Required prerequisite knowledge

Admission to the Master of Intercultural Studies program.

Relevance within study programme

Compulsory course in the Master programme of Intercultural studies.

Introduction

The aim of this course is to present varied and in-depth perspectives on intercultural theories and to provide students with a theoretical toolkit applicable in different cultural/regional and occupational contexts. 

The course is based on and enhances students´ competences from the bachelor’s studies in Intercultural Studies. The theoretical foundation stems from anthropology, sociology, cultural studies, religious studies and intercultural communication, and the main focus is on basic opportunities and challenges in intercultural understanding. Throughout the course, students will improve their knowledge of relevant literature at the research frontier as well as their familiarity with classical texts. 

Learning outcomes descriptors

Knowledge

The student has 

• thorough knowledge on foundational theory concerning social identity, belonging, citizenship and multiculturalism, representation, and language and power, and on the basic principles, opportunities and challenges in intercultural analysis  
• advanced knowledge about a variety of important theoretical perspectives on the intersection of culture, ethnicity, religion, race, and gender, among others, as well as a thorough understanding of current research debates on intercultural interaction 

More specifically, this includes:

• thorough knowledge on stereotyping, stigma, racism, and xenophobia   
• thorough knowledge of integration as a form of acculturation, as a multidimensional social process, and as a policy goal embedded in institutions and practices 
• thorough knowledge on how identities are articulated in diverse societies and understanding of processes of inclusion and exclusion, identity formation, differentiation and recognition. 
• insights into the connections between trust, belonging and equality in diverse societies. 
• insights into the significance of language for thought and world views 

Skills

The student

• can assess and apply a variety of intercultural theories and can make valid theoretical choices to analyse the cultural and social factors influencing intercultural relations and orientations to diversity 
• can analyse existing cultural theories and intercultural interpretations 
• can analyse inclusion and exclusion mechanisms that affect encounters between differently situated actors 
• can analyse barriers and obstacles to intercultural dialogue and inclusive participation 
• can analyse fundamental principles, problems and dilemmas in intercultural theory and practice

General competence

The student

• can use and communicate knowledge on intercultural theories and current research discussions on intercultural themes 
• can show ethical awareness, reflexivity, and cultural sensitivity in their analysis of multicultural/intercultural challenges 
• can apply their intercultural knowledge and skills on new empirical fields and carry out advanced tasks focusing on multicultural/intercultural settings 

Content

The course examines socio-cultural elements that affect communication and interaction across group boundaries. Students will investigate those elements in different intercultural/multicultural contexts; examining processes of inclusion and exclusion, intersectional politics of belonging, and orientations to diversity, among others. The course participants will discuss challenges related to cultural recognition, multiculturalism, diversity and intercultural dialogue. The course also give insights into a variety of perspectives on inter-ethnic and inter-religious interaction, cultural pluralism, social differentiation and power. 

Teaching and learning methods

Several forms of teaching will be employed, including lectures, seminars and workshops with opportunities to train oral presentation and communicative skills. The combination of teaching, seminars and assessment during the course are designed to assist the student’s acquisition of the various theories and to train them in how to apply theory in the analysis of intercultural cases and how to suggest solutions to challenges that are framed in terms of culture. The compulsory work requirements are also designed to train the student’s skills in group-cooperation and prepare the students for the final assessment. 

Scope

600 work hours

Coursework requirements

Each student has to:

• Participate in at least three theoretical seminars 
• Present a central intercultural theory in a theory seminar, and participate actively in the group discussion. The presentation is assessed as approved / not approved 
• Participate in at least three case-seminars 
• Write three short reflexive logs, one for each case seminar, where the student describes and evaluates what they have learned about the theme, the work-method, the group-dynamic andtheir own role and contribution in the group. 
• One of the above mentioned reflexive logs has to be handed in for evaluation 
• Oral group exercise with three days preparation. The students are set in groups of 2 or 3, and are given three days to prepare an analysis and proposed solution on an intercultural case provided by the teacher. After the three days of preparation, the group presents their case, their analysis and proposed solution, followed by a reflective discussion with the teacher(s) and co-students 

Grading, coursework requirements

Approved / Not approved

Final assessment

• Individual paper. The student has to write an academic text on a given topic. The length of the assignment shall be approx. 4000 words (+/- 10%).

Grading, examination

The assignment will be graded according to the normal ECTS grading scale from A to F, in which E or better is necessary in order to pass.

Permitted aids under examination

All aids permitted.

Assessment language

Scandinavian or English

Practice

None.

Course evaluation

Annually course evaluation in accordance with the quality assurance system for NLA University College. Students may also give their feedback on the course in the student group/ in class.

Available as Single Course

No.

