Race, Ethnicity, and Diversity Politics

Course content

This module introduces core academic debates concerned with race and ethnicity, and the operationalization of both concepts in society. Developing genealogically, the course starts first by concentrating on the genesis and functioning of race and racism from the colonial times, up until the two World Wars. Next, the attention moves to debates concerned with institutional racism in North America and the UK, and the political and societal struggles of the Civil Rights movements. Thus, classes explore the concept of ethnicity to track how it progressively complemented and replaced race in the analysis of diversity and global inequalities within a decolonizing/postcolonial world. As the timeline brings us to the last quarter of the 20th century, the course then focuses on key debates concerned with multiculturalism, transnationalism and cosmopolitanism in different geographical and institutional settings. Then, we concentrate on the progressive inclusion of gender and sexuality in the study of migration. The final section of the course provides a critical look at the current securitization of migration as a tool for racist/ethnic exclusion/inclusion. One last class is left for students and the lecturer to co-decide on the contents. Finally, one last session of 4hrs is used by students to present and discuss in class their group exercises/presentations/field works/etc. as agreed and organized during the course.

Objectives (and/or specific learning outcomes)

Students are expected to acquire a critical and multidisciplinary understanding of race and ethnicity and, more broadly, of the (re)production of diversity and inequality in society. Importantly, students are meant to learn how to mobilize the acquired theoretical tools for critically analysing the most relevant past and present policies for the governance of inclusion and exclusion.

Prerequisites and Corequisites

Required and Corequired knowledge and skills

None

Teaching methods and learning activities

Students are expected to acquire a critical and multidisciplinary understanding of race and ethnicity and, more broadly, of the (re)production of diversity and inequality in society. Importantly, students are meant to learn how to mobilize the acquired theoretical tools for critically analysing the most relevant past and present policies for the governance of inclusion and exclusion.

Course notes

Syllabus
Université virtuelle

Other information

Contacts

giacomo.orsini@ugent.be
giacomo.orsini@ulb.be

Campus

Solbosch

Evaluation

Method(s) of evaluation

Oral examination
Other

Oral examination

Open question with long development

Other

The final evaluation is based on the results of a final oral exam, but also and importantly on students' participation to class activities and one group-work

Mark calculation method (including weighting of intermediary marks)

Oral Exam (50%)
Group-Work (30%)
Participation (20%)

Language(s) of evaluation

english
(if applicable Spanish, french, Italian )