Course syllabus spring 2010
Course syllabus spring 2010
Title
Cosmopolitanism. Political and cultural identity in the age of globalisation
Swedish title
Cosmopolitanism. Political and cultural identity in the age of globalisation
Course code
GP610E
Credits
15 credits
Grading scale
UV / Fail (U), Pass (G) or Pass with Distinction (VG)
Language of instruction
English
Decision-making body
Board of Studies at Faculty of Culture and Society
Syllabus approval date
2009-12-14
Syllabus valid from
2010-01-19
Entry requirements
Bachelor degree in the Human Rights, International Relations, Peace and Conflict Studies or related field. Proficiency in English equivalent to English course B in Swedish secondary school.
Level
Advanced level
No main field.
Progression level
A1N
Course contents
Since ancient times, thinkers have been attracted to the idea that citizenship involves not only membership in a particular polity, but also an ethical commitment to the world as a whole and to our place in it. Equally attractive has been the idea of the law as a vehicle, beyond national legislation, for institutionalizing a fair and peaceful global co-existence. The multifaceted cosmopolitan tradition can be seen as a tool for critically appraising nationalism and national identity, but it has also been criticized as a colonial imposition, unable to account for political and cultural commitment. In this course we will engage in close and critical study of historical and contemporary sources with a view to disentangling the puzzles of cosmopolitanism as an approach to the law, to citizenship, to culture and to the self in a globalized world.
Learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding
On completion of the course the student shall demonstrate
- a thorough and well-rounded knowledge of major aspects of the cosmopolitan tradition of thought,
- knowledge and understanding of critical approaches to cosmopolitanism, and
- understanding of the implications of the cosmopolitan position for contemporary political, cultural and social concerns.
Skills and abilities
On completion of the course the student shall demonstrate
- an ability to engage closely yet critically with texts on a high level of theoretical complexity,
- an ability to extract, formulate, pursue, and communicate theoretical questions, and
- an ability to use theoretical concepts and analytical approaches in analyses of empirical situations.
Judgement and approach
On completion of the course the student shall demonstrate
- a capacity to adopt a reflective approach to issues of theoretical complexity, and
- a capacity to reflect on how concepts structure political situations.
Learning activities
The main learning activities are the student’s own studies and writing, individually and in groups. There will also be lectures and seminars. Some seminars will be moderated by a teacher, while others will be organized and moderated by the students themselves. The students are expected to take an active part in all seminars.
Students on the master programme in Global Political Studies will also follow the programme’s seminar on method and academic writing.
Assessment
The student’s abilities to adopt a critical stance and to independently evaluate knowledge are central to the assessment. Completing the tasks within a set time frame is also of importance.
The examination consists of smaller written and/or oral assignments to be completed weekly, as well as an essay to be completed by the end of the course.
Course literature and other study material
Books
- Appiah, Kwame Anthony (2007) Cosmopolitanism. Ethics in a World of Strangers. New York: W.W. Norton
- Benhabib, Seyla (with commentaries) Another Cosmopolitanism. Oxford University Press, 2006.
- Buruma, Ian and Avishai Margalit Occidentalism: A Short History of Anti-westernism. Atlantic Books, New edition 2005.
- Fine, R. (2007) Cosmopolitanism. London: Routledge.
- Furedi, Frank (2005 el senare) Culture of fear: risk-taking and the morality of low expectation.London: Continuum
- Kant, Immanuel “Idea for a Universal History from a Cosmopolitan Perspective”, “An Answer to the Question: What Is Enlightenment?”, and “Toward Perpetual Peace”. Suggested edition: Pauline Kleingeld (ed.) Toward Perpetual Peace and Other Writings on Politics, Peace, and History. Yale University Press, 2006. (on line access)
- Marchetti, Raffaelle (2008) Global Democracy: for and against:ethical theory, institutional design and social struggle. London: Routledge.
- Marx, Karl and Friedrich Engels The Communist Manifesto. Suggested edition: Oxford Paperbacks 2008. (on line access)
- Safranski, Rüdiger (2005) How much globalisation can we bear? Cambridge: Cambridge UP
- Sennett, Richard (1998 el senare) The Corrosion of Character. Norton Books
- Sperling, Valerie (2009) Altered States. The globalization of accountability. Cambridge: Cambridge UP.
Articles and parts of books
- Archibugi, D et al (2004) Debating cosmopolitics. London: Verso
- Blackburn, Susan (2009) Women and the State in Modern Indonesia. Cambridge: Cambridge UP
- Calhoun, Craig (2007) ‘Social solidarity as a problem for cosmopolitan democracy’ in Seyla Benhabib et al, eds, Identities, Affiliations, and Allegiances. Cambridge: Cambridge UP
- Gready, Paul, ed, (2004) Fighting for Human Rights. London: Routledge
- Merry, Michael S. and Jeffrey A. Milligan (2009) ‘Complexities of belonging in democratic and democratizing societies: Islamic identity, ethnicity and citizenship in the Netherlands and Aceh.’ In Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs, vol 29 no 3 (on line access)
- De Sousa Santos, Boaventura and César Rodriguez-Garavito, eds, (2005) Law and Globalization from Below – Towards a cosmopolitan legality, Cambridge: Cambridge UP
- Zolo, Danilo (2007) “Global Citizenship: a realist critique”, in Wayne Hudson and Steven Slaughter (eds), Globalisation and Citizenship. The Transnational Challenge. London: Routledge pp 78-84
Course evaluation
All students are given the oppourtunity to give their comments at the end of the course, in writing or orally. A compilation of the results will be available on the faculty computer net.
Student participation is in the form of course meetings.