Social Movements in the Age of Migration (Multilingualism and Multiculturalism) 3223-AMMS-SM
By relying on a critical reading of literature across academic disciplines, this course aims to
offer knowledge and (research) skills in investigating how migration and diversity are
visible in various (political) agendas in Europe and beyond. We will begin by familiarizing
ourselves with the processes of racialization, i.e. categorizing different groups ordered
hierarchically, and we will trace their roots to Western colonialism and imperialism, which
coincided with the formulation of scientific ideas about race associated with primary
features (inherent physical traits) with whites at the top and blacks at the bottom. Then we
will proceed to new forms of racialization, which do not focus solely on physical
differences but also on other variables, including country of origin, religion, nationality,
gender and language, fueling anti-feminism, xenophobia, and stigmatization of migrants,
among others. We will take here a closer look at how they reveal themselves in language,
e.g., overt and covert hate speech. The course will also comprise a module devoted to how
multiculturalism extends the concept of equal citizenship from uniformity of rights to
recognition of difference; from anti-discrimination, challenging stereotypes to turning the
negative into a positive identity rather than into an undifferentiated citizenship.
Subsequently, the role of new technologies (social media monitoring) and research
approaches (corpus linguistics) in enabling a more effective collective action and political
protest related to these topics in the past and today will be studied.
While most of the research texts in the classroom will be about group communication and
action motivated by structural positions and social identities related to ethnicity, nation,
race, religion, and gender, other topics such as climate, body positivity or anti-capitalism
can also be explored in students’ projects.
Topics
1 Social movements in the age of migration: An introduction
2-3 Racialisation and othering in the past and now
4-5 Language as a means of othering and discrimination, including racialisation
6-7 Research methods in contemporary migration studies, e.g. storytelling/narrative
studies, visual methods, e.g. discourse-oriented online ethnography, corpus
linguistics approaches
8-9 Counter hate speech and social media monitoring
10-11 Citizenship in multicultural societies, migrants as probationary citizens
12-13 The role of linguistics capital in counterpublics and community resilience
activities, including the role of technology
14-15 Social movements in the age of migration: Presentation of students’ projects
Type of course
Mode
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Knowledge: the graduate knows and understands:
-at an advanced level conceptual and terminological apparatus in the field of multilingualism and multiculturalism
-at an advanced level main directions of development and the most important achievements in the area of multilingualism and multiculturalism
-at an advanced level contemporary research trends in the field of multilingualism and multiculturalism
-the latest research methodology used in the field of multilingualism and multiculturalism
-social, cultural and political issues in relation to the dilemmas of modern civilization
-relations between language and culture and religion sciences as well as sociology
-at an advanced level cultural diversity and its transformations, cultural identity, interaction and
intercultural communication
Skills: the graduate is able to:
-prepare written works in the field of multilingualism and multiculturalism in English (including works bearing the features of a scientific text)
-search, analyse and utilise information using available sources
-recognize different genres of texts and conduct their in-depth analysis and interpretation using various methods
-argue substantively using the views of other authors and formulate conclusions
-integrate knowledge relevant to multilingualism and multiculturalism
-independently develop and give an oral presentation on a selected topic in the field of multilingualism and multiculturalism using source literature
-formulate, analyse and synthesise research problems in the field of multilingualism and multiculturalism and select adequate methods and tools to solve these problems, present the developed issues using various forms and methods
-work independently and in a group to acquire knowledge and develop research skills in the field of multilingualism and multiculturalism
-use the English language in speech and writing compliant with the requirements set out for the B2+ level according to CEFR
Social competences: the graduate is ready to:
-recognise the importance of knowledge and seek expert advice when problems arise
-critically assess knowledge and skills in the field of multilingualism and multiculturalism
Assessment criteria
Assessment
Active participation (discussions and tasks): 30%
Assignments (a “photographic” essay or critical review paper; a research project with a
presentation): 70%
The course will end with a written/oral exam!
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: