This SMU-X Overseas programme explores the challenges and promises of diversity through theoretical and applied approaches to the management of social differences in institutions and societies in Asia. Through discussions of the ways in which identity and multiculturalism have been understood and practiced, students will learn to apply strategies that consider individual, group and systemic factors that underlie the management of differences on the basis of socioeconomic status, sex, gender identity, citizenship, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, and disability. The Term 1, 2024-25, run of the course will focus on Japan – a modern, globalised country that often finds itself at odds with deeply ingrained traditions and social norms. With more immigrants, more women in leadership, a rapidly ageing population, fewer marriages and births, Japan presents a complex and intriguing landscape for the study of diversity management as more people and groups encounter tensions with societal pressures to conform. Over the course of six seminars at SMU, students will learn about social differences, intergroup relations and multiculturalism. An eight-day fieldwork and cultural immersion trip to Japan will follow, where students will visit relevant sites, meet with local practitioners, and present project deliverables to the project partner.
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
• Express thoughts and ideas on diversity coherently and respectfully
• Evaluate theories that seek to explain equity and diversity
• Identify rhetoric, as well as dominant and normative discourses on diversity issues
• Analyse and evaluate the policies that relate to the managing of differences
• Understand the sociocultural nuances of diversity management in Japan