Reading list and academic resources

Article

Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving? Anthropological Reflections on Cultural Relativism and Its Others
Abu-Lughod, Lila, Oxford, UK, American Anthropological Association, 783-790, American anthropologist, 3, 104, 2002-09-01, 783-790,
View online

Book

The Globalization of ethics : religious and secular perspectives
Will Kymlicka (redaktør), Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, XIV, 305 s., 2007, isbn:9780521700214,
Ch. 1 and 11

Article

The language of diversity
Ahmed, Sara, [London] :, Routledge, Ethnic & racial studies., 2, 30, 2007, 235-256,
View online

Book

Imagined communities : reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism
Anderson, Benedict, London, Verso, XV, 224 s., 1991, isbn:0860913295; 0860915468,
To be purchased or borrowed

Article

TRANSNATIONAL MOBILITIES, MIGRATION RESEARCH AND INTERSECTIONALITY: Towards a translocational frame
Anthias, Floya, Helsinki University Press, 102-110, Nordic Journal of Migration Research, 2, 2, 2012-06-01, 102-110,
View online

Article

'Sámi in the Heart': Kinship, Culture, and Community as Foundations for Indigenous Sámi Identity in Norway
Berg-Nordlie, Mikkel, Routledge, 1-23, Ethnopolitics, ahead-of-print, ahead-of-print, 1-23,
View online

Article

How to Perform Non-racism? Colour-blind Speech Norms and Race-conscious Policies among French Security Personnel
Bonnet, Francois, Abingdon, Routledge, 1275-1294, Journal of ethnic and migration studies, 8, 40, 2014-08-03, 1275-1294,
View online

Article

Social Space and Symbolic Power
Bourdieu, Pierre, American Sociological Association., Thousand Oaks, CA, Jossey-Bass, Sociological theory., 1, 7, 1989, 14-25,

Article

Ethnicity without groups
Brubaker, Rogers, Cambridge, England, Cambridge University Press, Archives européennes de sociologie = European journal of sociology = Europäisches Archiv für Soziologie., 2, 43, 2002, 163-189,
View online

Book Extract

The Myth of Religious Violence: Secular Ideology and the Roots of Modern Conflict
Cavanaugh, William T, New York, Oxford University Press, 2009-11-01, 124-180, isbn:0195385047,
View online

Article

Is intersectional racial justice organizing possible? Confronting generic intersectionality
Christoffersen, Ashlee, London, Routledge, 407-430, Ethnic and racial studies, 3, 45, 2022-02-17, 407-430,
View online

Article

Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics
Crenshaw Kimberle, University of Chicago. Law School., Chicago, Ill., [University of Chicago Law School], The University of Chicago legal forum., 140, 1989, 139-167,
View online

Article

Is it mandatory to celebrate birthdays?’ Birthday parties as a ritual of Everyday Nationalism in Norway
Danielsen, H and S Bendixsen, Kungl. Gustav Adolfs akademien (Uppsala, Sweden), Uppsala, Kungl. Gustav Adolfs Akademien för svensk folkkultur, Ethnologia Scandinavica : a journal for Nordic ethnology., 2020, 83-104,
View online

Article

Dealing with diversity, hoping for inclusion. Parents’ involvement in urban schools in Norway
Danielsen, H and S. Bendixsen, Thousand Oaks, CA, Sage Publications, Ethnicities., 6, 19, 2019, 1158-1180,

Book

Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity
Goffman, Erving, New York, Touchstone, 1986, isbn:9780671622442,
To be purchased or borrowed
View online

Book Extract

Picturing pity: pitfalls and pleasures in cross-cultural communication. image and word in a north cameroon mission
Gullestad, Marianne, New York, NY, Berghahn Books, xviii-xviii, 2007, 1-33, isbn:9781845453435,

Book Chapter

Identity and Diaspora.
Hall, S., Williams, Patrick ; Chrisman, Laura, Identity and Diaspora., London, Routledge, 1994, 392-403, isbn:0745014917,
View online

Article

‘The art of kindergarten drop off’: how young Norwegian-Somali parents perform ethnicity to avoid reports to Child Welfare Services
Handulle, Ayan & Anders Vassenden, [Oxford, England] :, Oxford University Press, 1 online resource, European journal of social work., 3, 24, 2021, 469-480,
View online

Article

The (dis)similarities of white racial identities: the conceptual framework of 'hegemonic whiteness.
Hughey, M., [London] :, Routledge, Ethnic & racial studies., 8, 33, 2010, 1289-1309,
View online

Article

National Symbols as Signs of Unity and Division.
Kolstø, Pål, [London] :, Routledge, Ethnic & racial studies., 4, 29, 2006, 676-701,
View online

