SANb2046 Reading anthropological texts

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2024
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Taught in person.
Teacher(s)
Eva Kotašková, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Ing. Soňa Enenkelová (assistant)
Guaranteed by
Eva Kotašková, Ph.D.
Department of Sociology – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Eva Kotašková, Ph.D.
Supplier department: Department of Sociology – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
Tue 16:00–17:40 M117
Prerequisites
Eagerness to read and discuss social science literature. Ability to read academic text in English. Completing the course requires the ability and willingness to read approximately 25 - 30 pages of text each week.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 20 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 15/20, only registered: 0/20, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/20
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The aim of the course is to provide an opportunity for a systematic and critical reading of a current (significant) publication in the field of social and cultural anthropology. In spring 2024, this will be Anna Tsing's book Mushrooms at the End of the World. In each seminar we will interpret one part of the book and contextualize emerging themes within broader anthropological theories and approaches. The themes of the selected book are related to the topics of the required courses of the Social Anthropology program at the MUNI FSS.
Learning outcomes
Throughout the course, the students will develop their academic reading and writing skills, especially those necessary to interpret and analyse the arguments of the text they are reading and to create a constructive debate. The students will also learn to recognize and evaluate the structure, argumentation, and style of argumentation of ethnographic monographs. Finally, the students will gain an understanding of the relationship between ethnographic description, theory, and analysis in anthropology generally and in the anthropology of nature and political anthropology specifically.
Syllabus
  • In each seminar we will discuss a selected part of the book and proceed from beginning to end to read the whole monograph. Each seminar will be devoted to the interpretation and discussion of the selected chapters.
Literature
    required literature
  • Tsing, A.L., [2015]. The mushroom at the end of the world: on the possibility of life in capitalist ruins, Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Teaching methods
The teaching methods used in this course involve weekly seminar meetings, reading of literature, homework exercises and writing assignment.
Assessment methods
Regular participation in seminars, discussions, assignments, final seminar paper. 100 – 96b. A 95 – 90 b. B 89 – 80 b. C 79 – 70 b. D 69 – 60 b. E < 59b. F
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught once in two years.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/spring2024/SANb2046