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Åbo Akademi University 2014/2015
OTHER COURSES AND PROGRAMMES
we can use in order to better recognize and analyse the rel-
evance of cultural difference.
Entry requirements: none
Literature: In consultation with examiner
Self-study courses
Students who complete self-study courses will get individual
supervision in English. Usually, awritten examination in some
form, or papers/reviews, is included.
Introduction to Intercultural Communication
100700.0
5 credits
Basic level
Self-study course (lectured course offered autumn 2014)
Aim: to provide perspectives on how different cultures affect
our way or communication and what concepts and theories
we can use in order to better recognize and analyse the rel-
evance of cultural difference.
Entry requirements: none
Literature: In consultation with examiner
The Conceptual History of Multiculturalism
100720.2
5 credits
Basic or intermediate level
Self-study
Teacher: Mats Wickström
Contents: Multiculturalism is a contested concept in the con-
temporary discourse on immigration and ethnic minorities
in the West. This course provides a historical perspective on
the idea of the multicultural society from the hegemony of
scientific racism in the first decades of the twentieth century
to the ethnic revival of 1970s. Concepts discussed include
race, assimilation and cultural pluralism. The course focuses
on the turn from exclusionist and assimilationist models of
immigration and minority policies towards more pluralistic
policies of integration in a number of Western nations during
the postwar period.
Intercultural encounters and cross-cultural
psychology
100723.1
5 credits
Basic or intermediate level
Self-study
Teacher: Peter Nynäs
Aim: to provide understanding of psychological perspectives
on individual experiences and behaviour related to cultural
encounters and intercultural mobility, such as e.g. accultura-
tion processes and culture chock.
Entry requirements: Introduction to Intercultural Commu-
nication
Literature: In consultation with examiner
Intercultural communication - critical perspectives
100724.1
5 credits
Basic or intermediate level
Self-study
Teacher: Peter Nynäs
Aim: to provide a nuanced understanding of intercultural
encounters with a particular focus on interpretative dynamics
and otherness and from a critical and reflexive perspective
within the humanities.
Entry requirements: Introduction to Intercultural Commu-
nication
Literature: In consultation with examiner
Culture, peace and conflict
100725.1
5 credits
Basic or intermediate level
Self-study
Teacher: Peter Nynäs
Aim: to provide an understanding of the role of culture, eth-
nicity and religion in national and international conflicts and
in particular for peace-building processes.
Entry requirements: Introduction to Intercultural Commu-
nication
Literature: In consultation with examiner
The Open University
The Open University is open to all, regardless of age and
educational background. Teaching in the Open University
always corresponds excatly to the university curriculum. The
courses offered are equivalent in standard and quality to
university teaching. Open university study consists of even-
ing and weekend teaching. More information about courses
in English arranged within the Open university can be found
on the Internet at:
Visual Studies
In professional life of Today, it is of crucial importance to be
able to interpret images, and to understand their context and
their significance for both individuals and Society. This kind of
knowledge is also a prerequisite for international relations and
intercultural communication. In scientific and scholarly work
one can benefit from the use of images as source materials,
and also from the ability to visualize one's own results. Ever
since the Sixties scholars have used the term Visual Literacy,
and the aim of the secondary subject Visuella studier at ÅAU
is to provide the students with knowledge and skills in visual
analysis and visual communication.
The specific aims of the programas awhole (25 ECTS) are: 1) To
increase the students' visual literacy through an understanding
of psychological aspects of image perception. 2) To provide an
introduction into sociological aspects of images and Society. 3)
To give an account of different sectors of the interdisciplinary
and scientific field of Visual culture. 4) To provide knowledge of
skills in visual communication, illustration and visualization of
information.
Visual studies may integrate perspectives from a number
of scientific or scholarly disciplines and areas, such as visual
culture, psychology, sociology, literary studies, film theory,
semiotics, symbol theory, visual anthropology and language
studies. At ÅAU, the program in
Visual studies
is coordinated
by the department of
Art History
. The program is intended
primarily for students at bachelor-, master- and postgraduate
level, and especially for those who use visual sources or tools
in their work (e.g. in scientific/scholarly theses and papers).
For more information about the subject and on the courses
offered, see our temporary homepage:
