topics of classes

I. BASIC CONCEPTS INTERGROUP RELATIONS


1. Introduction, syllabus review, overview of semester, practicalities + How to live with prejudice?

Pelinka, A. (2009). How to Live with Prejudices. In A. Pelinka, K. Bischof, & K. Stögner (Eds.), Handbook of Prejudice (pp. xi–xxii). Amherst, N.Y: Cambria Press.

2. The Nature of Prejudice

Reading:
Brown, R. (2010). Prejudice: Its social psychology (2nd ed.). Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. Chapter 1. The Nature of prejudice (pp. 1–12)

3. Categorisation and group identity


Readings:
Brown, R. (2010). Prejudice: Its social psychology (2nd ed.). Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. Chapter 3. (First half) Social categorisation and prejudice (pp. 35–42)

Brown, R. (2010). Prejudice: Its social psychology (2nd ed.). Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. Chapter 6. Prejudice and intergroup relations (pp. 35–42)

Video:
Select two videos from this collection: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/storywall/hyphen-nation

and think about
- how a video about you would look like
- how these videos could inform research and policy-making

Write your responses in bullet points or short sentences and upload them to the e-learning by Sunday 8PM (class 5 assignment).

4/1. Stereotyping

Reading:
Stangor, C., & Schaller, M. (2000). Stereotypes as individual and collective representations. In C. Stangor (Ed.), Stereotypes and prejudice: Essential readings (pp. 64–82). Psychology Press.

Assignment:
Collect three of the most typical stereotypes about your own group*, collect three negative stereotypes that are common in your country.
*You can think about any group that you belong to.

Upload your written responses to the e-learning by Monday 8PM (class 8 assignment).

II. PREJUDICE IN THE REAL WORLD


4/2. Nationalism, prejudice and stereotyping in the real world: case studies

9. Prejudice from the Target’s perspective

Reading:
Brown, R. (2010). Prejudice: Its social psychology (2nd ed.). Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. Chapter 8. Prejudice from the recipients’ point of view (pp. 219–242)

Video:
American Sociological Association video series: Sociological Insights. Complaining while Black: https://vimeopro.com/asasoc/insights/video/266391772

Assignment:
Research cases of discrimination in your own country and see what is the outcome of complaints to the authorities. Select one interesting case and describe it in a ½ to 1 page summary.

Upload your writing to the e-learning by Monday 8PM (class 10 assignment).

CASE STUDY

6. Roma people in Europe and in Hungary

Reading:
Bunescu, I. (2016). Roma in Europe: The politics of collective identity formation. Routledge. Chapter I. The Roma People
Váradi, L. (2014). Youths Trapped in Prejudice: Hungarian Adolescent's Attitudes towards the Roma. Springer. Chapter 3.2. Living in poverty, facing segregation – everyday experiences of the Roma in Hungary. P. 75 – 81.

Videos:
Rosa Parks Foundation: Systemic racism against the Roma in Hungary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-nrKyz3vpo

Misrecognition of Minorities in Europe (MiSMiE): Everyday Obstacles faced by Roma in Hungary
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCJAouIqw0BDiPBAVsn6gRA/videos


7. Discrimination and unequal treatment of Roma people

Readings (select one of the readings and send your comments to the presenter – you are welcome to read both if you are interested):

Váradi, L., Szilasi, B., Kende, A., Braverman, J., Simonovits, G., & Simonovits, B. (2023). “Personally, I feel sorry, but professionally, I don't have a choice.” Understanding the drivers of anti-Roma discrimination on the rental housing market. Frontiers in Sociology, 8, 1223205.

Nyul, B., Kende, A., Pántya, J., Váradi, L., Braverman, J., Hushegyi, Á., ... & Hopkins, N. (2024). When ‘Can I help you?’hurts: Roma experiences of everyday microaggressions in retail outlets. British Journal of Social Psychology.

