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
     

Further information

Course instructor

Prof. Dr. Joachim Thönnessen
E-mail: j.thoennessen@hs-osnabrueck.de