Skills of an Active Citizen

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label Diverse autorenew 2025-09-29, 17:00 history_edu Diana Ignat
The current challenge in many Western countries is populist discourse on immigration and globalization. At the same time, globalization and its different aspects are present in many concrete ways in every corner of the world. Popular discourse is often built on simplified arguments lacking historical and societal contexts and based on strong oppositions between "we" and "they".The skills of an active citizen are needed! What does an active citizen need to do and know? On the one hand, there is a need to deconstruct these confrontations, and on the other hand, there is a need to build bridges between different perspectives.

The course format is based on a critical and transformative multicultural pedagogy which aims to raise awareness against all kinds of discrimination. This approach challenges the participants to examine knowledge as socially constructed and dynamic, and compares it with the mainstream approach that too often considers knowledge neutral, unambiguous and non-political. Epistemological questions and their contextualization are an important part of the course: What is knowledge? How do we achieve it? Who defines knowledge? From whose point of view is it presented?Reflection is an essential learned skill that is constructed by awareness raising and by analysing different texts and discourses. One's own position and societal processes and structures need to be understood and critically reflected upon.

However, there is an additional need for new dialogue and inclusivity, which are practised via both group and project tasks during the course. How can we create an (working, learning) environment that encourages people to find and use their own voice? How can invisible knowledge be made visible and available to a wider public? How can people be motivated to participate in a dialogue? Some answers to these questions can be found through project work in co-operation with NGOs, associations, and friendship societies. The theoretical framework of the course arises from the project topics and will be incorporated into the course content through problem-oriented learning.

Period
07-08-2012 - 23-08-2012 (3 weeks)

Target group
Students from related fields.

Course aim
This is the principal goal of this course. The more specific objectives are: to examine how populist discussion around and against immigration is created and what kind of arguments and contexts it is constructed upon to learn to deconstruct cultural stereotypes, an imaginary common national culture and simplified historical narratives to learn to observe the environment and societal discussion from a new, reflective perspective and to actively search for new knowledge in various ways to recognize discourses that marginalize different groups and to research how power is constructed and maintained in these discourses to acquire tools to create dialogical and inclusive practices that make it possible for different groups and individuals to voice their opinions to search for, develop and present points of view that are ethically justifiable.

Credits
5.0 ECTS credits



Course fee

EUR 470: Course fee

The course fee can be paid with a credit card or with a bank transfer before the start of the Helsinki Summer School. It can also be paid upon your arrival in Helsinki. Degree and exchange students attending universities in the Helsinki area are exempted from the course fee. Degree and exchange students attending other Finnish universities are required to pay a half of the course fee (235 EUR).

EUR 150: Registration fee

The registration fee is 150 EUR additional fees for international students. Payment is due within seven days of receipt of written notification of your acceptance to Helsinki Summer School. If you register before 31 May 2012, you will receive a 50 EUR discount on the registration fee. The registration fee for degree or exchange students attending Finnish universities is 50 EUR. The registration fee is non-refundable. Payment may be made either by bank transfer or credit card (Visa and Eurocard/Mastercard only).If we do not receive a credit card payment or copy of the bank transfer within one week of notification of your acceptance, we will have no choice but to cancel your course reservation. Your application will, however, remain in our database and, if there are still places available, you may renew your registration simply by contacting us.

Course leader
Eila Isotalus

Helsinki Summer School is supported by a consortium of nine universities in the Helsinki region.
Address: P.O. Box 3 University of Helsinki
Postal code: FI-00014
City: Helsinki
Country: Finland
Website: http://www.helsinkisummerschool.fi/home/index
E-mail: summer-school@helsinki.fi
Phone: +358 (0)9 191 24766