III. EXPLANATIONS OF PREJUDICE

8. Explanations of prejudice

Reading:
Pratto, F., Sidanius, J., Stallworth, L. M., & Malle, B. F. (1994). Social dominance orientation: A personality variable predicting social and political attitudes. Journal of personality and social psychology, 67(4), 741.
Crandall, C. S., & Stangor, C. (2005). Conformity and prejudice. In J. F. Dovidio, P. S. Glick, & L. A. Rudman (Eds.), On the Nature of Prejudice. Fifty Years after Allport (pp. 295–309). Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub.

Recommended reading:
Paluck, E. L. (2009). Reducing intergroup prejudice and conflict using the media: A field experiment in Rwanda. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 96(3), 574–587.

IV. HOW CAN INTERGROUP RELATIONS BE IMPROVED?

9. The contact hypothesis

Reading:
Pettigrew, T. F., & Tropp, L. R. (2005). Allport’s Intergroup Contact Hypothesis: Its History and Influence. In J. F. Dovidio, P. S. Glick, & L. A. Rudman (Eds.), On the Nature of Prejudice. Fifty Years after Allport (pp. 272–277). Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub.
Mousa, S. (2019). Building tolerance: Intergroup contact and soccer in post-ISIS Iraq. Program on Governance and Local Development Working Paper, (26).

10. Interventions against prejudice and discrimination – theory

Reading:
Brauer, M. (2024). Stuck on intergroup attitudes: The need to shift gears to change intergroup behaviors. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 19(1), 280-294.
Porat, Roni (2021): You Can't Train People to Be Less Racist, Israeli Researchers Find. Haaretz. https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium.MAGAZINE-you-can-t-train-people-to-be-less-racist-israeli-researchers-find-1.10004349


V. PRESENTATION OF FINAL PROJECTS

Teaching methods
E-learning: all information and material related to the course, including detailed description of assignments, discussion forums, readings, and schedules can be found on the e-learning platform of the course. Students should check the e-learning regularly.

Active participation: students are required to attend class regularly and actively participate in the discussions in class. If students miss class, they should inform the instructor and the program coordinator in advance. Students can not miss more than two classes during the semester.

Weekly comments: students need to send two short (at least one sentence) comments or questions about each obligatory reading / video. These will serve a basis of our discussions. Comments about each of next weeks’ materials should be sent by Sunday 8PM to the presenters of the reading / video. The presenter will collect and forward the comments to the Professor by Monday 8PM.

Presentations: students will prepare short presentations about the readings. In these short (5 minutes) presentations, they will present the main arguments of the readings and will summarize the discussion points from the group. Presenters should prepare a 1-page handout or a short ppt presentation and upload it to the e-learning site by Monday 8PM.

Other assignments: for some classes, students will need to prepare small assignments, based on their own research. Details about these assignments will be shared in class and there will always be a clear description on the e-learning site.

Final project: the final project can be about a topic of students’ choice – anything related to the topic of the course. Students will work in groups of up to five (work share needs to be equally distributed among members of the group).
The format in which the final projects are presented can be decided by the students. You can think of classical research papers (10 pages, with at least 5 references), a podcast, a short video, a small online or offline exhibition, an app, a guided tour, a map, a board game, a blog, or anything else you find suitable.

Topics for the final projects should be submitted beforehand and students will receive feedback. Students should submit a short description of the project idea, explain how it is related to nationalism and intergroup relations, and describe the planned format of the project and the division of labor among the participants.


Students will present their projects during the last classes. We will together discuss the projects and students will receive feedback based on which they can improve their final projects, if necessary. 

Assessment methods
Active participation in the discussions: 15%
Students can collect up to three points in each class for actively participating in the discussions. The overall number of points will be calculated and serve as the basis of the assessment.

Comments and small assignments: 20%
Students can collect up to two points per reading and per assignment. The overall number of points will be calculated and serve as the basis of the assessment.

Reading presentation: 15%
Students can collect up to fifteen points for the presentation and for the handout (15 points altogether).

Mid-term exam: 20%

Students can collect up to 15 points for the mid-term exam.

Final project: 30%
Students can collect up to 20 points for their final project.

Projects will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
  • Overall concept
  • Theoretical foundation
  • Realization of the plan
  • Quality of the presentation


In order for students to receive a passing grade, their performance should be at least 50% for each type of assessment. 
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
The course is taught annually.
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