080123 SE M110 Media, Discourse and Representation: Apocalypse Now (2025W)
Continuous assessment of course work
Labels
Registration/Deregistration
Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).
- Registration is open from Mo 01.09.2025 07:00 to Mo 22.09.2025 23:59
- Deregistration possible until Fr 10.10.2025 23:59
Details
max. 25 participants
Language: German
Lecturers
Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N
The final written exam is held on December 9, 2025. If your exam results do not permit you to pass the course, you may take the make-up exam on December 16, 2025.
- Tuesday 07.10. 14:30 - 16:00 Seminarraum 1 (2.Stock, rechts) EE Hanuschgasse
- Tuesday 14.10. 14:30 - 16:00 Seminarraum 2 (4.Stock) EE Hanuschgasse
- Thursday 16.10. 11:00 - 12:30 Seminarraum 1 (2.Stock, rechts) EE Hanuschgasse
- Tuesday 21.10. 14:30 - 16:00 Seminarraum 1 (2.Stock, rechts) EE Hanuschgasse
- Thursday 23.10. 11:00 - 12:30 Seminarraum 1 (2.Stock, rechts) EE Hanuschgasse
- Tuesday 28.10. 14:30 - 16:00 Seminarraum 1 (2.Stock, rechts) EE Hanuschgasse
- Thursday 30.10. 11:00 - 12:30 Seminarraum 1 (2.Stock, rechts) EE Hanuschgasse
- Tuesday 04.11. 14:30 - 16:00 Seminarraum 2 (4.Stock) EE Hanuschgasse
- Tuesday 11.11. 14:30 - 16:00 Seminarraum 1 (2.Stock, rechts) EE Hanuschgasse
- N Thursday 13.11. 11:00 - 12:30 Seminarraum 1 (2.Stock, rechts) EE Hanuschgasse
- Tuesday 18.11. 14:30 - 16:00 Seminarraum 1 (2.Stock, rechts) EE Hanuschgasse
- Thursday 20.11. 11:00 - 12:30 Seminarraum 1 (2.Stock, rechts) EE Hanuschgasse
- Tuesday 25.11. 14:30 - 16:00 Seminarraum 1 (2.Stock, rechts) EE Hanuschgasse
- Tuesday 02.12. 14:30 - 16:00 Seminarraum 1 (2.Stock, rechts) EE Hanuschgasse
- Tuesday 09.12. 14:30 - 16:00 Seminarraum 1 (2.Stock, rechts) EE Hanuschgasse
Information
Aims, contents and method of the course
In July 2025, German comic artist Tobias Vogel writes on Bluesky: “I don't miss my youth, I miss the greater distance in time from the apocalypse.” Between the climate crisis and the war in Gaza, it seems that the end of the world is closer than ever before. And yet we are not the first to have such thoughts. In this course, we examine the social, cultural, political, and historical dimensions that lead people to theorize and imagine the “end of the world.” Religious millenarianism is a belief in the transformation of worldly conditions into peace and abundance, often involving the idea of the end of time and the coming of a savior. Such beliefs exist in human history in various dimensions and with different socio-political implications. We will examine a selection of end-time narratives, theories of time, and practices of time measurement in human history, with a focus on the last century, in which apocalyptic ideas seem to have been particularly fueled by technological and industrial developments. We will read a variety of texts from historical anthropology, social theory, and ethnographies of millenarian societies, as well as science fiction and future scenarios commissioned by the military and private industry. We will discuss these texts in class and further develop arguments and theories about the social construction of time, the future, and destiny in written assignments.
Assessment and permitted materials
The course is attendance-based; only two absences are permitted.
Points are awarded as follows:Active participation (30 points): Regular attendance, preparation for sessions (e.g., reading the required reading material for each teaching unit), and active participation in participatory teaching methods (e.g., discussion, reading notes, possibly peer feedback) are expected.What? So What? Now What? (30 points): Weekly reflection and discussion (in 400-500 words) on the reading and seminar discussion. You will create your own portfolio of thoughts and can use it as an aid for the exam.Written exam (40 points): As part of the exam, you will receive several short text or image sources on the topic of the apocalypse (e.g., religious texts, political speeches, media representations, literary excerpts) which you are expected to analyze anthropologically with reference to the seminar readings and your own portfolio of thoughts.
