Regional Studies (Ethnography): Switzerland

Study Course Description

Course Description Statuss:Approved

Course Description Version:1.00

Study Course Information
Course Code:		KSK_184		LQF level:		Level 7
Credit Points:		4.00		ECTS:		6.00
Branch of Science:		Sociology; Social Anthropology		Target Audience:		Sociology
Study Course Supervisor
Course Supervisor:		Klāvs Sedlenieks
Study Course Implementer
Structural Unit:		Faculty of Communication
The Head of Structural Unit:
Contacts:
Study Course Planning
Full-Time - Semester No.1
Lectures (count)		6	Lecture Length (academic hours)		2	Total Contact Hours of Lectures		12
Classes (count)		18	Class Length (academic hours)		2	Total Contact Hours of Classes		36
Total Contact Hours								48
Study course description
Preliminary Knowledge:
Being a student of the MA program “Social Anthropology”.
Objective:
The course aims to give an overview of the history of Social Anthropology and current anthropological research in Switzerland. Starting from the Romantic Movement in the 19th Century and the bourgeois interest in traditional folk culture, semi-academic societies where founded which tried to save artefacts like objects, literature, folk songs etc. from among the people. Because of industrialisation, modernisation, and serious social transformation, the conservation of folk culture and the invention of traditions, national symbols, and images were seen as a suitable means to create social orientation and stability. At the turn of the Century, the first academic societies in Anthropology came into existence, which collected artefacts from folk culture on a more empirical basis. University institutes followed and enabled the transfer of anthropological knowledge in academic education and social discourse. Besides the historical view on important anthropological projects and concepts, the course will focus on current studies and debates originating in this area. Topics like cultural heritage, tourism, migration, urbanism and sensory approaches to Switzerland will be combined with current theoretical and methodological discussions.
Topic Layout (Full-Time)
No.	Topic			Type of Implementation		Number	Venue
1	Introduction			Lectures		1.00	auditorium
2	Overview of history of anthropology in Switzerland			Classes		2.00	auditorium
3	Overview of contemporary studies in Switzerland			Lectures		2.00	auditorium
4	Analysis of the current and classical texts in anthropology of Switzerland			Classes		5.00	auditorium
Assessment
Unaided Work:
preparing the literature for each class/topic, preparing one presentation about a topic (given by the lecturer)
Assessment Criteria:
- spēja analizēt obligāto literatūru - zināšanas par aplūkotajām tematiskajām jomām obligātās literatūras un lekciju materāla apjomā - spēja saskatīt analoģijas šķērskultūru aspektā
Final Examination (Full-Time):		Exam (Written)
Final Examination (Part-Time):
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge:		acquire knowledge about an unfamiliar or little known subject autonomously (=social anthropology in Switzerland, Swiss culture and society)
Skills:		reading, analysing and reflecting academic literature;discussing theoretical concepts and empirical studies; conceptualising and performing academic presentations, drawing (own) conclusions
Competencies:		in knowledge acquisition, critical thinking, scientific work (text reading, analysing, comparing, and discussing)
Bibliography
No.	Reference
Required Reading
1	Bendix, Regina F. (2012): From Volkskunde to the “Field of many names”. Folklore Studies in German-Speaking Europe since 1945. In A Companion to Folklore. R.F. Bendix and G. Hasan-Rokem, eds. Pp. 364-390. Chichester: Blackwell Publishing.
2	Leimgruber, Walter, and UeliGyr (2009): Researching Culture: Cultural Anthropology and Popular Culture Research in Switzerland. SIEF News 7(9):20-23.
3	Kym, Annette (2010): Switzerland as a Cultural Nation (Willensnation). In From Multiculturalism to Hybridity: New Approaches to Teaching Modern Switzerland. K. Baumgartner and M. Zinggeler, eds. Pp. 18-41. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
4	Hall, Stuart (1996): The Question of Cultural ldentity. In Modernity. An Introduction to Modern Societies. S. Hall, D. Held, D. Hubert, and K. Thompson, eds. Pp. 596-632. Chichester: Blackwell Publishers.
5	Hafstein, Valdimar T. (2012): Cultural Heritage. In A Companion to Folklore. R.F. Bendix and G. Hasan-Rokem, eds. Pp. 500-519. Chichester: Blackwell Publishing.
6	Schueler, Judith (2008): Materialising identity. The co-construction of the Gotthard Railway and Swiss national identity. Amsterdam: aksant. Pp. 139-149.
7	Timothy, Dallen J. (2011): Cultural Heritage and Tourism. An lntroduction. Bristol: Charlesworth Press. Pp. 103-126, 473-487.
8	Wiedmer, Caroline (2010): "Strangers in Paradise": Switzerland and Multiculturalism. In From Multiculturalism to Hybridity: New Approaches to Teaching Modern Switzerland. K. Baumgartner and M. Zinggeler, eds. Pp. 42-62. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
9	Hengartner, Thomas (2005): “Exploring the City”: Ways and Concepts of (Western) Urban Anthropology. EthnologiaBalkanica (EthnologiaBalkanica) 9:11-23.
10	Rindisbacher, Hans J. (2010): Smells of Switzerland. In From Multiculturalism to Hybridity: New Approaches to Teaching Modern Switzerland. K. Baumgartner and M. Zinggeler, eds. Pp. 229-252. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
11	Keller, Marcello Sorce (2006): Identity through Music. The sounds of Switzerland in Australia. passages/passagen 42:39-43.
12	Müske, Johannes (2010): Constructing Sonic Heritage: The Accumulation of Knowledge in the Context of Sound Archives. Journal of Ethnology and Folkloristics (Journal of Ethnology and Folkloristics) 4(1):37-47.