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| Semester | fall semester 2022 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Frederik Unseld (frederik.unseld@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | In this class we will read and discuss ethnographies of uncertainty in Africa as well as selected examples from Europe. Contemporary life in Africa is risky and unpredictable (as it is everywhere and in every period) and this course explores uncertainty as a transversal theme across a range of topics such as climate change, religious experience, old age, gender and sexuality, amongst others. Uncertainty has become a dominant trope in the subjective experience of life in contemporary African societies and the course work explores how uncertainty shapes ways of knowing and being on the continent. Uncertainty often comes up in contexts of crisis and structural violence, but that does not necessarily make it an adverse phenomenon. Uncertainty is also inherently linked to creativity and the course will emphasize its positive and productive potential. |
| Learning objectives | - understand uncertainty as an inevitable feature of societies in Africa and elsewhere - get an overview over the (variety of) anthropologic literature around uncertainty - learn how to adapt and apply the concept of uncertainty to one's own topics and interests - being able to draw on a concept such as uncertainty to start creating notes, which may serve as precursors to ethnographies |
| Admission requirements | The number of participants is limited to 25 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Wednesday | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday 21.09.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 28.09.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 05.10.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 12.10.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 19.10.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 26.10.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 02.11.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 09.11.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 16.11.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 23.11.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 30.11.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 07.12.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 14.12.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 21.12.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Modules |
Modul: Ethnographien (Bachelor's degree subject: Anthropology) |
| 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 |