Academic Year:
2022/23
1051 - Master in Migration Studies
32318 - The Challenges of Interculturalism
Teaching Plan Information
Academic Course:
2022/23
Academic Center:
805 - Masters Centre of the Department of Political and Social Sciences
Study:
1051 - Master in Migration Studies
Subject:
32318 - The Challenges of Interculturalism
Ambit:
---
Credits:
5.0
Course:
1
Teaching languages:
Teachers:
Daniel de Torres Barderi, Gemma Pinyol Jimenez
Teaching Period:
Second quarter
Schedule:
Presentation
In today's world learning to live together in diversity is a global and shared challenge. Achieving a complex balance between unity and diversity that combines respect for and recognition of differences, but at the same time places emphasis on the common bonds that unite us more than they separate us, has become a challenge for most present-day societies.
In view of the problems suffered by the traditional models of integration and accommodation of diversity, the interculturalist approach has gradually gained ground in certain academic, political, and social fields.
For the interculturalist approach, avoiding segregation and ghettoization, discrimination and racism are fundamental goals. And so, it is to take the “diversity advantage” by translating cultural diversity as a positive resource for the development and enrichment at all levels.
To advance towards this twofold goal of ensuring social cohesion and at the same time exploiting the advantages deriving from cultural diversity, it is essential to focus on the domain of public policies, and especially in the crucial role of cities.
The main objective of these sessions is to provide a broader perspective of the intercultural approach and to bridge the gap between the theoretical framework and the design, implementation and evaluation of concrete public policies that pursue to build more intercultural societies.
Conceptual frameworks, debates and analysis of political strategies and best practices will be included in the sessions, and special attention will be paid to how local authorities deal with diversity from an intercultural perspective to strengthen social cohesion and promote development.
Associated skills
We do not expect students starting this course to have previously studied interculturalism. Nevertheless, there are some associated skills that could be useful to make the best of this course.
• Ability to express and use theoretical concepts.
• Ability to search, manages, analyse, interpret, produce, and apply information.
• Valuation of diversity in information management and in the news.
• Ability to apply knowledge into practice.
• Ability to learn, to adapt to new situations.
• Capacity for innovation.
• Critical thinking.
Learning outcomes
• Understanding key concepts: Migration, diversity, culture, identity, assimilationism, multiculturalism, interculturalism
• Knowing the diversity of worldviews, values, behaviour, traditions, and experiences of identities and the interactions of those with another. Examine the complexity and fluidity of social identities, particularly with respect to the intersections of class, ethnicity, disability, sex, gender, nationality, and so on.
• Recognising the roles of culture, language, power, and communication on the development of personal, social, and cultural identities throughout the lifespan.
• Understanding and analyse the process of stereotype formation and the manifestations of prejudice and discrimination.
• Understanding the theoretical assumptions on intercultural relations and identify conflicts that may arise, as well the cross-cutting perspective of interculturalism.
• Assessing intercultural practices (strategies, actions, and policies) from a contextual and comparative perspective, and the ability to identify good and bad intercultural practices
• Examining the role of local administrations in promoting intercultural policies, actions, and tools.
• Innovating intercultural practices at local level, understanding the policy-making process (definition, implementation, and evaluation).
• Constructing a list of suggestions for developing and improving intercultural strategies at local level.
Sustainable Development Goals
SDG 4 Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
SDG 5 Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
SDG 10 Reduce inequality within and among countries.
SDG 11 Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
Contents
The sessions will be developed as following:
Session 0: Introduction
• General objectives and sessions’ contents: methodology and evaluation
• Interculturalism in a nutshell: first approach and challenges in current societies
Session 1: Integration models and policies in the EU countries
The session will focus on the traditional integration models in the EU countries, and the integration framework developed in the EU.
• Traditional integration models
• Main concepts and principles
Session 2: The intercultural approach
The session will develop the debates around the interculturalism approach, as well as its main concepts and principles.
• Why interculturalism? Main concepts and principles
• Debate on the challenges of the intercultural approach
Session 3: From theory to practice: The ICC project of the Council of Europe
The session will pay attention to a pan-European initiative such as Intercultural Cities, as an example of networking and commitment with the intercultural approach. Examples of initiatives and instruments will be included in the session.
• ICC as a European network at local level
• Instruments and practices
Session 4: From theory to practice (2): The design of an intercultural city strategy
An intercultural city strategy will be presented and discussed, pointing out the main objectives and challenges of this local process.
• Crucial aspects of the process to design and implement an intercultural strategy
• The role of actors, methodologies, and processes.
• Debate on the challenges of designing an intercultural policy strategy
Session 5: From theory to practice (3): A local experience in implementing a city strategy
In collaboration with
4
• Main goals and objectives
• Designing, implementing and evaluating an intercultural strategy
• Challenges and opportunities: the case of Santa Coloma
Session 6: The Diversity Advantage as an intercultural principle
This session will be focused on the diversity advantage and how it could be a useful element to approach diversity in a different, and intercultural, way.
• Why diversity advantage
• When diversity matters: the case of the Hospitalet school
Session 7: Analysing intercultural practices
This session will analyse which are the elements that defines a practice as ‘intercultural’ and how to learn to identify best practices.
• What makes a best practice “intercultural”?
• Debate about the challenges of designing and implementing intercultural best practices
• Antirumours experience
Session 8: Evaluation and comparative indicators: ICC index and others
This session aims to identify how to evaluate the impact of intercultural practices, paying attention to the ICC Index and other useful tools to evaluate intercultural actions.
