TLÜ ÕIS

Multi-Culturalism from a Global Perspective

Course code

HIK7161.HT

old course code

Course title in Estonian

Mitmekultuurilisus globaalsest perspektiivist

Course title in English

Multi-Culturalism from a Global Perspective

ECTS credits

6.0

Assessment form

Examination

lecturer of 2023/2024 Spring semester

Not opened for teaching. Click the study programme link below to see the nominal division schedule.

lecturer of 2024/2025 Autumn semester

Not opened for teaching. Click the study programme link below to see the nominal division schedule.

Course aims

By the end of the course, students are expected to be familiar with the basic contours of the cosmopolitan project within anthropology. The course will address the different ways in which cosmopolitanism presents a simultaneous critique and alternative to other theoretical approaches (e.g., approaches that fixate on structural markers of difference or cultural categories).

Brief description of the course

This course will look at critical anthropological approaches to concepts like ‘globalization’, ‘multiculturalism’, ‘human rights’, and ‘nationalism’. In particular, this course will highlight the emerging field of cosmopolitan studies within anthropology.

Politically, the course will argue that cosmopolitanism encompasses the tensions associated with (1) global social and cultural settings, (2) the experience of the individual citizen, and (3) the openness of a just society. It resolves these tensions by promoting an egalitarian, existentially sensitive, and critical examination of sociological categories such as identity, social inclusion, migration, recognition, entitlement, sovereignty, belonging and rights.

Methodologically, the course will make the case for ethnography as a consistent way to engage with the tensions suggested by cosmopolitan theory. Cosmopolitan methodologies place the individual experience at the centre of the inquiry with the intention of shedding light on the ethical space of the citizen in a plural and fluid society.

The format of the sessions will be akin to a Seminar or Reading Group. A student, or group of students, will commit themselves to doing an oral presentation on the assigned readings for the session. This presentation will be followed by a group discussion of the themes brought up during the oral report.

Learning outcomes in the course

Upon completing the course the student:
- will develop an understanding of cosmopolitanism and humanitarianism and how they are related in their approaches to global politics;
- will become familiar with ethnography as a method for exploring cosmopolitanism as a practice and lived experience;
- will evaluate the legitimacy of global political actors, including cultural/national representatives, intergovernmental organizations, and nonprofit organizations.

Teacher

Timothy Anderson

Study programmes containing that course