Overview

Welcome to the Identity and Policy course! By the end of this course, you will gain an in-depth understanding of the concept of identity and how it influences every aspect of society and public policy. The course introduces you to the meaning and the various dimensions of identity in the contemporary world, followed by a comparison of the social context of identities in different societies across the globe. With this basic understanding, you will explore some tools necessary to analyze identity groups' consequences at the personal, economic, social, and political levels. You will learn about the policy responses that government bodies have enacted in different contexts, followed by a critical analysis of the same. You will discover various socio-political regimes in the world and their conduciveness towards the rise of identity politics. You will also explore how identities majorly affect international relations and geopolitics. The course uses extensive illustrations from worldwide to draw comparisons and critically analyze policies.

Syllabus

Meaning of Identity

This module introduces the concept of identity. It elaborates on the multidimensionality of identity and places it in a social context. You will learn about the norms and ideals associated with any identity and demonstrate the idea using illustrations from everyday life and different contexts.

Dimensions of Identity

In this module, you will learn about the numerous dimensions of identity along which individuals categorize themselves. The module focuses on the traditional ways of identifying oneself and introduces the new dimensions which have gained salience in the current world. You will learn how social context determines the subset of identity one chooses to manifest at any given time and how the norms essentially overlap across dimensions.

Consequences for Society

In this module, you will learn how identities and identity groups affect society. The module begins with an introduction to a set of tools for the analysis and their application in understanding the consequences of identity formation at various levels of society. Starting at the personal level, the module examines the levels of social integration and discusses how some counterintuitive decisions can be rational.

Policy Response: Affirmative Action

In this module, you will learn about the various forms of affirmative action as a policy response to the underrepresentation of minorities in government positions and educational institutes. You will learn the concepts and the essential need for affirmative action policies. You will explore the common ways various societies have implemented affirmative action policies, elaborated with illustrations from worldwide examples.

Policy Outcomes: Critical Analysis

In this module, you will critically analyze the affirmative action policies for minorities and socio-economically backward communities. You will learn how to evaluate these policies in terms of short-run and long-run outcomes. You will gain insight into how the same policy can have very different outcomes when applied to different identity dimensions, elaborated with illustrative examples.

Identity Politics

This module focuses on identity politics. You will gain an in-depth understanding of cultural and political environments conducive to identity groups asserting themselves. You will explore worldwide examples to recognize why some cultures are more receptive to identity-based politics and eventually identity-based policies while others are not. You will also learn about the short-term and long-term consequences of such policies.

National Identities and Nationalism

In this module, you will explore identities that manifest at the national level. You will learn about the history of national identities and nationalism. You will explore the internal and external consequences of nationalism and their consequences on immigration. You will also learn how within-country identity dimensions come together at the national and international levels.