Anthropology

This course examines various elements of Czech non-mainstream culture, such as graffiti and street-art, political art collectives, the underground, new social movements, psychedelia, D.I.Y. music scenes, LGBTA, and social theatre. The instructor, an anthropologist with hands-on experience in local subcultures, assists in the application of critical theory to discuss the practices of “alternative” urban lives in postindustrial society and certain trends of artistic production. The course focuses on the political interpretation of youth subversion and disclosures of power mechanisms. Visuals and field trips to graffiti and other subcultural sites are a part of this course.

The course covers the origins and development of various groups of people and their lifestyles during prehistoric times in West Africa against the background of a changing natural environment. Themes include hunter-gatherer and food-producing economies, prehistoric stone technology, prehistoric crafts and arts, indigenous farming systems, and the use of paleontology, geomorphology, and various dating schemes that pertain to archaeological research in West Africa.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale program and is intended for advanced level students only. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. This course analyzes mass culture in Italy, including the creation, production, circulation processes, and use of the social meanings. Students learn to analyze the phenomena and processes of contemporary life such as its means of communication (new and old media), consumption and production of cultural heritage (music, paintings, newspapers, books, etc.), connections between cultural processes, and social inequalities and the organizational bases of media and artistic communication, the wide range of different forms of consumption, production, organization, financing, and evaluation of cultural heritage and objects. The course teaches how to recognize various phenomena linked to communication and analyze these from an interdisciplinary perspective. The first section of the course focuses on the theoretical state of the art. It reconstructs and defines core concepts from the academic fields of cultural sociology as well as media and cultural studies. It builds a conceptual tool-kit to analyze the socially constructed and historically rooted – yet contested and changeable – meanings of the notions of “Italian”, “Popular”, and, especially, “Culture(s)”. The second section presents the results of various empirical research projects on Italian popular cultures carried out over the last two decades. In particular, it focuses on Italian cultural icons, visual culture, and popular music. It applies the conceptual tool-kit outlined in the first section to a variety of cultural objects and case studies, in order to explore, among others, such issues as the crucial role of increasingly digital media in the process of production, circulation and consumption of popular culture; the role of popular culture and media rituals in the construction of (trans-)national identity; the relationship between popular culture and national politics in Italy.

This experiential course features concentrated study, lectures, roundtables, field trips, and interactions with the people of Ghana. The course involves an in-depth examination of Ghanaian history, culture, governance, family and society, gender issues, and development challenges. The course includes language instruction; language practice situations in the field; dance lessons; drumming lessons; and field excursions to culturally and historically significant sites in Accra, Kumasi, and Cape Coast. It introduces students to practical skills and provides information to help students adjust to living in Ghana. 

This course examines the major developments in the field of Postcolonial Theory. The course starts with Said's observation that colonialism affected both the colonizing countries as well as the colonized peoples. As such, Postcolonial Theory provides a variety of methodological tools for analyzing literature and culture that are of special relevance in the age of globalization. Students focus on the development of a postcolonial consciousness, the implication of literature and other cultural forms in the colonizing process, and as forms of resistance. Students become familiar with all major issues in the field of Postcolonial Studies and acquire a number of theoretical perspectives that apply to the interpretation of literature and other forms of culture.

This course offers a cultural history journey of the Mediterranean, employing the lens of food as a unique entry point. Through critical reflection on the intricate interplay of tradition and innovation in food systems within Syracuse, Florence, and Istanbul, the course traverses the Mediterranean's evolution from antiquity to the modern era. The exploration analyzes the social history of exchanges, interactions, and cultural encounters, emphasizing their pivotal role in shaping sustainable food practices. Drawing upon the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as a guiding framework, the course facilitates an understanding of the relationship between innovation and sustainability in contemporary food systems. Key themes covered in the course are as follows: 1) Relational Dynamics: Explore regionalism, cosmopolitanism, and orientalism as distinct forms of relationality that shape cultural encounters within the Mediterranean. These dynamics, whether resulting in rapprochements or conflicts, provide a conceptual toolbox for comparative analysis across the three city modules. 2) Historical Impacts: Discuss the transformative impact of the opening of the Atlantic and the Columbian exchange on food systems and Mediterranean trade relations. Critically analyze imperial networks within the Mediterranean, highlighting the pivotal role of port cities as hubs for economic interactions among diverse cultures. 3) Cultural Encounters: Study various forms of cultural encounters and their implications for the development and transformation of regional and local identities. Through this exploration, students gain insights into the intricate dynamics that have shaped the cultural tapestry of the Mediterranean.
 

The course focuses on the fundamental issues of the political and social history of contemporary Africa. Emphasis is placed on the colonial period, decolonization paths, and the processes and dynamics involved in independent state formation. Using an appropriate methodological apparatus, the course highlights the formation of the main political systems on the African continent, and especially the relationship with international politics and the political and developmental crises of the last decades. The course addresses the evolution of African political systems from the last phases of the pre-colonial period up through the contemporary period. Particular attention is placed on sub-Saharan Africa. The first part of the course focuses on Africa's history in the 19th and 20th centuries. The first part discusses topics including the end of the slave trade, the development of international trade, the colonial penetration, and the scramble for Africa by European powers; the main characteristics of the various colonial administrations and the impact of colonial domination on African societies; the decolonization process in the changing international context after World War II; the independences of African states, the nation-state, and the different policies and ideologies of the independent governments; the debate on the heritage of the colonial State; and the crises of the African State and economic development policies. The second part focuses on Africa's political systems and discusses topics including the political and economic reforms of the 1980s and 1990s; democracy, the fight against poverty, and conflicts in post-cold war Africa; the challenges of the third millennium; and recent and current events. The course includes weekly lectures and in class discussions of pertinent issues related to the topics presented. A special introductory section is devoted to the use of internet in the study of African history and its political systems. Slides and maps are also included. Assessment is based on a final oral examination.