Admission requirements
There are no prerequisites for this course. It serves as Global Citizenship component and/or 100 level course for the Human Interaction Major.
This course is the first component of the track Diversity and Integration, as such prerequisite for DII 201 Sources of Diversity, Difference and Inclusion: Assembling the World.
Description
In the past few years, the promotion of multiculturalism has been confronted with sharp statements by leading politicians in Europe declaring the failure of the multicultural project. What has been at stake is to question the dimensions and form of integration in our increasingly globalised and diversified societies. But, what exactly is that that has failed? This introductory course to the Diversity and Integration track explores the actual uneasiness provoked by multicultural discourses by means of addressing one of the basic underlying presuppositions of it detractors, that is the idea of an existing unity.
Diversity and integration are two categories that, in order to exist, presuppose an existing unity. This course aim is to examine from a cross-disciplinary perspective how that unity is produced. Starting from an ecological approach, the course addresses some of the most capital forms of unity configuring our current understanding of the world: Nature, Society, Culture, the State and Knowledge.
Course objectives
To provide students with an overview of the main forms of examining and framing the idea of unity and to develop their ability to critically disclose them in order to analyse questions affecting Diversity and Integration in contemporary societies.
By the end of the course, students should have attained:
A cross-disciplinary understanding of the problems at stake when addressing quests for Diversity and Integration.
A clear grasp of certain key concepts and theories in the multicultural debates.
An ability to examine, question and take positions regarding crucial aspects of prevailing criteria of normalcy, politics of integration and difference.
Timetable
See LUC website: www.lucthehague.nl
Mode of instruction
Students continuous and active participation is fundamental for this course development. It is our course, which means it requires the work of all, students and lecturer alike, to produce a learning community.
Biweekly seminars form the main body of this course. The structure of the seminars is based on lectures (45-60 minutes) and students’ presentations and debates (45-60 minutes). This ensures the introduction of knowledge and materials and the ongoing test of students’ understanding of this knowledge through discussions, constructive criticism and debates.
Documentaries and other media will be used regularly to ensure exposure to diverse resources, forms of knowledge and types of evidence.
Students will prepare for seminars by completing the assigned readings, which will be available in the Blackboard site. In addition, each student needs to complete one weekly web-posting/reading note based on his/her reflections on the topic, readings and the ongoing debates of each week.
Assessment method
Students will be assessed in various ways. Emphasis will be placed on their active interaction and engagement with the themes and debates posed in class.
#Active engagement with the course content: assessed through In-class participation and debates (10% of final grade):Ongoing Weeks 1 – 7
- Individual engagement with course: assessed through Weekly web-postings / reading notes (150-300 words; 30% of final grade, 5% each):Weeks 2 – 7 (Fridays at 18:00hrs)
- Critical understanding of the key theoretical debates: assessed through In-class group debate (20% of final grade): Week 4 (Thursday 1st March)
- Critical description and examination of the course central arguments: assessed through Final essay – Individual case study report (3000 words; 40% of final grade): Week 8 (Thursday 29th March)
Blackboard
This course is supported by a blackboard site.
Reading list
A reader for the course will be compiled and will be electronically available in Blackboard site before the beginning of the course. Students are expected to bring the weekly assigned readings in paper for discussion during the seminars together with their “reading notes”.
The following book will inform the conclusive session:
Ron Eyerman The assassination of Theo Van Gogh, Durham: Duke University Press (2008).
Registration
This course is only open for LUC The Hague students.
Contact information
For further information please contact Dr. Daniela Vicherat Mattar d.a.vicherat.mattar@luc.leidenuniv.nl:mailto:d.a.vicherat.mattar@luc.leidenuniv.nl
Weekly Overview
WEEK 1 Why is it important to examine the idea of unity?
WEEK 2 Examining the unity of Nature
WEEK 3 Examining the unity of Society
WEEK 4 Examining the unity of Culture
WEEK 5 Examining the unity of the State
WEEK 6 Interrogating the unity of knowledge
WEEK 7 Not to confuse: foundations v/s fundamentalism
WEEK 8 Reading Week
Preparation for first session
G. Bateson “Methalogue: What do things get in a muddle?” in Steps to an Ecology of Mind, The University of Chicago Press, 2000, pages: 21-25.
Students are requested to reflect upon their own understanding of what the ideas of unity, diversity and integration entail. In the first session those ideas will be discussed and framed in the light of the course objectives.