Back
| Semester | fall semester 2022 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Zainabu Jallo (zainabu.jallo@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | This course aims to guide students towards cultivating a critical understanding of the relationships between material culture and people. It shall focus on the ways in which the material world is fundamental to grasping various facets of the societies that produced them. The course emphasises that objects are not merely apathetic to understanding a given society, but that they can also take on an ardent role in helping to generate meaning(s), with the premise that material culture often bears an agency which transcends their material status. |
| Learning objectives | - In addition to the practical emphasis on developing the ability to interpret and analyse artefacts. Students shall: - Learn skills in the examination of an object with its character, management and understanding within a social context. - Engage with a list of descriptive criteria such as, the how and with what materials the object was produced. Evaluate objects as relevant cultural and social entities that are fundamental to value creation processes within societies in addition to being able to analyse their forms. - Develop conceptual and analytical skills to decipher the meanings and uses of material culture. - Evaluate objects as relevant cultural and social entities that are fundamental to examine social relationships within societies. - Develop skills in interdisciplinary studies and the ability to apply relevant theoretical ideas to examine material culture. - Become familiar with histories and theories of material culture studies. - Understand appropriate written and verbal communication for a variety of relevant professional and academic purposes in material culture that include essays, report preparation and analysis, and oral in-class presentation. - Work with objects of the Museum der Kulturen or from around Basel. |
| Comments | Participation in the seminar is assessed with pass/fail and is awarded 3 CP. Should you want to write a seminar paper (8‘000-9‘000) words, you receive additional 5 CP. |
| 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 | Tuesday | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday 20.09.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Tuesday 27.09.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Tuesday 04.10.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Tuesday 11.10.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Tuesday 18.10.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Tuesday 25.10.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Tuesday 01.11.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Tuesday 08.11.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Tuesday 15.11.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Tuesday 22.11.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Tuesday 29.11.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Tuesday 06.12.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Tuesday 13.12.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Tuesday 20.12.2022 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Modules |
Modul: Fields: Knowledge Production and Transfer (Master's degree program: African Studies) Modul: Fields: Media and Imagination (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) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | 1. Regular attendance and active participation in class (25%) 2. Presentation: Each week 2 students will be responsible for presenting topics of the sessions (25%) 3. Object Biography Essay (50%) A significant part of this course is to write a biography of the chosen object. This paper will be based on original research where you are expected to reference your work to the readings in this course and other peer-reviewed articles and books. The illustrated paper will run from 5-7 pages with a maximum of 2,500 words. Your essay should be accompanied with an abstract not exceeding 250 words, adhere to a clear structure revealing multiple perspectives where you identify the different ways in which the object might be classified, catalogued, and presented. Please consult the departmental writing style sheet. |
| 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 |