Overview
This introductory course examines cultural identity as a multidimensional and evolving process shaped by family and community histories, language, nationality, ethnicity, race, religion, class, gender, sexuality, disability, migration, place, memory, media, and institutions. Students engage with socialization, intersectionality, positionality, belonging, acculturation, diaspora, cultural memory, privilege, marginalization, code-switching, and identity negotiation.
The course establishes respectful discussion practices and ethical approaches to personal and community-based inquiry. Students determine which aspects of identity they wish to examine, protect privacy, and avoid treating personal experience as representative of an entire cultural group. Through reflective and analytical work, students connect experience to historical and social structures, recognize internal diversity, analyze power and belonging, listen across difference, and develop culturally humble practices.
Learning Outcomes
- Analyze cultural identity as a multidimensional and evolving process shaped by social, historical, and institutional forces.
- Evaluate how intersectionality, positionality, privilege, and marginalization influence belonging and exclusion.
- Interpret family, community, and cultural histories using ethical, privacy-conscious research practices.
- Compare internal diversity and shared patterns within and across cultural groups without relying on essentialist assumptions.
- Connect personal or selected cultural experiences to wider historical, political, and social structures.
- Apply culturally humble listening and communication practices in discussions across difference.
- Synthesize relationships among identity, place, memory, institutions, and change over time in a coherent final project.
Timetable
| Type | Length | Frequency | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 2 hours | Weekly | All semester |
| Tutorial | 1 hour | Weekly | All semester |
| Workshop | 2 hours | Fortnightly | All semester |
Assessment Schedule
| Type | Description | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Assignment | Positionality statement | 20.00% |
| Assignment | Cultural autobiography or equivalent reflective inquiry | 20.00% |
| Assignment | Ethical family or community history research | 20.00% |
| Assignment | Critical reflection on a cultural text | 15.00% |
| Tutorial | Tutorial participation and listening practice | 10.00% |
| Capstone | Final identity, place, relationships, and change project | 15.00% |
Prerequisites
- Requirement 8 NCEA Level 2 English credits, externally assessed
Teaching Staff & Programs
This course is delivered jointly by faculty from the participating programs listed below. In line with the Douchewater Way, the University of Sexology tailors core instruction directly to each cohort's specific discipline — adapting curriculum to program needs rather than forcing students into a one-size-fits-all model. Learn more about our approach at The Douchewater Way.
