– We want to create a thoughtful environment where students can critically examine complex questions about migration, integration and inclusion, says course coordinator and associate professor Ernst Thoutenhoofd.
The course is designed to be interactive and dialogue-based. Seminars, reflective assignments and document analyses form the backbone of the learning process. Students are encouraged to bring their own experiences into the classroom, allowing for a dynamic exchange of perspectives.
– We hope the course will be a meeting place for different perspectives. Students bring varied backgrounds and experiences, and that in itself becomes a resource for learning, adds Giulia Messina Dahlberg, course coordinator and associate professor at the Department of education and special education.
Three themes, many perspectives
The undergraduate-level course is organised around three thematic modules:
- Migration and integration
- Capability and inclusion
- Institutional and organizational structures
Students will work with texts on different levels, discuss them in seminars and write reflective papers. They will also analyse policy documents from schools, universities, public institutions and private organisations. By doing so, the course aims to move from surface-level debates towards more nuanced understandings of diversity and inclusion and education.
A new theoretical lens
A distinctive feature of the course is the introduction of capability theory. Instead of focusing solely on formal rights or economic indicators, this theory of human development highlights people’s real opportunities to participate in society.
– Through capability theory we can bring together questions of diversity and inclusion within a shared framework. It offers a new way to understand human development and the barriers that stand in its way, says Ernst Thoutenhoofd.
Meeting a diverse student population
For both teachers, the decision to develop the course is closely connected to their own academic and personal experiences.
– My motivation comes from working in deaf communities, where I was an outsider and had to rely on others to feel included. That experience shaped my respect for what it means to live as member of a minority group, says Ernst Thoutenhoofd.
For Giulia Messina Dahlberg, the driving force lies in preparing higher education for the realities of an increasingly diverse student population.
– If we want a society where everyone has the opportunity to pursue higher education, we must be ready to meet students with very different backgrounds, needs and expectations. Diversity is not exceptional, it is the reality we live in. Higher education has to reflect that, she explains
More than theoretical knowledge
Although the course is offered at undergraduate level, participants will gain knowledge and skills that will strengthen their analytical skills and their ability to address sensitive questions in professional contexts.
The goal is to strengthen their analytical skills and their ability to address sensitive questions in professional contexts.
– Students should come out of the course with the ability to speak about diversity and inclusion in a more precise and nuanced way. We hope they will be able to use these skills in schools, organisations or policy work and even create spaces for dialogue and reflection in their own workplaces, says Giulia Messina Dahlberg.
On campus or online
The course will be offered both on campus and online, but not in a hybrid format. According to the teachers, this makes it easier to create clear structures and meaningful interactions.
– We want to offer a structure where students feel included regardless of where they are. We also hope the course will lead to networks that can continue beyond the course itself, says Ernst Thoutenhoofd.
Text: Ragnhild Larsson
