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240536 SE MM3 Experimental Ethnographies (2025W)
Continuous assessment of course work
Labels
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.
The use of AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT) for the attainment of partial achievements is only allowed if explicitly requested by the course instructor.
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 00:01 to Mo 22.09.2025 23:59
- Deregistration possible until Mo 20.10.2025 23:59
Details
max. 25 participants
Language: English
Lecturers
Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N
- Thursday 02.10. 09:45 - 13:00 Hörsaal C, NIG 4. Stock
- Thursday 09.10. 11:30 - 14:45 Hörsaal A, NIG 4.Stock
- Thursday 23.10. 11:30 - 14:45 Übungsraum (A414) NIG 4. Stock
- Thursday 30.10. 11:30 - 14:45 Hörsaal A, NIG 4.Stock
- Monday 10.11. 11:30 - 14:45 Seminarraum A, NIG 4. Stock
- Thursday 13.11. 11:30 - 14:45 Seminarraum D, NIG 4. Stock
Information
Aims, contents and method of the course
What can China’s railways, the noise of Los Angeles’ airport, death in the Arizona desert, oil palm in West Papua, forests’ capacity for thought, fieldwork drawings, and pigeons—to name but a few areas of potential inquiry for us—teach us about ethnography, and moreover, about the possibilities for pushing the boundaries of ethnography in the present? What would be at stake in such an endeavor and why? What does it mean to revisit, reconsider, and experiment with ethnographic research and writing in the long shadow of anthropology’s colonial entanglements—and its contemporary imperial form? Is a “reparative reading” of ethnographic knowledge possible today? Why or why not? These are some of the questions we will consider in this course. Texts will tend toward collaborative, multi-modal, and sensory ethnography in the form of written work, visual media, and film.
Assessment and permitted materials
The course requires students to read each session’s assigned readings; reflect on the readings in the form of one response paper per session; make one in-class presentation; participate actively in in-class discussion; and submit a final term paper.
Minimum requirements and assessment criteria
Response papers: 30%
Participation: 30% (5% attendance, 10% in-class participation, 15% in-class presentation)
Term paper: 40%91-100 points: 1 (excellent)
81-90 points: 2 (good)
71-80 points: 3 (satisfactory)
61-70 points: 4 (sufficient)To complete the course, students need to obtain at least 61 points.
Participation: 30% (5% attendance, 10% in-class participation, 15% in-class presentation)
Term paper: 40%91-100 points: 1 (excellent)
81-90 points: 2 (good)
71-80 points: 3 (satisfactory)
61-70 points: 4 (sufficient)To complete the course, students need to obtain at least 61 points.
Examination topics
The course does not require an exam.
Reading list
Full syllabus available on the first day of class – potential texts below.Knit’s Island – Ekiem Barbier, Guilhem Causse, and Quentin L’Helgouac’hThe Iron Ministry – JP SniadeckiAtmospheric Noise – Marina PetersonLaw in a Lawless Land – Michael TaussigThe Mushroom at the End of the World – Anna TsingSoldiers and Kings – Jason De LeonOrdinary Affects – Kathleen StewartHow Forests Think – Eduardo KohnPigeon Trouble – Hoon SongIn the Shadows of the Palms – Sophie ChaoLand of Open Graves – Jason De LeonI Swear I Saw This – Michael Taussig
Association in the course directory
Last modified: Mo 27.07.2026 09:27