Summer Semester 2025
Note: this page may be subject to modifications. Please follow up for updates.
Students are required to attend classes amounting to 30 ECTS per semester. Please refer to your FPO (Prüfungsordnung) for more information.
Module – Interdisciplinary Studies of Decision-Making II (5 ECTS)
Students are required to take all of the following classes.
Organizer: Dr. Ferdiansyah Thajib
Topic: TBA
Time and Place: TBA
Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Jean-Baptiste Pettier
Time and Place: SDAC Guest Lectures (SDAC Seminar Room). The CAS Colloquium happens on Tuesday 18:00 – 20:00 c.t., weekly.
Synopsis:
Every semester, SDAC students attend on a voluntary basis the guest lectures of their choice happening in the context of our university.
All SDAC lecturers can occasionally invite guest lecturers of their choice in the context of their own courses. Each guest lecture is announced on the website at least two weeks in advance. All of them are opened to all SDAC students, regardless of whether they attend that specific course or not. Please check the website regularly in order to learn about the upcoming guest lectures.
In addition, the Center for Advanced Studies „Alternative Rationalities and Esoteric Practices from a Global Perspective“ offers a rich program of weekly guest lectures. The full program is accessible here: (link not published yet).
At the end of the semester, each student is required to submit a 2-pages summary of one of the conferences that they attended in which they explain what they learned from it and how it impacted their understanding of research work.
Module – Advanced Disciplinary Competences (5 ECTS each)
Students are required to choose at least 1 and up to 3 of the following classes (in total 25 ECTS need to be acquired with this and the next modules, students can divide them according to their liking). The examination form of this module is a written exam of 90 minutes.
Lecturer: Wen “Alvin” Wang, M.A.
Time and Place: Tue. 12:00 – 14:00 c.t., SDAC Seminar Room
Synopsis:
TBA
Lecturer: Dr. Ferdiansyah Thajib
Time and Place: Wed. 08:00 – 10:00 c.t., SDAC Seminar Room
Synopsis:
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Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Mallika Shakya
Time and Place: Wed. 10:00 – 12:00 c.t., SDAC Seminar Room
Synopsis:
This course is designed to introduce students to the concepts and tools necessary for critical engagement within the study of work and labour. We approach the world of work and labour with a view that it encompasses all productive arrangements people have with one another and with nature, and that their individual and collective identities are deeply rooted in the work that they do to make a living. We envisage labour not only as constituents of class and/or occupational status – as has been done routinely in mainstream labour studies – but as an identity-marker that shapes everyday lives of the people being studied. This course takes the view that domains of work and labour are entwined with broader social (and political) stratification that govern the lives of individuals, communities, societies and nations.
The course will begin by familiarising students with three mainstream approaches: (i) anthropology of work; (ii) labour relations and resistance; (iii) post/non-industrial labour. It will then invite students to problematize the overlaps between work and identity while analysing social, racial and national groundings of people who “work”. It is also important for students to be aware of reifications and biases associated with “studying down” where work is often equated to blue collar work, and is dismissively referred to as “labour”. This course invites students to consider all forms of work as potential fields of study and analysis. A key set of classics is covered to familiarise the students with the ongoing discourse(s) in anthropology of labour, labour history and workers’ movements.
By the end of this course, students will acquire knowledge on key concepts such as “class” and “social embedding of work”, and through the class assignments included in the course, they will develop competencies on research methodologies including shop floor ethnography, organizational ethnography and trade union studies. Issues of intersectionality such as race, caste, gender and nationality will be at the core of the readings and assignments built in this course. Due attention will be given to non-industrial and post-industrial work including concepts such as emotional work, creative work, etc.
Lecturer: Jessica Wengel, M.A.
Time and Place: Wed. 14:00 – 16:00 c.t., SDAC Seminar Room
Synopsis:
Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Mallika Shakya
Time and Place: Thu. 10:00 – 12:00 c.t., SDAC Seminar Room
Synopsis:
Within the broader realm of economic anthropology, this course will focus on the intersection of money and society. The course will build on the rich ethnographic literature that is available on reciprocal and redistributive aspects of money in addition to the hegemonic discourse on money as capital and a medium for exchange. The subdomain of money will be discussed in the broader domains of economy, and consider the ideational differences between capitalism and the alternative schools of thought.
