Thursdays | 14.00 – 15.30 from the 10.10.2024 until the 30.01.2025
106 Seminarraum S25
Module: BA EM3, MA EM4
The seminar ‘Anthropology in the Anthropocene’ deals with the significance of the term Anthropocene for current debates about humanity, planet Earth, environmental degradation and environmental justice. The aim of the seminar is to familiarise students with theoretical and methodological approaches from anthropology and related disciplines that will enable them to understand and analyse the complex and often interrelated challenges of the Anthropocene. We will first discuss concepts such as geological time (‘deep time’), the ‘great acceleration’ and ‘planetarity’. We will also focus on the discussion of the definitions of the Anthropocene, as well as the criticism of the term and possible counter-concepts. We will discuss the extent to which the Anthropocene is a completely new concept or is based on old wisdom and traditional knowledge. Other topics in the seminar include climate change, biodiversity loss, hydrocarbons, technologies, environmental justice and alternative notions of health and well-being. One or more sessions will be held in collaboration with a Gwich'in ethnobotanist who will visit during the winter semester.
Further information for students of the University of Cologne: Klips