Individuals with a high group identity tend to incorporate aspects of that group in their self-concepts. And as people tend to like their in-group members more than the out-group members, bias in favor of similar in-group members and bias against out-group members is created, resulting in an ‘us’ versus ‘them’ way of thinking and acting. Differently said: People create assumptions and labels to identify the other, but meanwhile are just reinforcing their own identity. By doing so they are inclined to focus on the differences between ‘us’ and ‘them’ rather than on the similarities.

We see that this us-vs-them thinking has increased alarmingly in recent years, for instance in the last Dutch election results in which polarizing parties won many votes. But we also notice it more and more in neighborhoods and districts, in Amsterdam as well. The sense of community of the 1980s and 1990s has gradually given way to further separation and telling stories about each other.

To what extent is it possible to reverse this dynamic by inviting people to share their stories with each other? Are there interventions to be developed to reduce and counter polarisation? That is what we want to explore in this course, not only theoretically but also by connecting to different communities.

This interaction with the communities it concerns makes this course also very attractive for Dutch speakers, however this in is not obligatory.

Coordinator

Drs. Bianca de Groot

Timetable

All lectures will take place on-campus and we assume you can be physically present during the scheduled hours. You can find the timetable on Datanose.

Registration

Registration is possible for students participating in an Honours programme. The registration period for the Honours courses will be from June 6, 10:00 am to June 10, 11.59 pm. You can register through the online registration form that will appear on Honoursmodules IIS. (registration is NOT through SIS)

Please note: Placement is not guaranteed if you register after June 10, so make sure you register on time. You will hear which course(s) you are registered for before the end of June. 

For questions about registration, please contact us at: honours-iis@uva.nl.