Universität Wien
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240510 SE MM2 Ethnographic Explorations of/from the Body (2026W)

5.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 24 - Kultur- und Sozialanthropologie
Continuous assessment of course work

Participation at first session is obligatory!

The lecturer can invite students to a grade-relevant discussion about partial achievements. Partial achievements that are obtained by fraud or plagiarized result in the non-evaluation of the course (entry 'X' in certificate). The plagiarism software 'Turnitin' will be used.
The use of AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT) for the attainment of partial achievements is only allowed if explicitly requested by the course instructor.
Th 08.10. 13:15-16:30 Seminarraum D, NIG 4. Stock

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).
Register/Deregister for this course

Details

max. 20 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Thursday 15.10. 13:15 - 16:30 Seminarraum D, NIG 4. Stock
  • Thursday 22.10. 13:15 - 16:30 Seminarraum D, NIG 4. Stock
  • Thursday 05.11. 13:15 - 16:30 Seminarraum D, NIG 4. Stock
  • Thursday 26.11. 13:15 - 16:30 Seminarraum D, NIG 4. Stock
  • Thursday 17.12. 13:15 - 16:30 Seminarraum D, NIG 4. Stock
  • Thursday 14.01. 13:15 - 16:30 Seminarraum D, NIG 4. Stock
  • Thursday 28.01. 13:15 - 16:30 Seminarraum D, NIG 4. Stock

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

The Methodenseminar can only be taken in conjunction with the Feldpraktikum of the same title. The courses take place in joint sessions.

Building on appropriate basic methodological knowledge in ethnographic fieldwork, the Feldpraktikum and the Methodenseminar aim to consolidate practical skills in the field of empirical social research. Particular emphasis is placed on the reflective development and execution of an independent research project based on ethnographic fieldwork.

Thematically, the course is situated within the broad field of the anthropology of the body. Drawing on anthropological debates around topics such as embodiment, bodily practices, health, gender, sexuality, disability, ageing, affect, movement, sensory experience, and the politics of the body, the course explores how bodies serve both as objects of inquiry and as point of departure for understanding experience, practice, perception, discipline, inequality and knowledge production. The title's notion of ethnographic explorations of/from the body reflects this dual perspective.
Within this broad thematic framework, students develop their own ethnographic research projects according to their individual interests. Research topics may address bodily practices, experiences, institutions, infrastructures, technologies, forms of care, or other body-related social phenomena in contemporary urban contexts.
Based on relevant anthropological literature and under the guidance of the course instructor, students develop a research concept, establish access to the field, conduct ethnographic fieldwork, document and organize ethnographic materials, and carry out initial data analysis. Throughout the semester, students present and discuss their projects and reflect on methodological, ethical and epistemological challenges arising during fieldwork.
Ethnographic fieldwork, including participant observation and additional methods appropriate to the respective project, constitutes the core component of the Feldpraktikum/Methodenseminar and takes place in settings in and around Vienna.

Assessment and permitted materials

o Attendance and active participation (10 points)
o preliminary research question (10 points)
o discussion papers (30 points)
o exercise: participant observation (20 points)
o final research proposal (30 points)

AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT) may be used as “inspirational aids” and for reflecting on own original work after consulting with the course instructor, provided that their use and results are appropriately documented. In doing so, the rules of good scientific practice must be observed at all times. Detailed guidelines for this will be discussed at the beginning of the course.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

A total of 100 points can be achieved for all partial achievements.

Grades:
91 - 100 points = 1 (sehr gut)
81 - 90 points = 2 (gut)
71 - 80 points = 3 (befriedigend)
61 - 70 points = 4 (genügend)
00 - 60 points = 5 (nicht genügend)

All partial assessments must be passed in order for the course to be successfully completed overall. Timely submission is also taken into account when evaluating the partial assessments.

Examination topics

Mandatory literature

Reading list

Ballestero, Andrea & Brit Ross Winthereik, Eds. (2021). Experimenting With Ethnography: A Companion to Analysis. Durham, Duke University Press.
Csordas, Thomas (1993). "Somatic modes of attention." Cultural Anthropology 8(2): 135-156.
Csordas, Thomas J. (1990). "Embodiment as a paradigm for anthropology." Ethos 18(1): 5-47.
Emerson, Robert M., Rachel I. Fretz & Linda L. Shaw (1995). Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes. Chicago, Univ. of Chicago Press.
Konopinski, Natalie, Ed. (2014). Doing Anthropological Research: A Practical Guide. London, Routledge.
Mascia-Lees, Frances E., Ed. (2011). A Companion to the Anthropology of the Body and Embodiment. Blackwell companions to anthropology. Chichester, U.K.; Malden, MA, Wiley-Blackwell.
Mattes, Dominik & Claudia Lang (2021). "Embodied belonging: In/exclusion, health care, and well-being in a world in motion." Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry 45(1): 2-21.
Pink, Sarah (2009). Doing Sensory Ethnography. Los Angeles, Calif. [u.a.], Sage.
Scheper-Hughes, Nancy & Margaret M. Lock (1987). "The mindful body: A prolegomenon to future work in medical anthropology." Medical Anthropology Quarterly 1(1): 6-41.

Association in the course directory

Last modified: Mo 27.07.2026 09:27