SA206 Culture, Identity and Global Crises

Contents and structure

This is a course in two parts. The first part offers students an interdisciplinary introduction to culture and identity, with an emphasis on anthropological approaches. Culture is commonly understood to be a set of rituals, symbols, values, and practices shaped by physical surroundings and material conditions, as well as human creativity and the search for meaning, among other factors. Social identity entails a sense of belonging to a community, shaped in part by drawing symbolic boundaries between groups. Globalization processes and globalizing ideology (as well as resistance against globalization) influence and are in turn influenced by processes which reproduce, transform, and politicize culture and identity.

The second part of the course explores contemporary global crises, and how culture and identity may be threatened or mobilized in the wake of such crises. Potential examples include how people in oil-rich Norway respond to climate change, pandemic responses in countries culturally committed to individual rights and liberties (e.g., the U.S.) vs. responses in countries with a more collectivistic and authoritarian political culture (e. g., China), or the emergence of identity-based politics and movements in the EU following major crises triggered by financial meltdown and mass migration. The specific content of this part of the course will depend to some extent on current events. Students will be required to write a paper on a timely topic of their own choosing.

Learning Outcome

Knowledge

After completing the course, students should be acquainted with

• Different approaches to culture and identity
• The political and economic significance of culture and identity
• Anthropological theory, specifically on culture and identity
• Material and spatial factors shaping culture, and how culture changes over time
• Identity formation as a product of both belonging and distancing
• Major contemporary global challenges
• How youth and youth identity are affected by globalization and crises

General competence

After completing the course, students should be able to

• Write informative texts according to academic criteria, employing current theories and concepts
• Discuss important topics in an informed manner
• Develop rational, logical arguments
• Think critically, holistically, and long-term

Teaching methods

Individual study, group work, exercises, written assignments (with comments from the lecturer or fellow students), study groups (initiated and run by students).

Compulsory learning activities

Digital story

Students will produce a digital story examined by the course leader. Those hose who do not pass will be given a second chance.

Assessment

Home exam, 7 days - 100%

Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail.

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Examination support material

All

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