SANb2036 Visual Anthropology - Visual Culture

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
Paride Bollettin, MSc., Ph.D. (lecturer)
Ing. Soňa Enenkelová (assistant)
Guaranteed by
Irena Kašparová, M.A., Ph.D.
Department of Sociology – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: PhDr. Patrick Laviolette, PhD.
Supplier department: Department of Sociology – Faculty of Social Studies
Prerequisites
No pre-requisites. The course is suitable both for those with a prior background in anthropology but also for those with experience in neighbouring disciplines who wish to improve their socio-cultural understanding of the visual world.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 25 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/25, only registered: 0/25, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/25
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 13 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
To introduce students to visual anthropology as a method and as a field of research. Through lectures, screening and peer-based seminar discussions as well as practical assignments, this course provides a broad survey of the major theories, concepts, methods and developments of current approaches to understanding visual experience in Europe and internationally. After considering the shift from art history and film & media studies to a more holistic and interdisciplinary visual culture approach, these themes will be explored through a series of short documentary films and case studies which include practices of looking; cultures of visuality in relations to the other senses; the history of images and so on.
Learning outcomes
At the end of this course students should be able to: describe the trajectories of visual anthropology as a specific method and as a field of research; critically analyse visual production in anthropology; critically approach to the visual as a bio-socio-cultural experience; produce original works using audiovisual tools for presenting their own research projects.
Syllabus
  • 1. Introduction to visual anthropology as an epistemological device. 2. Introduction to visual expressions of bio-socio-cultural experiences. 3. Collective screening and discussion of audiovisual exemples (with curators, producers and directors). 4. Individual or collective production of original works using audiovisual possibilities.
Literature
    required literature
  • PINK, Sarah. Doing visual ethnography. 3rd edition. Los Angeles: SAGE, 2013, viii, 238. ISBN 9781446211175. info
    not specified
  • ŠTĚTKA, Václav. Between and Beyond: Diasporic Media Spaces and Transnational Practices. In Hofírek, Ondřej - Klvaňová, Radka - Nekorjak, Michal (eds.): Boundaries in motion. Rethinking Contemporary Migration Events. Brno: Centrum pro demokracii a kulturu, 2009, 29 pp. Sociology Series, Volume No.8. ISBN 978-80-7325-191-8. info
  • ŠTĚTKA, Václav. Media Reproduction of Nationalism in the Czech Republic: Routine, Ritual and the Realm of Popular Culture. In Vašečka, M. (ed.): Nation über alles: Processes of redefinition and reconstruction of the term nation in Central Europe. Bratislava: CVEK, 2008, p. 35-57. ISBN 978-80-970088-7-1. info
  • ŠTĚTKA, Václav. Ekologie, aktivismus a mediální image (Ecology, activism and media image). Veronica : časopis ochránců přírody. Brno: Regionální sdružení ČSOP Brno, 2002, vol. 2002, No 01, p. 12-13. ISSN 1213-0699. info
  • ŠTĚTKA, Václav. Média, globalizace a národní identita (Media, globalization and national identity). In Média a realita 2001. Sborník prací studentů Katedry mediálních studií a žurnalistiky Fakulty sociálních studií. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 2001, p. 12-40. 2001. ISBN 80-210-2756-8. info
Teaching methods
Lectures (in English) will be developed in a dialogical format, with initial introductions from the course convenors, interventions by the directors/authors of audio-visual works and a final collective discussion. For the elaboration of the final assignment, students will be supervised by lectures and colleagues.
Assessment methods
Final audio-visual project (short film or photo essay etc [60%]), with short textual essay describing this project (600 words; [40%]). This should include reference to topic, themes and short bibliography.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: every week.
Teacher's information
https://www.muni.cz/en/about-us/organizational-structure/faculty-of-social-studies/231100-deptof-sociology/teaching
Course is co-taught by: Dr Patrick LAVIOLETTE (FSS) https://www.muni.cz/en/people/246133-patrick-laviolette Dr Paride BOLLETTIN (FSci) https://www.muni.cz/en/people/247100-paride-bollettin
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024, Autumn 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2025, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/spring2025/SANb2036