TFF4777 – Borders and Margins - Citizenship, Religion and Spatial Justice in Borderland - An excursion to the Texas/Mexico border
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
The main event in this course is an excursion between May 21 and May 30 to the border between Texas and Mexico. This is a border where people are passing illegally every day and night to find work, friends and family. The movements go from Mexico into the promised US land. The excursion is set up by our partner institution Union Theological Seminary (UTS) in New York and chaired by their professor Daisy Machado. TF can join with one professor, one PhD student and four MD students, who will travel with students and teachers from UTS. The excursion and the TF course connected shall experience and analyze the role of religion in the borderland. Part of the curriculum gives a historic and current introduction to the conflicts of land, citizenship and religion in the borderland territory. In addition to the borderland part of the curriculum, the participants also need to read some spatial theory and application of such theory. The aim of the course is train the students to analyze faith practices in the borderland by using some elements of spatial theories.
The U.S./Mexico border is approximately 2,000 miles long and it is the only border in the world between a first world nation and a developing nation. Tejana activist and writer Gloria Anzaldúa has described it as the place “where the Third World grates against the first and bleeds.”
The course/immersion will examine the multi-layered realities of this border and how these realities make themselves felt in the Spanish-speaking communities that inhabit both northern and southern boundaries. Students will encounter firsthand what some of these realities look like, will reflect upon their impact on the borderlands people, and will have the opportunity to meet with scholars, activists, and church leaders who are responding to these realities through their own activism, their scholarship, and their congregational work.
Even if the main event is the excursion, the course also has one obligatory class before and one after the excursion itself. In these classes students will be presented the program, introductions to curriculum and the term paper and in the final class in Oslo the focus will be on the term paper construction. There will also be some classes during the 9 days in the borderland.
Learning outcome
- The historic and current role of religion among the illegal and legal population in the borderlands.
- Ability to develop an elementary spatial analysis of the role of religion in the borderland.
Admission
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.
Students enrolled in other Master's Degree Programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
As there are only four student spots for the excursion to Texas/Mexico
in May, the selection criteria are based on the following:
- Subject relevance for master thesis
- Average grades on completed master courses
- Number of completed credits
- The faculty will aim at gender balance
Prerequisites
Formal prerequisite knowledge
Please see "Admission"
Teaching
Access to teaching
Obligatory requirements:
Students must participate in the entire program, assignments and lectures during the excursion. They are also expected to participate in the meetings that are planned before and after the excursion.
Information regarding excursion:
- There will be a non-refundable fee of NOK 4000 to be paid in full prior to traveling to the US. The Faculty of Theology will cover most of the expenses in connection to the excursion, such as airfare and all travel within the US/Mexico, as well as accommodation and meals.
- The student will be responsible for all matters concerning visas (including any fees), and must be eligible to enter both the USA and Mexico.
- The student is also responsible for providing an adequate travel insurance.
Examination
Examination support material
Students are examined by a common oral group exam based on questions distributed before the excursion. The students must hand in the manuscript for the presentations, max 1000 words. Grades will be given individually, based on both the oral and written achievement.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
Explanations and appeals
Resit an examination
Special examination arrangements
Application form, deadline and requirements for special examination arrangements.