Not available in 2017/18
GV498 Half Unit
Multiculturalism
This information is for the 2017/18 session.
Teacher responsible
TBC
Availability
This course is available on the MSc in Global Europe: Culture and Conflict, MSc in Global Europe: Culture and Conflict (LSE & Sciences Po), MSc in International Migration and Public Policy and MSc in Political Theory. This course is available as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit.
This course is capped at 2 groups. The deadline for applications is 1pm, Friday, 29 September 2017. You will be informed of the outcome by 12 noon, Monday, 2 October 2017.
Course content
This seminar explores the political and epistemological issues of multiculturalism, broadly understood, in contemporary political theory. After deciding on a tentative definition for “culture,” we will explore how and why the concept has become so integral to normative theories of contemporary political life. In particular, we will focus on how increasing recognition of plurality within liberal democratic regimes has led to new theories of both culture and community. Along the way, we will consider normative questions such as: Should we encourage “global citizenship,” or should we celebrate the local and the national? If cultures are dynamic and hybrid entities, how can they be identified and protected politically? Are there significant and legitimate differences between “the West” and “the rest”—and if so, how must our interpretive approach change as we include voices from culturally diverse groups into already-established political communities?
Teaching
20 hours of seminars in the LT.
Formative coursework
Students are invited to write one 1500 word formative essay, due no later than week 8.
Indicative reading
Will Kymlicka, Multicultural Citizenship, Brian Barry, Culture and Equality, Chandran Kukathas, The Liberal Archipelago, Iris Young, Justice and the Politics of Difference, Homi Bhabha, The Location of Culture.
Assessment
Essay (100%, 5000 words) in the ST.
Student performance results
(2013/14 - 2015/16 combined)
Classification | % of students |
---|---|
Distinction | 11.8 |
Merit | 64.7 |
Pass | 17.6 |
Fail | 5.9 |
Teachers' comment
Key facts
Department: Government
Total students 2016/17: 27
Average class size 2016/17: 13
Controlled access 2016/17: Yes
Value: Half Unit
Personal development skills
- Self-management
- Team working
- Problem solving
- Communication
- Specialist skills
Student response to this seminar-style course has been very positive, though students frequently request the inclusion of lectures. Because this is a postgraduate political theory course, however, there are strong pedagogical reasons for conducting it as a seminar--which also conforms to best practice at top research universities in the US and elsewhere. I do not lecture because I hope to create an egalitarian environment for intense, fruitful discussion.