This course provokes students to consider that the words “money” and “capital” are not synonymous although that is how it is often implied within the worldview perpetuated by capitalism. What are the fundamental aspects of money? How was or is money situated in the pre-capitalist and non-capitalist societies, and how are we to comprehend aspects of morality, ethics and stratification in relation to money? What are different functions of money beyond its primary function as capital (or profit-making) even within capitalist societies? This course takes the view that an interdisciplinary approach is necessary to develop a holistic understanding on money. The focus of Section I of this course will be on reciprocal and redistributive elements of social structures where money has important roles to play. A puritanical economic approach to monetary analysis might be useful but it is not sufficient. This course will build on the classical and contemporary readings on economic anthropology to critically engage with the history of money and capitalism.
The Section II will turn to contemporary practice. Through a set of contemporary ethnographies from around the world, it will examine how human beings “insert themselves” into the organisations of finance, industry and trade even though these are often expressed in anonymised language of demand and supply. The course will pay close attention to ethnographies of corporate and financial organizations including the Wall Street and multinational corporations to trace the latest developments in the usage of money within capitalism. Students will be encouraged to think critically about new forms and systems of money in the current times and see how the core anthropological concerns about related to human nature – including memory, morality and social stratification – can be studied when analysing modern usage of money.
Module – Advanced Regional Competences (5 ECTS each)
Students are required to choose at least 1 and up to 3 of the following classes (in total 25 ECTS need to be acquired with this and the previous and following modules, students can divide them according to their liking). The examination form of this module is a term paper of 12-15 pages.
Lecturer: Dr. Maria Bondes
Time and Place: Mon. 10:00 – 12:00 c.t., SDAC Seminar Room
Synopsis:
This course introduces students to the complexities, dynamics and processes of environmental governance. Drawing on the policy process model, students will learn to investigate and evaluate environmental policy making and implementation. Taking China as an example, we will have a closer look at China’s top-down system of environmental governance and discuss the pros and cons of such “environmental authoritarianism.” The course will approach these issues through the reading of relevant academic literature, in-class group exercises and discussion rounds. Moreover, students will be able to increase their methodological knowledge in the fields of policy analysis and case studies. Students will be organized in groups and conduct their own policy analysis of environmental governance in a specific issue field and region of choice. These case studies will be developed throughout the course and be presented at the end of the semester. The final examination is a term paper-format policy analysis based on the developed case studies.
Lecturer: Wen “Alvin” Wang, M.A.
Time and Place: Thu. 14:00 – 16:00 c.t., SDAC Seminar Room
Synopsis:
This course explores the fascinating connections between affect, embodiment, and power, tracing the shift from disembodied theories of discourse to the lived experiences of bodies and emotions. We investigate how feelings like shame, anger, and happiness shape who we are and how we interact with the world. By examining the “turn to affect” in contemporary thought, we uncover how emotions and sensations intersect with race, gender, sexuality, labor, and politics, influencing personal and collective life across diverse cultural and historical contexts.
Key topics include emotional and affective labor, abjection, and the affective dimensions of racialization. We’ll ask critical questions: How do bodies and feelings become registers of power? How are emotions mobilized in cultural practices? And how do stories, media, and digital platforms shape the way we feel? We will analyze how affective labor—often invisible yet vital—shapes industries like creative work, service, and media, reinforcing or resisting broader socio-political dynamics.
In addition to theory, we’ll explore representations of affect and embodiment in literature, graphic novels, and genres like science fiction and horror. From monstrous bodies in media to the commodification of emotions like happiness in labor economies, this course connects abstract ideas to real-world examples. By the end, students will gain fresh tools to understand how emotions, bodies, and power intertwine, opening new ways to think about their impact on everyday life and society.
Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Jean-Baptiste Pettier
Time and Place: Blockseminar, dates: TBA, SDAC Seminar Room
Synopsis:
This intensive course will have three components. First, the study of classic or lesser-known ethnographic texts that show how ethnographers enter their fields and begin their research. Second, the creation and testing of personal ethnographic projects and the conduct of concrete ethnographic exercises, with particular emphasis on participant observation, field exchange and/or interviews, and the role of description in ethnographic texts. Third, a reflexive analysis on the role of the ethnographer/researcher and on the ethical consequences of the choices we make in the production and analysis of research data. The course will include outside sessions meant as opportunities to experience and practice research.
Lecturer: PD Dr. Viola Thimm (she/her) & Prof. Dr. Giovanni Maltese
Time and Place: Blockseminar, dates: 28.4.2025 (18:00-20:00), 4.-5.7.2025 (9:00-18:00), SDAC Seminar Room
Synopsis:
TBA
Lecturer: Dr. Ferdiansyah Thajib
Time and Place: Blockseminar, dates: TBA, SDAC Seminar Room
Synopsis:
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Module – Advanced Research Issues (5 ECTS each)
Students are required to choose at least 1 and up to 3 of the following classes (in total 25 ECTS need to be acquired with this and the previous and following modules, students can divide them according to their liking). The examination form of this module is an oral exam of 20 minutes.
Lecturer: Dr. Maria Bondes
Time and Place: Mon. 08:00 – 10:00 c.t., SDAC Seminar Room
Synopsis:
The transnational linkages that are tying together countries and societies around the globe –via trade, capital, information and people flows – are frequently captured with the buzz word “globalization.” However, what this term really means often remains rather fuzzy. In this course, students will be introduced to the concept of “globalization” and the main debates surrounding the phenomenon from an academic global studies perspective. Part 1 of the course will discuss how we can capture and study “globalization,” including its manifestation at the local level and in different world regions (“glocalization”). We will also look at the main perspectives on and ideologies about globalization (“globalisms”) that guide public and academic debates – market globalism, justice globalism, religious globalism and antiglobalist nationalism. In Part 2 of the course, we will get an overview of the different dimensions of globalization – economic, political, ecological and cultural. While each of these dimensions merits a class of its own, this course will focus on understanding the major debates related to each dimension. To deepen our understanding of these debates, we will apply the different perspectives on globalization from Part 1 to specific topics. In debate sessions, students will represent different “globalisms” and debate specific issues from these standpoints.
By taking this class, students will learn to approach “globalization” in an academic and systematic manner from a global studies perspective, understand and identify the underlying ideologies that guide academic and public debates about globalization and related issues, and gain the tools to investigate the manifestations of globalization in different issue fields and world regions. Moreover, students will be able to train their communication and debating skills. The examination method of this course is a 20 minute oral exam.
Lecturer: PD Dr. Viola Thimm (she/her)
Time and Place: Tue. 08:00 – 10:00 c.t., SDAC Seminar Room
Synopsis:
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Lecturer: Dr. Maryam Abbasi
Time and Place: Tue. 14:00 – 16:00 c.t., SDAC Seminar Room
Synopsis:
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Lecturer: PD Dr. Viola Thimm (she/her)
Time and Place: Tue. 16:00 – 18:00 c.t., SDAC Seminar Room
Synopsis:
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Lecturer: Dr. Ferdiansyah Thajib
Time and Place: Wed. 12:00 – 14:00 c.t., SDAC Seminar Room
Synopsis:
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Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Jean-Baptiste Pettier
Time and Place: Thu. 16:00 – 18:00 c.t., SDAC Seminar Room
Synopsis:
How people “love” and choose their partners are since long highly controversial issues. How love and marriage should be attached together has been a major intellectual concern in the modernization process in Europe and elsewhere since at least the 19th century. For long, free-choice marriage based on romantic love were considered as a sign of progress and modernity. Social, cultural and political controversies often arise concerning mate-choice, who is entitled to choose, the rights of parents or of the community to interfere, but as well the age at which marriage can be pronounced, or who can marry whom, on the base of gender, religion, nationality, etc. Today’s numerous debates concerning online dating, but also alternative experimental forms of relationships like polyamory, or the choice to remain single, generate as many controversies as ever. In this class, we will come back to the theoretical and practical questions that the discourses and practices of “love” entail, and question how to appreciate and analyze the continuous transformation of the “love” question. For this, we will alternately focus on theoretical texts and on ethnographic research carried out in multiple human societies. Students will be welcome to come with their own research interests and study cases into this class.
