Cultural Issues and International Affairs

Description

This course is an introduction to culture as a central axis in the study of the complex interactions between actors in the global and multilateral contemporary world. It explores how the concept of culture or culture(s), inherent to debates on nation, ethnicity, and cultural identities, shapes political, social, and economic discourses materialized in videos, news, podcasts, and printed media. We will also explore how cultural issues are related to topics about language, literacy, and education.

Rationale

This class is intended to provide basic tools in the cultural studies and foreign affairs to analyze cultural products resulting from political, social, linguistic, and cultural situations which reflect current issues about nation, ethnicity, and (multi)-cultural matters in the global and multilateral world. Future professionals in foreign languages should develop competences to understand political and social factors framed in different cultural dynamics. These competencies in addition to an enduring sense of self-awareness, will lead them to set an ethical position about their contribution to the world, from their place of enunciation as global citizens, especially as Latin Americans and Colombians.

General Objectives

Upon completing Cultural Issues and International Affairs Course, the students will be able to:

• Understand basic theoretical concepts of cultural theory and foreign affairs.
• Analyze cultural products as social, political and aesthetic texts within historical and ideological contexts.
• Recognize concepts of nation, ethnicity, cultural identity and its political and social implications in the global scenario.
• Recognize in cultural products current political, social and cultural narratives regarding aforementioned concepts.
• Develop self-awareness of their own geopolitical and cultural place of enunciation as South Global citizens from Colombia and Latin America from the reading of other actors’ dynamics in the globalized international scene.
• Understand the connection between cultural issues and language, literacy, and education.
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Learning Outcomes

• Understand cultural products as textual surfaces able to be read as political, social, aesthetic and identitarian narratives, inserted in historical and geographical specific frames.
• Recognize in global cultural products narratives regarding national, cultural identities, language, education, and ethnicity encounters.

Themes and Topics of the Course

I. Basic Concepts

1. Culture and foreign affairs (12 hours)

• Introduction to culture
• Introduction to symbolic representations of culture
• Articulating the global and the local in cultural studies
• Introduction to analysis of cultural products

2. Culture and language, literacy, and education (12 hours)

• Language and culture
• Literacy and social languages
• Cultural practices of literacy
• Multiliteracies

3. Key concepts in understanding cultures in a global context (12 hours)

• Race and ethnicity
• Language and identity
• Social class and economic systems
• Colonization, immigration, and “Third World” countries

II. Contemporary affairs in the global world (6 hours)

1. Current Global Event: COVID-19 around the world

• Responses to Covid-19 in different countries.
• Disinformation, misinformation and non-compliance.
• The global pandemic as a cultural issue.

2. Contemporary issues related to culture and language

• Invited speakers about contemporary issues related to culture and language.