Article

Immigration, citizenship, multiculturalism; Exploring the links.
Kymlicka, W, [Oxford] :, Blackwell Publishers, The political quarterly., 74, 2003, 195-208,
View online

Article

The rise and fall of multiculturalism? New debates on inclusion and accommodation in diverse societies
Kymlicka, Will, Pi Gamma Mu., Winfield, KS :, Pi Gamma Mu, 1 online resource, International social science review., 61, 2010, 97-112,
View online

Book Extract

A Passion for Difference: Essays in Anthropology and Gender
Moore, Henrietta L, Chicester, Polity Press, 1994, 49-70, isbn:9780745613079,
Chapter 3

Book

Intercultural communication : a critical introduction
Piller, Ingrid, Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press, XI, 227 sider, 2017, isbn:9781474412902; 9781474412919,
"View online" links to a page where you can download a pdf of the text
View online

Article

Bourdieu, social space, and the nation-state: Implications for migration studies
Reed-Danahay, Deborah, Sociologica (Bologna), 2, 11, 2017-05-01,
View online

Article

Power, Revisited
Roscigno, Vincent J, Chapel Hill, NC, Oxford University Press, 349-374, Social forces, 2, 90, 2011-12-01, 349-374,
View online

Article

Writing Against Integration: Danish Imaginaries of Culture, Race and Belonging
Rytter, Mikkel, Stockholm, Routledge, 678-697, Ethnos, 4, 84, 2019-08-08, 678-697,
View online

Article

In-laws and outlaws: black magic among Pakistani migrants in Denmark
Rytter, Mikkel, Oxford, UK, Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 46-63, The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, 1, 16, 2010-03, 46-63,
View online

Article

Gender: A Useful Category of Historical Analysis
Scott, Joan W., 1053-, The American historical review, 5, 91, 1986-12, 1053-1075,
View online

Document

Nationalism, Gender and Welfare: The politics of gender equality in Scandinavia.
Siim, B., & Stoltz, P., FREIA - Feminist Research Center in Aalborg, Institut for Kultur og Globale Studier., 2013,
View online

Article

The National in Everyday Life: A Critical Engagement with Michael Billig's Thesis ofBanal Nationalism
Skey, Michael, 331-346, The Sociological review (Keele), 2, 57, 2009-05, 331-346,
View online

Book Chapter

Can the subaltern speak?
Spivak, G. C., Williams, Patrick ; Chrisman, Laura, Can the subaltern speak?, London, Routledge, 1994, 66-111, isbn:0745014917,
View online

Book Chapter

The Politics of Recognition
Taylor, Charles, Charles Taylor (1931-), Charles Taylor (1931-,) (author), The Politics of Recognition, Princeton, N.J., Princeton University Press, 1994, 25-73, isbn:140081362X,
View online

Article

Norwegianness as Lived Citizenship Religious Women Doing Identity Work at The Intersections of Nationality, Gender and Religion
Thun, Cecilie, 1-25, Nordic Journal of Religion and Society, 1, 25, 2017-02-10, 1-25,
View online

Book Chapter

Race and racism.
Todorov, T., Todorov, T., Les Back, Race and racism., London, Routledge, XXIV, 646, 2000, 68-74, isbn:0415156718,

Article

Belonging and the politics of belonging
Yuval-Davis, Nira, Taylor & Francis Group, 197-214, Patterns of prejudice, 3, 40, 2006-07-01, 197-214,
View online

Article

Stories told: integrational processes as experienced by immigrants with African backgrounds living in Norway
Overå Johannesen, Berit ; Appoh, Lily, London, Routledge, 1174-1191, Ethnic and racial studies, 7, 44, 2021-05-28, 1174-1191,
View online

Book Chapter

Social Construction: Who? What? Where? How?
Haslanger, Sally, Elizabeth Hackett, Social Construction: Who? What? Where? How?, New York, Oxford University Press, XIX, 564, 2006, 17-23, isbn:9780195150094,
View online

Article

Dealing with the Dilemmas: Integration at the Street-level in Norway
Hagelund, Anniken, Oxford, UK, Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 79-102, International migration, 2, 48, 2010-04, 79-102,
View online

Article

From bystander to actor
Bauman, Zygmunt, Taylor & Francis Group, 137-151, Journal of human rights, 2, 2, 2003-06-01, 137-151,
View online

Book Chapter

National Identity in the World of Nations
Michael Billig (forfatter), National Identity in the World of Nations, London, Sage, 200, 1995, 60-90, isbn:9780803975248,

Book Chapter

Coloniality of Power and Subalternity,
Walter Mignolo, Ileana Rodríguez, Coloniality of Power and Subalternity,, Durham, Duke University Press, 2001, 424-444, isbn:1282903632,
View online