Additional offers
Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Jean-Baptiste Pettier
Time and Place: Wed. 16:00 – 18:00 c.t., SDAC Seminar Room
Synopsis:
Morality remains the great question of human life. How do we split the good from the bad, how do we associate with others, and how do we make these decisions? The study of moral phenomena is a core issue for the understanding of how society and culture work. What is the role of ethics in human life? How do people deal with their moral sentiments in complex situations, and how can we distinguish individual moral sentiments from collective and socially-induced moral representations? But moral phenomena goes beyond questions of distinguishing the good from the evil. It includes all dimensions of life concerned with beliefs, symbols, and how we tie ourselves together. This research colloquium will work on the study of moral phenomena from an anthropological perspective. Based on the discussion of early or recent publications, as well as presentations of on-going research, it will particularly focus on the personal and collective dimensions of moral phenomena by examining the social dimensions of individual personality.
The colloquium is conceived as a space of exchange on ongoing research. It is reserved to second-year MA students working on their dissertation and opened to all researchers with an interest in the issue. In order zoo register, please write to jean-baptiste.pettier@fau.de
Lecturer: Malgorzata Marciniak, M.A.
Time and Place: Thu. 12:00 – 14:00 c.t., SDAC Lecture Room
Synopsis:
This weekly workshop is the continuation of last semester’s A1 course. It’s specifically designed for English-speaking students who want to advance their basic German language skills in academic contexts. Participants will have the opportunity to acquire basic German language for their day-to-day life as well as learn vocabulary and structures needed in academic environments. The course content includes: Introduction to fundamental and more advanced grammar rules and sentence structures of the German language, development of a solid vocabulary, practical exercises to improve listening and reading comprehension and speaking. At the end of the semester, participants will have the opportunity to take an exam that certifies them a A2 language level.
Lecturer: Sabrina Heilmann, M.A.
Time and Place: Mon. 10:00 – 12:00 c.t., Seminar Room (Glückstr. 10), LS für Kultur- und Sozialanthropologie
Synopsis:
This introductory course explores plural intersections of digitalization and aging within global transformation processes. Designed for students focussing on sociology and anthropology, it delves into how technological advancements reshape aging experiences and perceptions across diverse societies. By bridging the gap between digital innovation and the aging population, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted impacts of technology on older adults.
The course begins by examining global aging perspectives and experiencing aging. Students will explore the role of social-cultural anthropology in understanding these diverse perspectives. Next, the concept of active aging is introduced, focusing on the principles that promote a healthy and engaged lifestyle for older adults. The course will discuss various technological tools and platforms that support active aging. We will analyze the implications of declining health states and the integration of technology in managing these challenges. This includes exploring technological interventions for managing chronic illnesses and disabilities. The everyday use of technology by aging individuals is another key topic, with case studies illustrating how digital devices impact daily activities and social interactions.
The course also critically assesses the social benefits and risks of digitalization for older people. This includes enhancing social inclusion and connectivity through technology and addressing the digital divide to ensure equitable access. Finally, students will explore the unintended consequences of technology use among the elderly, considering potential negative impacts and ethical considerations. The role of policy in mitigating these risks will also be discussed.
By the end of this course, students will be equipped with the knowledge and analytical skills to critically engage with the ongoing digital transformation and its implications for aging populations worldwide. This course encourages a broad and empathetic approach to understanding the challenges and opportunities presented by digitalization in the context of aging.