WMG02401 Contemporary Anthropology I

Hiroshima University Syllabus

Japanese

Academic Year 2024Year School/Graduate School Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences (Master's Course) Division of Humanities and Social Sciences International Peace and Co-existence Program

Lecture Code WMG02401 Subject Classification Specialized Education

Subject Name Contemporary Anthropology I

Subject Name
（Katakana）

Subject Name in
English Contemporary Anthropology I

Instructor NAKAZORA MOE

Instructor
(Katakana) ナカゾラ　モエ

Campus Higashi-Hiroshima Semester/Term 1st-Year,  Second Semester,  3Term

Days, Periods, and Classrooms (3T) Weds5-8：IDEC 203

Lesson Style Lecture Lesson Style
(More Details) 　

Lecture and discussion

Credits 2.0 Class Hours/Week 　 Language of Instruction E : English

Course Level 5 : Graduate Basic

Course Area（Area） 23 : Arts and Humanities

Course Area（Discipline） 11 : Cultural Anthropology

Eligible Students

Keywords Cultural anthropology, science and technology studies, multispecies ethnography, biodiversity, disaster, resilience, Anthropocene

Special Subject for Teacher Education 　 Special Subject 　

Class Status
within Educational
Program
(Applicable only to targeted subjects for undergraduate students)
Criterion referenced
Evaluation
(Applicable only to targeted subjects for undergraduate students)

Class Objectives
/Class Outline This class engages with recent debates in anthropology, especially those influenced by science and technology studies, which provide new insights into the relationship between culture and technology, humans and nonhumans in societies. In the latter part of the course, we discuss the application of such approaches to developmental projects/policies (especially post-disaster management and human-animal conflicts) through fieldwork in local communities in Higashihiroshima. This class welcomes both anthropology students who want to learn the latest anthropology theory and those with other disciplinary backgrounds (engineering, biology, ecology, and so on) interested in culture-technology relations.

Class Schedule lesson1: Orientation: science, technology, and culture
＜PARTⅠ: RECENT DEBATES IN ANTHROPOLOGY＞
lesson2: Recent anthropology: going beyond culture
lesson3: Thinking through things1: human-cattle relations in classic anthropology
lesson4: Thinking through things2: mobile phones in hunter-gather societies
lesson5: Thinking through things 3: living with Pet-type robots in contemporary Japan
＜PARTⅡ: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY STUDIES＞
lesson6: Actor Network Theory
lesson7:  Multispecies ethnography
lesson8: Presentation of case studies by students
lesson9: Presentation of case studies by students
＜PARTⅢ: APPLICATION TO DEVELOPMENTAL PROJECTS＞
lesson10: Disaster anthropology/public engagement of anthropology
Lesson11: Disaster anthropology and Science and Technology Studies: an ethnography of seawall construction
lesson12: How to talk about the Higashihiroshima disaster
lesson13: Fieldwork on the post-disaster society
lesson14: Fieldwork on the post-disaster society
lesson15: Wrap-up of fieldwork

Text/Reference
Books,etc. Textbook not specified. Reading materials will be shared through Dropbox.  Reference books and articles will be introduced during the course.

PC or AV used in
Class,etc. 　

(More Details)

Learning techniques to be incorporated 　

Suggestions on
Preparation and
Review Reading material will be specified prior to the class and students are required to read it in advance and prepare study questions for discussion.

Requirements The main class language will be English, but in case needed, the lecturer will give an additional explanation in Japanese. Knowledge of anthropology and science and technology studies is not a prerequisite for this course, and you will learn about these fields through the course.

Grading Method Grading is based on contribution to the class, presentation and a semester paper.

Practical Experience

Summary of Practical Experience and Class Contents based on it

Message

Other It is desirable for students also to take "Contemporary Anthropology Ⅱ (4T)" instructed by prof. Seki and prof. Nagasaka.

