Back
| Semester | spring semester 2021 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Andrea Kaiser-Grolimund (andrea.kaisergrolimund@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | As moments of both biological and social crises, epidemics require immediate, real-time response. The Ebola crisis in West Africa has led to an appreciation of anthropological participation in national and international decision-making processes with regard to epidemic prevention and control. Obviously, however, anthropologists have not always been able to do what global health organizations expected, namely to decipher the mystery of "local culture". Nevertheless, "cultural practices" provided a starting point for anthropologists' engagement with epidemics and contributed to an understanding of the social pathways of disease transmission and of possible barriers to treatment and care, building on past experiences (for example, with HIV/AIDS) and situating epidemics in historically and politically sensitive contexts. Apart from the fact that epidemics represent a rich ethnographic research field, they can also pose some methodological, epistemological and theoretical challenges for current anthropology. What role do animals play in the interspecies transmission of zoonotic pathogens and how do these entanglements contribute to the recent "ontological turn" in anthropology? In which ways do infrastructures and technologies reveal power relations in epidemic control and how do they shape "hot spots" of disease transmission? In this block seminar we will explore these and other questions by looking at anthropological contributions to past and present epidemics and pandemics such as HIV/AIDS, cholera, Ebola, Zika and COVID-19, but also by applying the analytics to non-infectious diseases such as obesity, diabetes and cancer. |
| Learning objectives | -A critical understanding of anthropological perspectives on epidemics -An overview of past and present debates about anthropologists’ engagements in epidemics -Ability to read and critically evaluate academic texts |
| Bibliography | An extensive list of the relevant literature will be distributed at the beginning of the semester. Kelly, A. H., Keck, F., & Lynteris, C. (2019). The Anthropology of Epidemics. Abingdon, Oxon, New York: Routledge. |
| Comments | Please note that this seminar is offered as a block course. Due to the blended learning format of this block seminar, the block days will consist of synchronous (zoom) as well as asynchronous (individual/group) work phases and there will be self-learning activities between the block sessions. |
| Admission requirements | The number of participants is limited to 20 people. The places are assigned according to date of enrollment and subject of study. Priority will be given to the subjects listed under "modules". |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| Block | See individual dates | ||
| Comments |
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 05.03.2021 | 16.15-18.00 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Friday 09.04.2021 | 14.15-17.00 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Saturday 10.04.2021 | 10.15-17.00 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Friday 23.04.2021 | 14.15-17.00 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Saturday 24.04.2021 | 10.15-17.00 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Modules |
Modul: Fields: Knowledge Production and Transfer (Master's degree program: African Studies) Modul: Fields: Public Health and Social Life (Master's degree program: African Studies) Modul: Sachthemen der Ethnologie (Bachelor's degree subject: Anthropology) Modul: Theory and General Anthropology (Master's degree subject: Anthropology) Modul: Wissenschaftliche Vertiefung in der Ethnologie: Sachthemen (Bachelor's degree subject: Anthropology) Module: Advances in Epidemiology, Statistics and Global & Public Health (Master's Studies: Epidemiology) Vertiefungsmodul Global Europe: Global Ageing and Health (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Preparatory reading, active participation and discussion of key texts during synchronous and asynchronous work phases. Oral and written contributions based on selected case studies. If you would like to write a seminar paper in this course, please contact Andrea Kaiser-Grolimund before the beginning of the semester (andrea.kaisergrolimund@unibas.ch). |
| 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 |