With increased mobility and mixing of cultures, growing up among a diversity of people is now the norm in many cities of the world. Differences related to gender, generation, religion, sexuality, etc. which add to the complexities of people living together in urban areas. "Hidden diversity” is also a relevant factor in this minor: a diversity of experiences shape a person’s life and world views but are not readily apparent on the outside, unlike the usual markers of diversity such as race, nationality, gender, ethnicity through their embodied experience and knowledge. 

Cultural Diversity aims to develop and sustain critical engagement with ideas that are relevant for contemporary society. This minor will provide students a space to understand and address cultural representation and societal visibility in relation to gender, identity, race and normativity within their professional field. It also facilitates students in developing a deeper understanding of their own position and multiple ways of articulating it through their embodied knowledge.  

Recognising our bodies and their symbolic materiality is a fundamental aspect of this course, our bodies are politicized, categorised, ranked and judged. We grapple with how to respond to the interrelationship between our bodies, theories of identity and the body politic, as critical thinkers (and doers) we are attentive to the politics of the body which are closely related to questions about the effectiveness of identity politics. 

During this minor you will formulate your own goals and assignments, and develop your own working methods, using relevant theories and analytical tools. The result can be an art or design object, publication (such as artists’ books), interdisciplinary installation, performance, exhibition or other type of project. 

Format 

This program is conducted in real life (IRL) with a limited number of online sessions determined by the teaching team. 

KEYWORDS 

Gender, Identity, Decoloniality, Intersectionality, Cultural Heritage, Race, Whiteness, Blackness, Orientalism, Ableism, and Social Class. 

What we offer 

• Field trips 
• Guest Lecturers and external visitors during presentations 
• Collective dynamics and group processes of togethering 
• Interdisciplinary and experimental modes of working. 

What we expect 

This minor is looking for students who engage and position themselves critically within the course discussion, literature and artistic processes of and around identity, belonging and the voice of authority and visibility. 

We expect students to participate within the question “Who is or is not included?” in relation to the societal need to address the intersectional constellation of topics, work and conversations that gravitate around race, nationality, gender, and ethnicity connected to their experiences. 

• You are able to present advanced knowledge on theoretical insights that account for the relevance of your research and the topics discussed in class. 
• You are able to reflect critically on your approach. 
• You are able to demonstrate an awareness of the larger societal context your views are embedded within. 
• You are able to translate your initial concept(s) into a presentable project that accords with the paradigms at the Minor in Cultural Diversity. 
• You are able to experiment with techniques, materials and formats that appropriately relate to the subject you focus on. 
• You are able to explore your speculative skills within the possibilities of the course. 
• You are able to notice trial-and-error in processing your objectives. 
• You are able to take in feedback and feedforward constructively. 
• You are able to work efficiently and collectively in a group setting. 

This minor is open to WdKA students. Students from other institutes are required to send a portfolio and motivation. You will receive more information about this after you have registered for this minor. We advise students from other institutes to register at least one month before the deadline. The admission procedure takes at least two weeks. In case you are not accepted into the minor, you might need some time to register for another minor.

Deliverables 

• The assignments are research-based and comprised of 
• Writing component; in the form of an essay or piece of text. 
• Artistic component; in the form of a collective interdisciplinary artistic project. 
• Public presentations in the environment of WdKA can be part of the outcome in the artistic projects developed in this course.