Law, Multiculturalism and Intercultural Human Rights
Duration: Three weeks
Overview
Start of programme: 1 July 2013
This course focuses on an interdisciplinary socio-legal study of the interactions of English law and various ethnic minorities who tend to import their own cultures on their own terms. Initial conceptual and theoretical sessions on migration history, assimilation/integration, legal pluralism, ethnicity and race relations theory provide detailed foundations for deeper analysis of all topics studied in the course.
In the family law part of the course we briefly analyse, through case studies, how core elements of domestic family law struggle with the diverse presence of ethnic minority communities following various unofficial concepts of managing family relations. Intercultural conflicts concerning marriage, divorce, nullity and financial arrangements are covered. In the public law part of the course we examine a range of public law issues, focusing on race relations/equality law and employment, but also race and crime, racial harassment, education law, blasphemy, and some aspects of immigration law.
Social Programme
You will also be able to enjoy our social programme, starting with a welcome party and a river cruise on the Thames. A guided tour of historical Bloomsbury where SOAS is situated will help you find your way around the campus area. You will also receive discount codes for day trips and overnight tours with our partner International Friends once you have registered for one of our courses.
Further details: www.internationalfriends.co.uk.
Dates
The summer school will run from Monday 1 July - Friday 19 July 2013.
Fees
Tuition
A tuition fee of £1250 will be charged per 3-week programme. This figure does not include accommodation fees.
Accommodation
A limited number of rooms will be available at International Hall which is located in the heart of Bloomsbury. You will be able to request a place once your application has been approved. Please note that the deadline for confirmation and payment of accommodation will be 17th May 2013, however you are advised to request a room as early as possible to avoid disappointment. The cost for 20 nights from 30 June - 19 July (inclusive) is £800, which includes breakfast every day. Please email sophie.dilley@soas.ac.uk to reserve place.
Application fee
A one-off, non-refundable application fee of £55 will be charged to cover administration costs.
Credits
If you intend to claim credits from your home institution, please check the requirements with them before you enrol. We will be happy to assist you in any way we can, however please be aware that the decision to award credits rests with your home institution.
Courses do not bear any UK credits but they will provide you with between 40–50 hours of face-to-face contact time, which includes lectures and tutorials, during the 3-week period. Assessment will be optional and will vary for each course. Participants will be provided with a certificate of attendance. Transcripts will be available on request.
Contacts
For more information, please email summerschool@soas.ac.uk
Structure
The interdisciplinary course constitutes a socio-legal study of how, and with what outcomes, ethnic minority presence and the formal national law interact, and considers the possibilities of managing inter-ethnic and inter-legal clashes.
The course comprises of 7 topics, organised in three parts, taught over ten seminars.
Part 1 introduces the core themes in ethnic minority legal studies, parts 2 and 3 connect general themes and particular cases and situations, involving either civil, criminal and/or public law.
Assessment is optional and will be in the form of a 2000-2500 words essay, to be returned by Friday 2nd August at the latest.
Topics:
Part 1
1. An introduction to core themes in ethnic minority legal studies: unpacking the cultural luggage; assimilation or integration and unpacking legal pluralism
Part 2
2. The need to marry and divorce twice: Social, financial and legal consequences
3. Forced marriages and nullity petitions in English law
4. Polygamous marriages: Criminalisation
Part 3
5. Managing race relations and equality
6. Blasphemy: Finding the balance between freedom of expression and protecting religious beliefs
7. Managing multicultural education
Structure: The course will run from Monday - Thursday and consist of 30 hours of lectures and seminars, plus around 14 hours of extra activities such as study skills, trips and films throughout the three weeks.
Teaching & Learning
Teaching & Learning
At the end of a course, a student should be able to demonstrate…
- An understanding of the core themes in contemporary ethnic minority legal studies.
- An understanding of the connection between general analytical themes and particular cases and situations.
- An understanding of what possibilities there are for managing inter-ethnic and inter-legal clashes.
How to Apply
In order to join our Summer School, you will need to meet the following entry requirements:
- Have undertaken a year’s university level study
- A minimum English language requirement if English is not your first language:
- IELTS (www.ielts.org), 7 overall or higher, with at least 6.5 in all subscores.
- iBT 105+ with 22 in all subscores or 100 overall with no less than 25 in writing and no less than 22 in any other subscores.
- Or equivalent.
