Course syllabus

 Welcome to the INTRODUCTORY COURSE for master students in Cultural Anthropology and Ethnology,

MASTERS’ PROGRAM 2021

This course is an introduction to anthropology and ethnology at the advanced level. The lectures introduce students to the research conducted at the institution and provides them with an understanding of how this research is anchored in the history of ideas as well as in current thematic and theoretical developments of the two disciplines. The seminars given at the course will prepare the students for the writing process of their Master’s thesis.

Responsible teachers: Charlotta Widmark and Camilla Asplund Ingemark
Department of Cultural Anthropology and Ethnology, Uppsala University
E-mail: charlotta.widmark@antro.uu.se , camillaasplundingemark@etnologi.uu.se

The teaching of the course is comprised of one or more of the following forms: lectures, seminars, film screening, and fieldwork practice. Language of instruction is English. For information on lectures and seminars etc. look under "Moduler" in the list to the left!

The first meeting for all new master’s students will take place on August 30, 13.15-15.00 hours. The meeting is arranged to take place at our campus Engelska Parken (the English Park) in room 1-0062. It is important that you attend this first meeting, but if you can’t make it do please inform the Director of Studies beforehand via e-mail charlotta.widmark@antro.uu.se. During the first meeting we will give you an overview of the programme and you will meet with some of the lecturers. The teaching on this course will have some lectures that take place at Engelska Parken on campus, and some on zoom (the ones that include teachers from campus Gotland). 

The pandemic and forms of teaching

On Monday 30 August, provided the infection situation does not change for the worse, Uppsala University will return to on-campus teaching after a lengthy period of teaching in other formats because of the pandemic. However, we will adjust the number of students in the classrooms according to the present rules, and be prepared to change our plans after decisions taken by the University or by Swedish authorities. Even though the main bulk of the teaching will take place on Campus, the introductory course, and other courses will have some of the lectures and seminars in a digital form via Zoom. Therefore, it is important that you read the Student’s guide to Zoom and prepare before the start of the semester. We cannot guarantee that admitted students may participate in the master programs remotely, solely by means of distance teaching, this will only be possible if there are changes in the University policy.

The University’s recommendations for students are to be found via the link below and they are updated continuously – check this website and the links on a regular basis.https://www.uu.se/en/students/recommendations-on-coronavirus/

We look forward to an exciting semester with the sharing of new knowledge and thoughts in a group consisting of people with different backgrounds and experiences. For those of you with a background in a discipline close to anthropology or with a need to freshen up your anthropological knowledge, for some reason, we recommend that you take some time before the program starts to read one of the following books. They are both available as e-books in the UU library.

What is anthropology? by Eriksen, Thomas Hylland, Anthropology, culture, and society, 2017, Second edition.

How to think like an anthropologist by Engelke, Matthew, 2018