Contemporary Anthropological Ideas
Course code
HIA6323.HT
old course code
Course title in Estonian
Nüüdisaegsed antropoloogilised ideed
Course title in English
Contemporary Anthropological Ideas
ECTS credits
6.0
Assessment form
Examination
lecturer of 2023/2024 Spring semester
Polina Tšerkassova (language of instruction:Estonian)
lecturer of 2024/2025 Autumn semester
Not opened for teaching. Click the study programme link below to see the nominal division schedule.
Course aims
BA:
To introduce anthropological and sociological ideas of 20th to 21st century through different concepts.
MA:
Collapses: an interdisciplinary exploration
Keeping the future scenarios of global climate change in mind, the course aims to explore different collapses in the human world from an interdisciplinary perspective, through co-creation of knowledge together with the course participants. Through studying past collapses, we aim to create conceptual tools, theoretical frameworks and methodologies that help us imagine and shape the future.
To introduce anthropological and sociological ideas of 20th to 21st century through different concepts.
MA:
Collapses: an interdisciplinary exploration
Keeping the future scenarios of global climate change in mind, the course aims to explore different collapses in the human world from an interdisciplinary perspective, through co-creation of knowledge together with the course participants. Through studying past collapses, we aim to create conceptual tools, theoretical frameworks and methodologies that help us imagine and shape the future.
Brief description of the course
MA:
It is increasingly clear that whilst an understanding of the climate crisis is rapidly spreading across the societies, and new mitigating and adaptive strategies are explored in practical, psychological etc terms, there is no clear understanding of the social consequences of the rapid and potentially cataclysmic changes and thus few if any mitigative or adaptive strategies within the social realm.
To critically explore the disasters currently unfolding, the course takes ‘collapse’ as its central term and aims to study it in an interdisciplinary manner. We will bring into a dialogue philosophy, natural sciences, societal, political and economic perspectives as well as the methodological questions of studying collapses.The course is built on the assumption that the prefiguration of the future entails an overcoming of disciplinary pride and an open mind.
The course is curated by two anthropologists, Eeva Kesküla and Aet Annist and philosopher Luc Delannoy who have invited a series of guest lecturers to offer their perspective. The topics include disaster studies in anthropology, collapse from a philosophical point of view, collapse of states, ecosystems, expressing collapse through art; collapse denial, mitigation and activism.
It is increasingly clear that whilst an understanding of the climate crisis is rapidly spreading across the societies, and new mitigating and adaptive strategies are explored in practical, psychological etc terms, there is no clear understanding of the social consequences of the rapid and potentially cataclysmic changes and thus few if any mitigative or adaptive strategies within the social realm.
To critically explore the disasters currently unfolding, the course takes ‘collapse’ as its central term and aims to study it in an interdisciplinary manner. We will bring into a dialogue philosophy, natural sciences, societal, political and economic perspectives as well as the methodological questions of studying collapses.The course is built on the assumption that the prefiguration of the future entails an overcoming of disciplinary pride and an open mind.
The course is curated by two anthropologists, Eeva Kesküla and Aet Annist and philosopher Luc Delannoy who have invited a series of guest lecturers to offer their perspective. The topics include disaster studies in anthropology, collapse from a philosophical point of view, collapse of states, ecosystems, expressing collapse through art; collapse denial, mitigation and activism.
Learning outcomes in the course
Upon completing the course the student:
- is acquainted with basic anthropological concepts and definitions;
- is able to critically analyze ethnographic texts considering the authorial context and to express an opinion about anthropological issues both verbally and in writing.
- is familiar with the conceptual tools for the critical analysis of collapse from an anthropological and interdisciplinary perspective (MA);
- is able to discuss, compare and contrast the assigned texts and presentations orally and in written form (MA);
- is familiar with the process of critical interdisciplinary co-creation of knowledge (MA).
- is acquainted with basic anthropological concepts and definitions;
- is able to critically analyze ethnographic texts considering the authorial context and to express an opinion about anthropological issues both verbally and in writing.
- is familiar with the conceptual tools for the critical analysis of collapse from an anthropological and interdisciplinary perspective (MA);
- is able to discuss, compare and contrast the assigned texts and presentations orally and in written form (MA);
- is familiar with the process of critical interdisciplinary co-creation of knowledge (MA).
Teacher
Polina Tšerkassova
Prerequisite course 1
Study programmes containing that course