Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Spring 2025 - IS 230 D100

Beyond the Nation-State: Identity and Belonging in a Globalized World (3)

Class Number: 3291

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Tue, 12:30–2:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

This course surveys the diverse ways people have fashioned identities and social relations that do not easily conform to the boundaries of nation-states. Explores how, in the context of transnational movements of people and ideas, individuals and communities construct and contest new identities, aspirations, and forms of belonging. Breadth-Humanities/Social Sciences.

COURSE DETAILS:

Are you ready for a course that makes you think differently about forces of solidarity and discord in our world? In IS230, we examine controversies of global tourism, migration and borders, economic remittances, media narratives, nationalism, international adoption, and humanitarianism. And we intentionally take a multidisciplinary approach, drawing in diverse perspectives to challenge our ways of knowing.

This course will provide a strong foundation for future scholarship related to: international migration and diaspora studies; border studies; the politics of race, ethnicity, and gender; global dynamics of inequality; cultural commodification; humanitarianism and rights movements; and the changing dynamics of nationalism and cosmopolitanism.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

Through this course, students will develop appreciation for how collective identities have been constructed around notions of belonging and difference, the power such distinctions can wield, and the challenges involved in overcoming inequalities and forging solidarities. Students will also develop their skills in appraising how case studies of people’s lived experiences relate to structural conditions, and analytical and critical thinking through written essays and discussion participation.

Grading

  • Tutorial Participation 20%
  • Annotated Reading of Imagined Communities 5%
  • Combined Reading Response (800-1,000 words) 10%
  • Short Research Essay (topics include border crossings, diaspora relations, transnational solidarity movements) (1,200-2,000 words) 25%
  • Final Exam (one page of personal notes allowed) 40%

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

All students are required to have access to the book Imagined Communities, authored by Benedict Anderson. Any version (print or digital) is permissible. SFU Library provides a digital version.

All other readings are available electronically through SFU Library and posted under Course Reserves on our IS 230 Canvas page. The selected readings are deliberately diverse to encourage our broad and multi-disciplinary considerations of course topics.

REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity website http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the university community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the university. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the university. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.