140192 SE BASE Bachelor Seminar (2013S)

Transnationalization processes, i.e. intertwining relationships that exist across national boundaries, play a crucial role in shaping social, cultural, economic and political (transformation) processes in the world. They are created by developments in the field of modern mass media and the communication industry, the rapid development of the travel sector, and as a result of international migration through which the cross-border transport and exchange of goods, information and people gained a new level. The seminar introduces in current theories of transnationalism and discusses their relation to processes of social transformation / development. Students will be trained in scientific working and introduced to empirical research methods that will facilitate them to develop an individual research project in which they examine the extent to which different parts of the society (science, economics, politics, art) in Austria / Vienna are transnationalized. Students who do not have an own theme will examine the role of international migration and the use of modern information and communication technologies (ICT) for transnational interactions and activities based on three different groups: a) highly qualified, b) entrepreneurs with a migration background and c) transnational families. Special emphasis is given to the question how such transnationalization processes affect both countries involved, in the case of international migration the countries of origin and destination.