Introduction to the course

Introduction to racism and discrimination

Racism and discrimination are when someone is treated differently, in a negative way, based on their appearance, often linked to the fact that the person comes from another country, has a different skin colour and/or religion, has disabilities, etc. In a diverse society, it is important that everyone shows respect for each other and interact without prejudice. In a homogeneous society like Norway, where most people are more or less similar to each other, it can be difficult to understand what it feels like to be subjected to discrimination. Nor are some with an immigrant background often exposed to discrimination and racism, depending on which environments they are in or how they interpret events that occur in everyday life.

Through extensive experience of working in the field of diversity, MiR sees that understanding the lives and life situations of others is fundamental to respect and empathy. We have therefore developed role-play situations that are common in everyday life that allow the majority population to understand choices made by the minority population and vice versa. People often make choices that make sense to them at the time, which are not always sensible and logical. It is therefore important to understand that not all negative situations are racism and not all positive situations are well-intentioned. It is therefore important to see the nuances and understand the complexity of the human mind.

In this course, the goal is to reflect on what it is like to live in an increasingly diverse society where you yourself either belong to the majority or a minority. You have to try to make choices that sometimes have consequences for others or for yourself.

The course consists of a number of role-plays where you are given different roles and must discuss in groups different options for action. It is also possible to complete the program individually.

Each topic will contain theoretical concepts and concepts that may be useful to know connected to this topic.