Course 1: Introduction to the Concepts of Culture and Interculturality
The aim of this course is to familiarize the participants with the concepts of culture and interculturality. Acknowledging the difficulty to pin down a definition of “culture” in terms of social sciences and humanities, it will present the concepts with reference to the complexities they entail, the affordances they contain and the challenges they raise. The course will specifically focus on the essentialist, neo-essentialist and non-essentialist views of culture, outlining and explaining their dispositions and acts. It will continue with a discussion of interculturality and intercultural encounters, engaging you with narratives, film excerpts and other visual material to explore the concepts at hand.
By the end of the course, you are expected to identify and differentiate between different views of culture and interculturality, and to explore ways to relate them to your own research contexts.
Time Commitment: There are no deadlines in the course and you can work through the material at your own pace, but you should expect to spend roughly 12 hours on the readings, videos and tasks.
Prerequisites: No action is required prior to the course.