The interdepartmental seminar module "Multiculturalism and Citizenship" is provided by the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures as part of the "Citizenship Education" course activated by the University of Genoa. The module concerns all Unige students enrolled in undergraduate, graduate, single-cycle master's, and doctoral programs of the University, regardless of their department of affiliation. Participants in the seminar will earn 1 ECTS credit, which will appear as an additional credit in the Diploma Supplement. At the end of the training program participants will receive an open badge certifying the acquisition of the "citizenship education" skill.
The project aims at analyzing the concept of citizenship and the related rights, the methods of acquisition of citizenship within the framework of Italy and European countries legislations, proposing reflections on the role that this bond of belonging to a territory plays today in a multiethnic and multicultural society. The seminar module also aims to promote the development of active and responsible citizenship through the acquisition of transversal skills, in particular: appropriate use of language and use of sources, relational skills, a collaborative attitude, and the ability to collaborate and illustrate a project.
The program is intended to provide students with a solid understanding of the role that citizenship played in the past, is playing actually and may play in the future. The rights and duties stemming from the bond of “belonging” to a State. The meaning and importance of European citizenship. The content of digital citizenship and the “new rights,”, the rights of the “third generation”. At the end of training program the attending students will be able to understand the different ways of acquiring a citizenship, the legal and inclusive meaning of citizenship ( belonging, sharing), to analyze the differences among the various states, to evaluate the impact of the bond of citizenship within the framework of a multiethnic and multicultural society, as well to understand the evolution dynamics of the society and the emerging of new rights.
No prerequisites are required.
The topics of the program are presented in a way that can be understood even without any basic knowledge.
Students are required to include the training module in their study plan through the dedicated online service. The procedures for adding it to the study plan are available at the link https://servizionline.unige.it/studenti/formazionecittadinanza.
The seminar is delivered in-person (and possibly also streaming) and is divided into six sessions (of two hours each). Attendance is mandatory. The sessions feature both active and interactive teaching, and through student participation, analyses and in-depth studies on specific topics related to citizenship and rights will be carried out. Participants will also be able to conduct group research and contribute constructively to the flipped classroom.
The course is divided into three interconnected areas: 'historical-political', 'legal', and 'multiethnic/multicultural' analysis. The following topics will be covered during the training program:
1.CITIZENS: ARE WE BORN OR MADE - Concept of citizenship (belonging to a State) principles of attribution (ties of blood or birth in state territory, marriage, adoption, naturalisation, etc,) and relevant rights and duties.
2. FROM SUBJECTS TO CITIZENS - The historical evolution of the concept of citizenship, the acknowledgement of civil rights in the XVIII century, political rights in the XIX century as well as of the social rights in the XX century ( according to the classification of the British philosopher Thomas Humphrey Marshall)
3. THE ACQUISITION OF CITIZENSHIP IN ITALY AND IN CERTAIN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES - Homogeneity, similarities and differences among various states (ref. Deputy Chamber Dossier MLC16015).
4. EUROPEAN CITIZENSHIP - A new legal relation which supports the feeling of belonging to the European Union and the so called supplementary rights, the EU Chart of fundamental rights and the prohibition od discrimination even in linguistic terms
5. CITIZENSHIP, MULTICULTURALITY, PLURICUTURALITY - Citizenship within a global society more and more multi-ethnic and multi-cultural is marked by new international migration flows. The acceptance of cultural diversities and the new basies on which it is possible to rewrite the concept of exclusion and inclusion,
6. “DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP” - The European framework of digital skill and competence known as DigComp - DigComp | EU Science Hub (europa.eu).
All the teaching materials are available on the web classroom.
Ricevimento: Please visit my personal page on the Lingue website.
EDOARDO PUSILLO (President)
CRISTIANO BROCCIAS (President Substitute)
Lectures start on Monday, February 23, 2026
At the end of the seminar a final test is foreseen (summative assessment is planned) as to evaluate the skills acquired, in the form of the presentation and explanation of a short paper or, alternatively, of the successful completion of a conclusive interview.
Students will need to demonstrate that they have understood and are able to analyze the concept of citizenship, explain the methods of acquisition, and understand the rights arising from the “relationship of belonging” to a State. In addition, they should know the rights and duties stemming from the citizenship relationship.
All information relating to the course, hours, dates of the exam, etc., is constantly updated on the professor’s webpage(https://lingue.unige.it/edoardo.pusillo%40unige.it) and on Aulaweb
Students with DSA certificates, disabilities or other special educational needs are advised to contact the professor at the start of the course to establish ways for learning and passing the exam, that respecting the goals of the course, take into account individual learning methods and participation of the flipped classroom
