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78102-01 - Course: Neighbors (5 CP)
| Semester | spring semester 2026 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Michelle Engeler (michelle.engeler@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | In everyday language, the term ‘neighbour’ refers to a spatial relationship: neighbours are people who live closer to us than other people. But how are we “doing neighbourhood” in everyday life? This two-semester course invites you to critically explore ‘neighbours’ through the lens of social anthropology and by using ethnographic research methods on our doorstep. By developing your own ethnographic research project based in or around Basel, you will explore how individuals or communities live, maintain or disrupt neighbourly relationships. From blocks of flats to schoolyards, parks or street corners, you will explore “doing neighbourhood” by using a range of ethnographic research tools; in addition to observing and doing conversations and interviews, you’ll use your body, your senses and your presence in the field to engage in ethnographic research rooted in the lived, embodied experience of the spaces you study. In addition to written text, we will also produce visual material in the form of picture galleries. Teaching formats include collaborative activities. Where possible, we also visit neighbourhoods, neighbouring disciplines and universities (Université Haute-Alsace, Mulhouse). Over the course of the year, you will: • First Semester: Develop a research proposal related to the topic of ‘neighbours’ and based on a qualitative research approach. This proposal will be informed by initial field excursions, where you will explore urban environments, engage directly with ethnographic methods and conduct preliminary data. • Time between terms: With your research proposal in hand, you’ll conduct the main part of your ethnographic fieldwork. Whether you’re studying the dynamics of migration and mobility in a neighbourhood, observing social inequalities or solidarities, gender or generational relations in a park or in your apartment building, or critically engaging with spaces like schoolyards, cafés or soccer fields, your fieldwork will allow you to capture the rhythms, sounds, and smells of everyday urban life and neighbourliness. You will engage not just with people but with the environment around you, using your senses to deepen your understanding of the neighbourhoods you research. You will also take photographs related to your research topic. • Second Semester: The course will conclude with a reflective focus on writing up your ethnographic data, producing a final report and a small picture gallery. You’ll synthesize your findings and engage with the challenges of ethnographic writing – reflecting not just on the social dynamics you observed, on the conversations you had, but also on the sensory data you gathered. |
| Learning objectives | A key aim of this course is to foster a collaborative learning environment where you will read and reflect on key publications related to both the topic and ethnographic methods. You’ll also engage with your peers – giving feedback, discussing different research approaches and learning from each other’s experiences. This process will help you to think critically about your own positionality, research approach and writing style, and to refine your ethnographic practice. Throughout the semesters, discussions and the development of your own ethnographic project and voice will be encouraged through formats such as short field visits, feedback sessions, the creation of photo essays and posters, and the making of zines or reels. By the end of the course, you will have developed and trained practical ethnographic skills and a deeper understanding of the making of (urban) neighbourhoods. You’ll be prepared to analyse not only social relations but also the sounds and smells that make up the lived experiences of neighbourhoods. And you’ll learn to relate to academic and probably also public and political debates as you are “doing and researching neighbourhood” in Basel and beyond. |
| Comments | This course is supported by „Impuls". Impuls encourages lecturers and students to implement projects related to sustainable development as part of their courses. Impuls funding is intended to train students to become change agents for sustainability and to inspire and enable them to use these skills in their later professional and private lives for sustainable development. In addition to financial support, the funding also includes coaching for the implementation of student projects and a sustainability workshop. More information can be found on the website: www.unibas.ch/impuls This course is also supported by the EPICUR project at the University of Basel which supports learning offers that are conducted in collaboration with one or more EPICUR partner universities and contribute to increasing internationalization at the University of Basel. This financial support is made possible by funding from Movetia, the Swiss agency for exchange and mobility. Movetia is financed by the Swiss Federal Council. |
| Admission requirements | This course is only open to the students who have participated in the excursion in fall semester 2025. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Thursday | 08.15-12.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday 19.02.2026 | 08.15-12.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Thursday 26.02.2026 | 08.15-12.00 | Fasnachtswoche |
| Thursday 05.03.2026 | 08.15-12.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Thursday 12.03.2026 | 08.15-12.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Thursday 19.03.2026 | 08.15-12.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Thursday 26.03.2026 | 08.15-12.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Thursday 02.04.2026 | 08.15-12.00 | Osterwoche |
| Thursday 09.04.2026 | 08.15-12.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Thursday 16.04.2026 | 08.15-12.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Thursday 23.04.2026 | 08.15-12.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Thursday 30.04.2026 | 08.15-12.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Thursday 07.05.2026 | 08.15-12.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Thursday 14.05.2026 | 08.15-12.00 | Auffahrt |
| Thursday 21.05.2026 | 08.15-12.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Thursday 28.05.2026 | 08.15-12.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Modules |
Modul: Ethnographic Research with Field Trip (Master's degree subject: Anthropology) Module: Anthropological Fieldwork (Master's degree program: Critical Urbanisms) Module: Changing Societies Lab (Master's degree program: Changing Societies: Migration – Conflicts – Resources) Module: Fields: Public Health and Social Life (Master's degree program: African Studies) Module: Interdisciplinary and Applied African Studies (Master's degree program: African Studies) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| 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 Ethnologie |