MA Intercultural Communication / Course details

This module critically explores the concepts of ‘race’, ‘racism’ and ‘othering’. The course unit begins with an introduction to these concepts, as well as an exploration into the construction of exclusionary discourse, and the mechanisms underpinning the processes of othering. The view of ‘culture’ and ‘interculturality’ will be broadened and scrutinised with a consideration of race, class, and gender as intersecting sites of minoritisation and marginality. With that, the process of othering is viewed from the macro-, meso-, and micro-levels, along with a critique of the language used at each level that demarcates the ‘insiders’ and ‘outsiders’ in society. This includes an exploration of border politics (for example, a view on the government’s approach to vulnerable migrants), institutional discrimination, Islamophobia, anti-Black racism, antisemitism, post-racialism, and the following key theories: Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality. At its core, the objective of this course is to critically broaden and expand on the concept of culture, with the aim of filling in the gap of ‘race’ that is often excluded from intercultural studies more broadly. This subsequently involves a deeper look into issues of divisiveness, exclusion, and how othering can manifest in discourse from the state level to everyday discourse.  

The unit aims to:

• Introduce students to the theorisations of race, racism, and ethnicity.
• Provide students with a critical insight into how race interacts with other social categories that lead to othering, including gender, class, religion, and states.  
• Provide students with a deeper understanding of key theories in understanding race and othering, including Intersectionality and Critical Race Theory.
• Equip students with the skills to analyse the role of racism and othering in contemporary society.
• Enable students to link contemporary incidences of othering to histories of colonialism and empire.
• Explore current debates on issues around racism, Islamophobia, post-racialism, politics, and nationalism.  

Indicative weekly breakdown:

- The social construction of race, racism and othering.  

- Race, imagined communities and border politics.

- The intersections of race, class and gender.

- Insiders and outsiders in state policies.

- Institutional racism

- Islamophobia and securitization

- Critical Race Theory.

- Post-racialism.

- Racism and othering in news media and political discourse.

- Racism and othering in TV and film.

- Racism and othering in the interpersonal space.  

Students should:  

Have gained a critical understanding of the concepts of ‘race’, ‘racism’ and ‘othering’.  

Have gained a critical understanding of key theories—Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality—to analyse the role of ‘race’ and ‘racism’ in state policies, institutions and everyday discourse.  

Have acquired an expanded and more critical understanding of ‘othering’ in intercultural studies. 
 

Students should:  

• Be able to critically reflect on the concept of ‘race’ as a social construction.
• Have acquired the skills to recognise and critique how racism and othering manifest in a variety of contexts—from state policy documents to TV and film.  
• Be able to critically analyse how race interacts with gender, class, religion, and the state.  
   

Students should:

• Be able to clearly communicate complex information both orally and in writing.
• Be able to critically engage with key texts and theoretical ideas.
• Know how to apply theoretical ideas to empirical issues.

Students should:

• Demonstrate a critical awareness and sensitivity towards minoritisation as a process, and their own positionalities in relation to margins of othering.  
• Be able to identify and engage in critical discussions around race, ethnicity and othering in intercultural environments.  
• Be able to work collaboratively in a team.

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Benwell, B. and Stokoe,E., 2006. Discourse and Identity. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

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Collins, P.H., 2019. Intersectionality as critical social theory. Duke University Press.

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Kundnani, A., 2014. The Muslims are coming!: Islamophobia, extremism, and the domestic war on terror. Verso Trade.

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Mohanty, C.T., 2003. Feminism without borders: Decolonizing theory, practicing solidarity. Duke University Press.

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Phillips, C., 2011. Institutional racism and ethnic inequalities: An expanded multilevel framework. Journal of social policy, 40(1), pp.173-192.

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Qurashi, F., 2018. The Prevent strategy and the UK ‘war on terror’: embedding infrastructures of surveillance in Muslim communities. Palgrave Communications, 4(1), pp.1-13.

Qureshi, A., 2017. The UK Counter-terrorism Matrix: Structural Racism and the Case of Mahdi Hashi. In: Massoumi, N. Mills, T. and Miller, D. eds., What is Islamophobia? Racism, Social Movements and the State. Pluto Press, pp. 74-96.

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Said, E.W., 2012. Culture and imperialism. Vintage.

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Van Dijk, T.A., 1987. Communicating racism: Ethnic prejudice in thought and talk. Sage Publications, Inc.

Van Dijk, T.A., 2006. Ideology and discour