Points are awarded as follows:Active participation (30 points): Regular attendance, preparation for sessions (e.g., reading the required reading material for each teaching unit), and active participation in participatory teaching methods (e.g., discussion, reading notes, possibly peer feedback) are expected.What? So What? Now What? (30 points): Weekly reflection and discussion (in 400-500 words) on the reading and seminar discussion. You will create your own portfolio of thoughts and can use it as an aid for the exam.Written exam (40 points): As part of the exam, you will receive several short text or image sources on the topic of the apocalypse (e.g., religious texts, political speeches, media representations, literary excerpts) which you are expected to analyze anthropologically with reference to the seminar readings and your own portfolio of thoughts.
Minimum requirements and assessment criteria
A minimum of 51 points out of a possible 100 must be earned for successful completion of the course.
Grading scale:
>= 92 very good (1)
>= 80 good (2)
>= 65 satisfactory (3)
>= 51 sufficient (4)
< 51 not sufficient (5)
Grading scale:
>= 92 very good (1)
>= 80 good (2)
>= 65 satisfactory (3)
>= 51 sufficient (4)
< 51 not sufficient (5)
Examination topics
Readings, discussion, portfolio of thoughts
Reading list
Auswahl:Anders, Günther. *Gebote des Atomzeitalters*.
Carey, John. “What Is the Plural of Apocalypse? An Essay on the Ends of Time.”
Genner, Clemens. *Prepper*.
Harding, Susan. “Living Prophecy at Heaven’s Gate.”
Haraway, Donna. “Anthropocene, Capitalocene, Plantationocene, Chthulucene: Making Kin.”
Lear, Jonathan. *Radical Hope: Ethics in the Face of Cultural Devastation*.
Lear, Jonathan. *We Will Not Be Missed*.
Masco, Joseph. “The End of Ends.”
Robbins, Joel. “Secrecy and the Sense of an Ending: Narrative, Time, and Everyday Millenarianism in Papua New Guinea and in Christian Fundamentalism.”
Scott, James C. *Omens of Adversity*.
Sharpe, Christina. *In the Wake: On Blackness and Being*.
Theriault, Noah, and Gabriela C. Mitchell. *Extinction*.
van Wyck, Peter. *Dangerous Signs: Semiotics, Politics, and the Environment*.
Yurchak, Alexei. *Everything Was Forever, Until It Was No More: The Last Soviet Generation*.
Zolles, et al. “Einleitung (abendländische Apokalyptik).”
Video: *Hiroshima, Nine Months Later*.
Carey, John. “What Is the Plural of Apocalypse? An Essay on the Ends of Time.”
Genner, Clemens. *Prepper*.
Harding, Susan. “Living Prophecy at Heaven’s Gate.”
Haraway, Donna. “Anthropocene, Capitalocene, Plantationocene, Chthulucene: Making Kin.”
Lear, Jonathan. *Radical Hope: Ethics in the Face of Cultural Devastation*.
Lear, Jonathan. *We Will Not Be Missed*.
Masco, Joseph. “The End of Ends.”
Robbins, Joel. “Secrecy and the Sense of an Ending: Narrative, Time, and Everyday Millenarianism in Papua New Guinea and in Christian Fundamentalism.”
Scott, James C. *Omens of Adversity*.
Sharpe, Christina. *In the Wake: On Blackness and Being*.
Theriault, Noah, and Gabriela C. Mitchell. *Extinction*.
van Wyck, Peter. *Dangerous Signs: Semiotics, Politics, and the Environment*.
Yurchak, Alexei. *Everything Was Forever, Until It Was No More: The Last Soviet Generation*.
Zolles, et al. “Einleitung (abendländische Apokalyptik).”
Video: *Hiroshima, Nine Months Later*.
Association in the course directory
Last modified: Th 25.09.2025 14:46