Cultural Diversity in Social Work
03.–12.09.2024
Purpose and content
Culture contributes to shaping us; it is part of our identity and influences our behavior. Culture is our “way of doing things”. The course deals with cultural diversity in different situations based on a comparative perspective. It is designed as a module for students of Social Work/Education and related studies. Through a diverse mix of workshops, visits to practical settings and lectures, different topics related to ?Cultural Diversity“ will be discussed in an international setting. The seminar gives insights into a variety of current theoretical approaches that make culture visible as (contested) places of everyday life and deals with the effects of (post)colonialism, globalization, internationalization and transnationality on cultural concepts. The module provides also the opportunity to refl ect on theoretical foundations of transculturality, diversity, equality, solidarity and intercultural/interreligious communication.
Course flyer 03.–12.09.2024 (coming soon)
Learning outcome
After completion of the course students should be able to:
- define different concepts of culture and their impact on identity
- know the concepts of racism, global ethic, (critical) cultural studies and postcolonialism
- refer to human rights in order to guide their social practice
- know the basic beliefs of the world religions and the values they convey
- facilitate diversity awareness, cross-cultural competences and interreligious communication
You are welcome to join this course, which offers you the opportunity to experience cross-border learning in an international context. You will meet fellow students from different countries and lecturers from different departments and countries.
The course is divided into a campus part (in Osnabrück) with 8 full days from 09.00–16.00 in two weeks (03.–11.09.2024 / Arrival is on Tuesday, September 3rd; Departure is on Thursday, September 12th), a presentation and a subsequent written paper, which is net-based, including supervision.
- English language certificate equivalent to English level B2
- 30 credit points in the Bachelor study-programme Social Work
Interested students must send a one page motivation letter and their CV in English to Joachim Th?nnessen by 30th of April 2024.
An interview may be organised to assess the students’ motivation and language skills.
Students will be notified of the decision after 5th of May 2024.
Oral presentation
The 30-minute presentation will be given in English. The group consists of 1-3 people. The presentation lasts 15-20 minutes, followed by 10-15 minutes of discussion (for individual presentations, these times are reduced by 1/3). The local teaching team is present on all presentation days. Professors from abroad attend and discuss their students' presentations when possible.
Assessments
Evaluation of the oral presentations of all students by professors from HES SO, Malm? and Osnabrück. Evaluation of the written papers by the home institution. Deadline for submission of written work for Osnabrück students is January 15, 2024.
Further information
- Course instructor
Prof. Dr. Joachim Th?nnessen
E-mail: j.thoennessen@hs-osnabrueck.de