Seminar: Multiculturalism - Global Discourse and National Policy and Practice

The course will review the evolution of global discourse on multiculturalism as an approach to protect the rights of both majority populations and minority ethnic, indigenous, and migrant communities to their respective cultures. It will also examine national policies and practice in multiculturalism in selective countries. The underlying concern of this course is how to preserve cultural diversity in the increasingly globalized world in a way that is politically sustainable and morally and legally justifiable. After reviewing the evolution of global multiculturalism discourse, the students will conduct an in-depth analysis of multiculturalism policy and practice of selective countries from different parts of the world and incorporate their findings into a report to be submitted to an international agency such as UNESCO. The report will also include recommendations regarding norms, principles, and rules for further advancing the cause of multiculturalism at the global and national levels.