• Presentation of the ICC Index
• Working groups to identify the “most relevant” indicators
• Debate on the main challenges of evaluating intercultural strategies and policies
Session 9: Practical exercise to design an intercultural practice
Students must choose a concrete intercultural challenge and design a specific policy/practice to deal with that challenge from an intercultural perspective
• Identifying the challenge and the goal: what do we want to achieve?
• Applying the intercultural approach on the design of the policy/practice
• Identifying the most useful indicators to measure the impact
• Designing methodology and actions
Session 10: Practical exercise to design an intercultural practice (2)
This session will finalise the practical exercise and will be the opportunity to present the different proposals.
• Presenting the proposal
• Debate on the challenges found on the process
Teaching Methods
The first session will introduce the module to all participants, paying special attention to main goals and objectives to be fulfilled. All sessions will include a first part, in which concepts, main ideas and theoretical approaches will be discussed, and a second part, which will include a more practical approach, mainly through working groups and role play dynamics.
Evaluation
This module aims to offer students the tools and instruments to develop an intercultural public policy at local level. The policy-making process of an intercultural policy will be part of all the sessions, to help students to think WHAT, HOW AND WHY develop an intercultural practice, and HOW EVALUATE it to promote changes. This ongoing work will end in the final evaluation process, which includes two different parts.
The group exercise is to choose an ICC city (with at least an Index report) and an area of intervention. Students should learn and discuss about the actions developed by the city at this specific area, including its subareas and topics. They should use their knowledge to evaluate the intercultural approach used, and to identify strengths, weakness and room for improvement. They should consider questions learned during the module, from the conceptual framework to the design and implementation (actors involved, resources, etc.) and the evaluation process (indicators, etc.). A ppt and a 20m presentation should be done (all members of the group should be involved in the presentation).
The individual exercise is linked to the selected city. The presentation should elaborate further one aspect or action within or directly related to the measure presented during the group presentation. This can, for example, be (but is not limited to) the evaluation of the action, the launching event, the dissemination of the policy, the transfer of the policy to other territories, or specific sub-actions, among others. During the presentations, each group is free to structure the order of presentations as they wish, within the established order. However, please make sure to respect the time limit and have your presentation ready to facilitate the transition between speakers.
Further information about the evaluation exercises will be provided during the first session.
20% participation
40% individual presentation
40% groups’ presentation
Bibliography and information resources
Bouchard, G. (2011). What is interculturalism? McGill Law Journal, 56(2), 435–468.
Cantle, T. (2016). Interculturalism: ‘Learning to live in diversity’. Ethnicities, 16(3), 471-479.
Council of Europe (2008). White paper on intercultural dialogue: ‘living together as equals in dignity’. Strasbourg: Council of Europe.
Council of Europe (2013). Evaluating the performance and impact of intercultural policies
Council of Europe (2017). How the Intercultural integration approach leads to a better quality of life in diverse cities. Migration Policy Group assessment report.
Council of Europe (2021). The Intercultural City: Step by step guide. Strasbourg: Council of Europe.
Faist, T. (2009). Diversity - a new mode of incorporation? Ethnic and Racial Studies, 32(1), 171-90.
Grillo, R. D. (2018). Interculturalism and the Politics of Dialogue. B and RG Books of Lewes.
Joppke, C. (2017). Is multiculturalism dead? Crisis and persistence in the constitutional state. Cambridge: Polity.
Kymlicka, W. (2016). Defending Diversity in an Era of Populism: Multiculturalism and Interculturalism Compared. In N.
Meer, T. Modood, & R. Zapata-Barrero (Ed.), Multiculturalism and interculturalism: Debating the dividing lines, (pp. 158–177). Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Meer, N., Modood, T. & Zapata-Barrero, R. (2016) (Ed.). Multiculturalism and interculturalism: Debating the dividing lines. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
OECD & European Commission (2015). Indicators of immigrant integration 2015: Settling in. Paris: OECD Publishing.
OECD & European Commission (2018). Settling in 2018: Indicators of immigrant integration. Paris: OECD Publishing.
Page, S. E. (2007). The difference, How the Power of Diversity Creates Better Groups, Firms, Schools, and Societies.
Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Sze, F. y Powell, D. (eds.) (2004). Interculturalism: Exploring Critical Issues. Oxford: Interdisciplinary Press.
Torres. D. de (2018). Antirumours handbook. Strasbourg: Council of Europe
Wood, P. & Landry, C. (2006). How can we unlock the potential of cultural diversity in cities?. London: Taylor & Francis.
Zapata-Barrero, R. (2015). Interculturalism: Main hypothesis, theories and strands. In: (ed.) Interculturalism in Cities: Concept, Policy and Implementation (pp. 3.19). Cheltenham: Edward-Elgar Publishing.
Zapata-Barrero, R. (2016). Theorising Intercultural Citizenship. In: N. Meer, T. Modood and R. Zapata-Barrero (Ed.) Multiculturalism and Interculturalism: Debating the dividing lines. (pp. 53-76). Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Zapata-Barrero, R., & Mansouri, F. (2022). A Multi-scale Approach to Interculturalism: From Globalised Politics to Localised Policy and Practice. Journal of International Migration and Integration, 23(2), 775-795.
Other references
ICC Index
MIPEX
Barcelona Intercultural Plan (2010)
Salisbury’s 2017 - 2027 Intercultural Strategic Plan
If needed, complementary references will be provided during the sessions.