Please fill in the class improvement questionnaire which is carried out on all classes.
Instructors will reflect on your feedback and utilize the information for improving their teaching.

Academic Year	2024Year	School/Graduate School	Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences (Master's Course) Division of Humanities and Social Sciences International Peace and Co-existence Program
Lecture Code	WMG02401	Subject Classification	Specialized Education
Subject Name	Contemporary Anthropology I
Subject Name （Katakana）
Subject Name in English	Contemporary Anthropology I
Instructor	NAKAZORA MOE
Instructor (Katakana)	ナカゾラ　モエ
Campus	Higashi-Hiroshima	Semester/Term	1st-Year, Second Semester, 3Term
Days, Periods, and Classrooms	(3T) Weds5-8：IDEC 203
Lesson Style	Lecture	Lesson Style (More Details)
Lecture and discussion
Credits	2.0	Class Hours/Week		Language of Instruction	E : English
Course Level	5 : Graduate Basic
Course Area（Area）	23 : Arts and Humanities
Course Area（Discipline）	11 : Cultural Anthropology
Eligible Students
Keywords	Cultural anthropology, science and technology studies, multispecies ethnography, biodiversity, disaster, resilience, Anthropocene
Special Subject for Teacher Education		Special Subject
Class Status within Educational Program (Applicable only to targeted subjects for undergraduate students)
Criterion referenced Evaluation (Applicable only to targeted subjects for undergraduate students)
Class Objectives /Class Outline	This class engages with recent debates in anthropology, especially those influenced by science and technology studies, which provide new insights into the relationship between culture and technology, humans and nonhumans in societies. In the latter part of the course, we discuss the application of such approaches to developmental projects/policies (especially post-disaster management and human-animal conflicts) through fieldwork in local communities in Higashihiroshima. This class welcomes both anthropology students who want to learn the latest anthropology theory and those with other disciplinary backgrounds (engineering, biology, ecology, and so on) interested in culture-technology relations.
Class Schedule	lesson1: Orientation: science, technology, and culture ＜PARTⅠ: RECENT DEBATES IN ANTHROPOLOGY＞ lesson2: Recent anthropology: going beyond culture lesson3: Thinking through things1: human-cattle relations in classic anthropology lesson4: Thinking through things2: mobile phones in hunter-gather societies lesson5: Thinking through things 3: living with Pet-type robots in contemporary Japan ＜PARTⅡ: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY STUDIES＞ lesson6: Actor Network Theory lesson7: Multispecies ethnography lesson8: Presentation of case studies by students lesson9: Presentation of case studies by students ＜PARTⅢ: APPLICATION TO DEVELOPMENTAL PROJECTS＞ lesson10: Disaster anthropology/public engagement of anthropology Lesson11: Disaster anthropology and Science and Technology Studies: an ethnography of seawall construction lesson12: How to talk about the Higashihiroshima disaster lesson13: Fieldwork on the post-disaster society lesson14: Fieldwork on the post-disaster society lesson15: Wrap-up of fieldwork
Text/Reference Books,etc.	Textbook not specified. Reading materials will be shared through Dropbox. Reference books and articles will be introduced during the course.
PC or AV used in Class,etc.
(More Details)
Learning techniques to be incorporated
Suggestions on Preparation and Review	Reading material will be specified prior to the class and students are required to read it in advance and prepare study questions for discussion.
Requirements	The main class language will be English, but in case needed, the lecturer will give an additional explanation in Japanese. Knowledge of anthropology and science and technology studies is not a prerequisite for this course, and you will learn about these fields through the course.
Grading Method	Grading is based on contribution to the class, presentation and a semester paper.
Practical Experience
Summary of Practical Experience and Class Contents based on it
Message
Other	It is desirable for students also to take "Contemporary Anthropology Ⅱ (4T)" instructed by prof. Seki and prof. Nagasaka.
Please fill in the class improvement questionnaire which is carried out on all classes. Instructors will reflect on your feedback and utilize the information for improving their teaching.

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