Course syllabus

Welcome to Contemporary Culture Theory, for 7,5 ECTS!

 

About the course

This course is taught and coordinated by Jakob Löfgren.. Contact him, if you have questions about the course and the teaching. jakob.lofgren@etnologi.uu.se

The course (1) explores some of the major theories used and developed in modern ethnology and folkloristics and (2) exemplifies how ethnologists and folklorists operate with these theories in empirical studies today.

 

Course start

The course starts with an introductory lecture on the 1st of September  at 13.15-15:00 in Sal XI, Universitetshuset. 

 

Don’t forget to register for the course

It’s not enough that you have accepted your admission to the course in order to start studying. You also need to register. You register in Ladok for students. On the page Admission and Registration you will find instructions on how to do this. You can find the Department’s Registration periods on our student page Admission, registration and study periodsLinks to an external site..

 

Study Support

If you need special support in your studies, you need to obtain a certificate to receive it, a so-called NAIS certificate. You can read more and apply for support on our student page Study Support. If you have questions, contact Uppsala University’s coordinators for targeted study support. Apply as early as possible after you have registered for the course. That way you will get help the fastest.

 

Teaching and expectations

Every week you will read the required litterature. A 45 minute lecture on the theory of the week will be given by the lecturer (see the list of lectures, readings and teachers above) 

The second part of our weekly meetings are a seminar in which we together look at the case study reading text and discuss the implementation of the theory at hand in modern ethnology & folkloristics 

 

Examination

Every week you will be required to submit a reflexive learning diary, recounting the discussions in the read litterature, lecture and discussion 

At the end of the course you will write an essay (7-10 pp.) contemplating the application of two theoretical schools of your choice

 

Literature

Fivecoate, J. A., & Kitta, A. (2025). Whispers in the Echo Chamber: Folklore and the Role of Conspiracy Theory in Contemporary Society. University of Wisconsin Press. Cloth: 978-0-299-35060-4 | eISBN: 978-0-299-35068-0 (ePub) | eISBN: 978-0-299-35063-5 (PDF)

Kjus, A., Löfgren, J., O’Carroll, C., Poole, S., & Tolgensbakk, I. (Eds.). (2025). Adventures in the Play-Ritual Continuum. University Press of Colorado. ISBN: 978-1-64642-674-4

Goldstein, Diane E. & Shuman, Amy 2016: The Stigmatized Vernacular: Where Reflexivity Meets Untellability. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.. https://www-jstor-org.ezproxy.its.uu.se/stable/j.ctt2005w71Links to an external site..

Hajduk-Nijakowska, Janina (2025) TOWARDS THE NEW FOLKLORE GENRE THEORY in Slovenský Narodopis : časopis Slovenskej Akadémie Vied, ISSN 1335-1303, e-ISSN 1339-9357

Herd, Katarzyna (2022)

Pidgin, Chaos and Cultural Communication: A Case of Sport-based Exchange between Finland and Sweden at the Turn of the Twentieth Century

In : Ethnologia Scandinavica. 52, s. 25-42 17 s.

Herman, David 2009: Basic Elements of Narrative. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.

Löfgren, Jakob 2020: “Boys memories in adult narratives” i Etnologia Scandinavica (2020) ISSN 0348-9698. 13s.

Miller, Daniel 2009: Stuff. London: UCL press.

Pétursson, Jón Þór 2020: Intimate Food : Establishing Relationships within the Food Chain. Avhandling. Reykjavik: Félagsvísindastofnun Háskóla Íslands.

Tyler Imogen, Stigma: The Machinery of Inequality, Zed Books: London, 2020; 288 pp.: ISBN 978-1786993304

Sløk-Andersen, Beate 2018: “How good soldiers become with their uniforms. An exploration of uniformity in action” i Etnologia Scandinavica (2018) ISSN 0348-9698.

Wetherell, Margret, 2012: Affect and Emotion: A New Social Science Understanding. London: SAGE.

 

Important information – how things work at the Department

It is important that you read the information provided by the Department on Our Student Gateway.. There you can find out more about how things work with us.

 

Contacts

Jakob Löfgren is the Course Director and Teacher. Jakob name is best contacted here via Studium or at jakob.lofgren@etnologi.uu.se .

You should contact Jakob if you have questions about the structure or content of the course. You should report any absence to Jakob. If you are away for a longer period, you have the possibility to apply for a Academic leave of absence

The Department’s Course Administrator is Angelika Holm. Contact Angelika here via Studium or at kursadm@antro.uu.se if you have questions regarding admission, registration, or similar matters. Angelika is also the department’s contact person if you need special support in your studies.

Charlotta Widmark is the Director of Studies Second Cycle.

For questions about your student account, Ladok for students, Studium, and Zoom, please contact IT Support. Contact details can be found on the IT for students page.

 

A warm welcome to an exciting and enjoyable course!