Article

A Decolonial Project for Europe
GURMINDER K. BHAMBRA, Journal of common market studies, 2, 60, 2022, 229-244,
View online

Article

Decolonizing Feminism in the North: A Conversation with Rauna Kuokkanen
Knobblock, Ina ; Kuokkanen, Rauna, Stockholm, Routledge, 275-281, NORA : Nordic journal of women's studies, 4, 23, 2015-10-02, 275-281,
View online

Article

Neither Individualism nor ‘Groupism’: A Reply to Craig Calhoun
Brubaker, Rogers, SAGE Publications, 553-557, Ethnicities, 4, 3, 2003-12, 553-557,
View online

Article

(Dis)Empowering New Immigrants and Refugees Through Their Participation in Introduction Programs in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway
Fernandes, Ariana Guilherme, Routledge, 245-264, Journal of immigrant & refugee studies, 3, 13, 2015-07-03, 245-264,
View online

Interview

[INTERVIEW] Kimberlé Crenshaw: Liberty. Equality. Intersectionality. An antidote against fascism.
Francesca Coin, 2020,
View online

Book Chapter

Multiculturalism or assimilation? : the Norwegian welfare state approach
Grete Brochmann (1957-), Grete Brochmann and Anne Britt Djuve, Multiculturalism or assimilation? : the Norwegian welfare state approach, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 219-245, 2013, 219-245, isbn:9780230360198,

Book

Among cultures : the challenge of communication
Hall, Bradford J.., Belmont, Calif., Wadsworth Cengage Learning, XIX, 378 s., cop. 2005, isbn:0534642489; 9780534642488,
Ch.3, 5,6, 7, 8, 9, 11 (63-97, 129-298, 329-366).

Article

Decolonizing Feminism in the North: A Conversation with Rauna Kuokkanen
Knobblock, Ina ; Kuokkanen, Rauna, Stockholm, Routledge, 275-281, NORA : Nordic journal of women's studies, 4, 23, 2015-10-02, 275-281,
View online

Book

Metaphors we live by
Lakoff, George, Johnson, Mark, Chicago, University of Chicago Press, XIII, 276 s., 2003, isbn:0226468011; 9780226468013,
Chapter 1-8
View online

Book Chapter

The Meaning of ‘Race’ and ‘Ethnicity’
Peter Wade, The Meaning of ‘Race’ and ‘Ethnicity’, Pluto Press, 4-, 2015-11-20, 4-23, isbn:0745329470,
View online

Article

Multiculturalism from Above and Below: Analysing a Political Discourse
Werbner, Pnina, United Kingdom, Taylor & Francis Group, 197-209, Journal of intercultural studies, 2, 33, 2012-04-01, 197-209,
View online

Article

Multiculturalism and welfare
Banting, Keith and Kymlicka, Will, Foundation for the Independent Study of Social Ideas., [New York :, Dissent Pub Corp etc, Dissent, 4, 50, 2003, 59-66,

Article

'Belonging' in the cosmopolitan imaginary
Calhoun, Craig, SAGE Publications, 531-553, Ethnicities, 4, 3, 2003-12-01, 531-553,
View online

Book Chapter

Cultural Meaning Systems
D'Andrade, R.G., Richard A Shweder (1945-), Cultural Meaning Systems, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, viii, 359 s., 1984, 88-119, isbn:0521267196; 0521318319,

Article

Crosstalk 2.0: Asylum and communicative breakdowns
Jacquemet, Marco, Berlin, Walter de Gruyter, Text & talk., 4, 31, 2011, 475-498,

Article

"Norwegian Women Got Gender Equality Through Their Mothers' Milk, But Anti-racism Is Another Story"-An Analysis of Power and Resistance in Norwegian Feminist Discourse
Thun, Cecilie, Stockholm, Taylor & Francis Group, 37-56, NORA : Nordic journal of women's studies, 1, 20, 2012-03-01, 37-56,
View online

Article

Dispensing emotions: Norwegian community nurses' handling of diversity in a changing organizational context
Debesay, J., Harsløf, I., Rechel, B., & Vike, H., Exeter, Elsevier Science, Social science & medicine., 119, 2014, 74-80,
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2014.08.025
View online

Article

Introduction to the Special Issue on the Intersections of Race, Gender, and Class in the Wake of a National Crisis: The State of Black Boys and Men Post-Ferguson
Watkins, Daphne C. ; Patton, Desmond U. ; Miller, Reuben J., Watkins, Daphne C ; Patton, Desmond U ; Miller, Reuben J, Los Angeles, CA, SAGE Publications, 119-129, The Journal of men's studies, 2, 24, 2016-06, 119-129,
View online