Objectives:
Knowledge: Students refresh and obtain knowledge of and insight in both the differences and similarities concerning the key societal questions posed in Anthropology and Development Studies, Sociology and Gender and Diversity studies
Skills: Students learn to raise critical questions, from different disciplinary perspectives to key societal issues.
Attitudes: Students learn to adopt a critical attitude towards the development of research questions.
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Content
In this course students will focus on the differences and similarities concerning key societal questions that are posed in the disciplines of Anthropology and Development Studies, Sociology and Gender and Diversity. Through three sets of two topical seminars in these social science disciplines, students will learn that the questions that are asked with regard to organisationally and technologically different societies (in both the Global North and South) run parallel to a large extent. All three disciplines study how societal characteristics shape and influence individual and societal outcomes. In contrast to, for example psychology, they do not only focus on individuals but thus also explicitly incorporate societal characteristics in their subject matter, either as a cause (explanans) or consequence (explanandum). These societal characteristics encompass institutions, narratives and technologies used by citizens in a society to provide for themselves, the level of inequality within society, and the extent to which cohesion (solidarity) exists and conflicts occur between population groups.
Through the lens of a particular subject matter (such as informality and intersectionality), different concepts and approaches are debates and criticized (such as the interrelatedness between micro- and macro-level phenomena). Diversity and inequality are problematized in each of the disciplines, albeit in different ways, leading to different new research questions. As a result, sometimes heated debates take place within and between the disciplines. In this course you will learn the languages and focus of the different disciplines, understand how they do and do not differ, and obtain the first building blocks to shape your own academic position.
Structure
After a general introduction, each discipline will offer two meetings that are largely similar in setup. The first meeting will be a mixture of lecture and discussion seminar, the second meeting will be used to discuss your draft assignments. Prior to each lecture/discussion seminar you will prepare by thoroughly reading the assigned literature. For the second meeting you prepare a draft assignment, which is described below. A critical and active participation during the meetings is expected.
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The course will be concluded with three separate papers (for each discussed disciplinary perspective respectively). All papers have an equal weight in determining your final grade. If you fail an assignment, you cannot pass the course.
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