Anthropology

The course examines the social, cultural, and political dimensions of migration and cultural diversity in contemporary societies. Students explore how intercultural interaction shapes identities, communities, and public policies while developing a deeper understanding of intercultural coexistence.

This course explores techniques for "reflecting the space between life and death," using diverse media to record and express one's own and others' experiences and memories, and methods for "sharing" them with others who are spatially and temporally distant. This is examined through comparisons between video and other media such as theater and text, as well as comparisons between information dissemination by public and mass media and individual expressive practices. 
 

The object of this seminar is to introduce students to theories of culture(s) or cultural theory. With theories of culture abounding, the class is only be able to discuss a selection of canonized texts. These texts – hopefully – help to enhance the understanding of how one has come to theorize culture(s) in the field of literary and cultural studies, as well as cultural history. Furthermore, the course tackles various angles of how one makes meaning of and through culture and how culture informs related fields of inquiry, such as, for example, media studies, philosophy, and sociology.

This course explores the field of anthropology from the perspective of health systems in diverse sociocultural contexts (global North and global South, indigenous and non-indigenous societies, etc.). The first part of the course focuses on mental health, concepts of normalcy and pathology from a transcultural perspective, representations of madness, and the social and medical institutions that objectify them. The second part of the course examines the notion of the person, how the body is conceived of culturally and physically, how it ages and how it dies. The course also considers other topics such as feminist anthropological critiques of sexuality and gender, the anthropology of transmissible diseases, profound trauma, and questions of morality and culture in biomedicine and medical technology.

By the end of the course, the student: learns the main themes and conceptual framework of the discipline; acquires skills aimed at fostering communication between different socio-cultural realities; takes part in critical discussions concerning the main intellectual schools of thought and applies these skills to social situations based on cultural variety; applies the main models of critical and procedural analysis of the concepts of culture, ethnicity, gender, and generations, and is able to focus on socio-cultural issues to do with migratory processes, globalization, and the knowledge society; learns to listen, understand, and debate respectfully with different viewpoints, and acquires judgment on a professional, human, and ethical level. The course focuses on the discipline of anthropology as an active political space, both in its relational and dialogic fieldwork practices, and in its ability to imagine alternative worlds. By the end of the course students will have acquired the ability to think critically about central political issues such as social equality, economic democracy, anti-racism, and environmental justice, as well as the ability to imagine and practice concrete alternatives to the way of life of contemporary capitalism. The course is divided into three conceptual paths, one per week:
ALTERITY: 1-Anthropology/Utopia; 2-Ethnographic Surrealism; 3-Fieldwork as a militant practice.
MATERIALITY: 4-Earth; 5-Sea; 6-The Gift; 7-Work; 8-Slavery; 9-Artistic Work.
IMAGINARY AND POLITICS: 10-Image and counter-power; 11-The museum as a factory of the imagination; 12-Imagining the city; 13-Participation; 14-Art-activism; 15- the politics of time between history and future.

This course provides an anthropological study of the present-day Mapuche people through a critical analysis of the history of Mapuche-Chilean relations and its impact on the current political situation. It examines the characteristics and sociocultural expressions of the Mapuche people and the different contemporary artistic expressions of Mapuche creators in light of their historical and cultural particularity.

This course offers an in-depth exploration of Spanish identities through the lens of its culinary culture. Students examine how centuries of tradition and local practices define the Spanish culture, from the historical roots of the Mediterranean Diet to regional diversity, and the crucial role of innovation and sustainability in overcoming global environmental challenges. Topics include sustainable agriculture, biodynamic wines, mindful eating practices, and the role of local markets and circular economy in supporting food security and community. Through a series of engaging activities—including expert discussions, guided tastings, and site visits to key locations like local markets and innovative food hubs—students gain firsthand knowledge of Madrid’s dynamic food landscape and explore the extent to which a new generation of entrepreneurial initiatives are driving a more sustainable and conscious approach to eating and producing. 

Evolutionary thinking provides useful new insights into the origins of diseases and contemporary health problems. This course explores the applications of the tools and concepts of evolutionary biology to human health and health-related behavior. Incorporating examples from the lecturer’s ongoing research on BaYakahunter-gatherers living in the Northern rainforests of Congo and current health problems, students cover a range of topics including: Evolution and human-microbe interactions; Hunter-gatherers as models in public health; Diet, exercise, evolutionary mismatches and non-communicable diseases; Life-history theory and reproductive health; Evolutionary perspectives on mental health and wellbeing; Cultural evolution and health-related behavior; and Applied evolutionary medicine: future of medicine and how evolutionary thinking can be applied to current health problems.

This course analyzes the human body not just as a biological entity, but as s a cultural construct and a medium for social interactions.