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77879-01 - Practical course: The Formation, Mediation, and Persistence of Collective Memory (2 CP)
| Semester | spring semester 2026 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Sahana Srinivasan (sahana.srinivasan@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | Memories are individually constructed – private thoughts in the private minds of individual beings – yet what they mean and how they can be interpreted are mediated by social institutions and cultural norms. These meaningful memories thus become established rationale – they can unite populations, just as they can divide, conquer, and even obliterate them. In this interdisciplinary course, we learn how individual memories become collective. Then we discuss the role and motives of socio-political forces in making collective memories more cohesive and narrativized. Finally, we discover how institutionally sanctioned narratives are embodied over generations – what score is kept by the bodies of the marginalized and historically excluded? |
| Learning objectives | Students explore the formation of collective memory, its mediation by larger institutional forces, and how keeping these sanctioned narratives alive affects marginalized and historically excluded communities. |
| Bibliography | Selected chapter/s from „Cultural Memory and Western Cvilization: Functions, Media, Archives“, Aleida Assman (2011) „The Weathering Hypothesis as an Explanation for Racial Disparities in Health: A Systematic Review“, Forde et al (2019) |
| Comments | No prior knowledge of biology/medicine/psychology is needed. |
| Admission requirements | Die Teilnehmenden werden nach Fachrichtung, Studiengang und in der Reihenfolge ihrer Anmeldung auf die Liste gesetzt. Wer im Rahmen von Auslandaufenthalten und von Austauschprogrammen in Basel studiert wird unabhängig vom Listenplatz immer aufgenommen. Wer in der ersten Sitzung unentschuldigt fehlt, kann die Lehrveranstaltung nicht besuchen. Pro Lehrveranstaltung mit zwei Semesterwochenstunden sind maximal zwei entschuldigte Absenzen möglich. Siehe Merkblatt zum Umgang mit Absenzen und Sonderregelungen: https://kulturwissenschaft.philhist.unibas.ch/fileadmin/user_upload/kulturwissenschaft/Dokumente/Studium/Merkblaetter_allgemein/B_absenzen-sonderregelungen_24-01.pdf. |
| Course application | Direkte Anmeldung bei sahana.srinivasan@unibas.ch; Belegen über services.unibas.ch |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Thursday | 10.15-12.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum 207 |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday 05.03.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum 207 |
| Thursday 12.03.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum 207 |
| Thursday 19.03.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum 207 |
| Thursday 26.03.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum 207 |
| Thursday 09.04.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum 207 |
| Thursday 16.04.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum 207 |
| Thursday 23.04.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum 207 |
| Thursday 30.04.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum 207 |
| Thursday 07.05.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum 207 |
| Thursday 21.05.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum 207 |
| Thursday 28.05.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum 207 |
| Thursday 04.06.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum 207 |
| Modules |
Modul: Research Lab Kulturanthropologie (Master's degree subject: Cultural Anthropology) Modul: Sachthemen der Ethnologie (Bachelor's degree subject: Anthropology) Modul: Theorien und Methodologien der Kulturanthropologie (Master's degree subject: Cultural Anthropology) Modul: Transfer: Europa interdisziplinär (Master's degree program: European History in Global Perspective) Module: Europeanization and Globalization (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) Module: Fields: Governance and Politics (Master's degree program: African Studies) Module: Fields: Knowledge Production and Transfer (Master's degree program: African Studies) Module: Migration, Mobility and Transnationalism (Master's degree program: Changing Societies: Migration – Conflicts – Resources) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | - Regelmässige und aktive Teilnahme an den Sitzungen - Erbringen der Leistungen im vereinbarten Zeitrahmen. |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Kulturwissenschaft und Europäische Ethnologie |