Progress in transportation and communications has led to a shrinking of time and space and increased contact between people, to the extent that human coexistence is becoming a major issue of contemporary society. This course explores the diverse relations between people from many angles, from contact and negotiation to the development of complex relations involving conflict, compromise and segregation, and historically traces the formation of the mechanisms behind them. It also looks at the formation and development of people’s consciousness of history and language, and attitudes to culture and ethnicity, and aims to contribute to understanding of the contemporary world and more resolved human coexistence.
Students who complete this course may be planning careers in journalism or teaching, or in internationally active corporate or public organizations.