Race, Identity and Cultural Diversity in Colombia

Description of Course

This course explores the theoretical foundations, historical background and contemporary operations of “race”, “identity” and “cultural diversity” in Colombia. It offers the conceptual grounds necessary to understand the cultural and racial dimensions of social differences and power imbalances in the country. At the same time, it enquires about the ways in which difference and identity are mobilized politically and can constitute the grounds for emancipatory projects within the nation-state. Throughout the course, these conceptual and theoretical debates will be grounded in the concrete context of the different regions of the country and in contemporary national debates. The student will become familiarized with Colombia’s different ethnic and cultural groups and with the challenges and opportunities offered by multicultural recognition.

Justification
This course is part of the curriculum of basic training are vital for the formation of the student from the University del Norte. The course offers a look from anthropology through time and environment of the Colombian territory, to provide the student with a clear and modern vision of this subject.

General Objective
After finishing the course, students will be able to identify important milestones in relation to the construction of human identity in general in Colombian geographical territory.

Specific Objective
Understand that humans have developed countless ways to participate and act in the world, to recognize ways of thinking and feeling our selves and others.
Identify key issues that has raised man from the beginning until today, so the student will begin a journey of understanding of his own existence in terms of social, cultural, biological interaction with the environmental issues.
Questioning about their own ways of looking at life and the environment, to understand how to act personally, socially and professionally.

Content

• Geography of colombia
• How Colombia was populated (The two settlements ? pre-Columbian and historical).
• Theory on culture
• Theories on identity (memory and identity)
• The amerindian thought in Colombia
• Afrocolombians Thought
• Mestizos Thought
• Evolution of the Colombian Culture according to different regions.
• Areas of study anthropology(eg life, culture and personality, culture and region, identity, racism, ethnic groups, altered states of consciousness, family and kinship, archaeology, Totem and Taboo, among others subjects).

Evaluation
Grade 1: Exam 35%
Grade 2: Exam 35%
Group Project : 30%