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Reading, writing and discussing books is an essential tool in academia. Therefore, we will take our time and read two monographs together (overly long chapters will be summarized by presentations). The idea is to read a classic and a modern economic/ecological ethnography and to explore both continuities and change in the field. Both books are based on long-term immersion and intimate relationships with their research subjects; they are beautifully written and fun to read. I recommend that you buy your own copies. Affordable paperback versions are available.
First, we read "The Hidden Frontier: Ecology and Ethnicity in an Alpine Valley" (1999 [1974]) by John Cole and the famous Eric Wolf. It addresses core concerns in economic anthropology such as household production, reproduction and inheritance in an Italian- and in a German-speaking community in South Tyrol (Italy). Cole and Wolf also tackle the still burning questions of how the ecology, capitalism and nationalism impact on everyday life. Second, we will read "Porkopolis: American Animality, Standardized Life, and the Factory Farm" (Blanchette 2020). This stunning (and beautifully illustrated) book is the fruit of empathetic participant observation with pigs, veterinaries and racialized farm and slaughterhouse workers in the USA. Along the “disassembly line,” Alex Blanchette traces how these diverse agents raise, fatten, slaughter and render one of the largest pig herds in the world. Porkopolis revisits themes from Hidden Frontier and newly engages with science and technology, human-animal relations, racism and climate change. Poslední úprava: Thiemann André, Dr. phil. (16.02.2026)
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At the end of the course, students will be able to identify classic and contemporary contributions, ideas and concepts in Economic Anthropology. They can use analytic tools in socio-cultural anthropology to pursue independent inquiry into the economy in different world regions and explain different scientific perspectives on the relationships between the economy and society, nature, space and history. They will be able to engage with local and global transformations of the economy in informed and inquisitive ways. Poslední úprava: Thiemann André, Dr. phil. (09.02.2026)
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Course format This course combines lectures, student presentations, seminar discussions, and short analyses of different materials. I expect your full, active, and professional participation in class. This means showing up on time (persistently showing up late will negatively affect your participation grade). Respectfully engaging with the course instructor, lecturers, and your peers. Being responsible for the assigned reading and materials: if you miss a class, it is your responsibility to do the reading and get class notes from one of your peers. Technology Laptops and tablets are allowed for the purposes of viewing course materials and for taking notes during discussion sections. I strongly prefer that you write your notes by hand. Research shows that writing notes by hand improves your understanding of the material and helps you remember it better, since writing it down involves deeper cognitive processing of the material than typing it. I recognize that not all students can or wish to use handwritten notes. If you do use laptops, do turn off your wi-fi during class time to resist the temptation of email, social media, etc. Cell phones should be silenced and should not be used during class. Poslední úprava: Thiemann André, Dr. phil. (06.02.2026)
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The following is a rough overview of how I will evaluate your performance in class. More in-depth descriptions, rubrics, and prompts will be provided with each assignment. - Class preparation for every week by reading, plus active listening and participation: 30 % - 2 short presentations of chapters/readings: 50 % - 1 essay (1 page): 20 % Poslední úprava: Thiemann André, Dr. phil. (11.02.2026)
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Cole, John W. and Eric R. Wolf (1999 [1974]). The hidden frontier: ecology and ethnicity in an alpine valley : Internet Archive Blanchette, Alex. 2020. Porkopolis: American Animality, Standardized Life, and the Factory Farm. Duke University Press 978-1-4780-0840-8_601.pdf. Poslední úprava: Thiemann André, Dr. phil. (09.02.2026)
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Course readings and syllabus I believe that a course and its instructor should be adaptable. This means that readings and course activities may change to suite course developments, forward fruitful discussions, or to address student interests. For this reason, the readings in this syllabus should be regarded as provisional. For any given week, the readings will be available on Moodle. While readings may, from time-to-time change, the course policies and procedures listed in this syllabus will not. It is your responsibility to know them. Reading Policy All of the course readings for this class can be found on Moodle. In some classes, we will spend significant time discussing particular sections and chapters. In others, we will treat them as background. In all cases, if there is something you don’t understand in the material, it is your responsibility to make sure that you gain an understanding of it by asking questions and raising issues. You are expected to arrive at class ready to discuss the required course readings. 1 Essay (400 words) 20% The essays have to be prepared in the following format: Concisely summarise the main arguments of the reading. Analyse the significance of given texts to the structure of the book. Compare and contrast the readings with other texts on the same topic that you are familiar with. Draw parallels from your own experience or from a society that you are familiar with regarding the topic of the presentation. Raise questions related to the topic that can be discussed in class. Share the essays with me one day before class until 23.59 pm. 2 Presentations (8 minutes each) 50% In your presentation, concisely summarise the main arguments of the reading (e.g. a longish chapter that not everybody needs to read) for the week. Analyse the significance of the given texts to the overall structure of the book. Compare and contrast the readings with other texts on the same topic that you are familiar with. Draw parallels from your own experience or from a society that you are familiar with regarding the topic of the presentation. Raise questions related to the topic that can be discussed in class. Policy on Plagiarism I strongly believe that learning is a collaborative venture. I encourage you to study with your peers, meet to discuss readings with them, and, on assignments, to work together with them. That said, the work that you produce for this course must be your own. There are no exceptions to this rule and no legitimate excuses for violating it. If you fail to acknowledge others’ work or that you are caught overtly plagiarizing from online or written sources, you will receive zero percentage points on the assignment and may be subject to disciplinary procedures. Office Hours Please, feel free to contact me via email for an appointment. Attendance Attendance at the course and section meetings is highly recommended. You are permitted two unexplained course absences per semester. After that, each absence will reduce your overall participation grade by 1/3 of a grade. If you have a legitimate reason to miss class, it is your responsibility to let me know by email before class. Statement on Learning Success Your success in this class is important to me. We will all need accommodations because we all learn differently. If there are aspects of this course that prevent you from learning or exclude you, please let me know as soon as possible. We will develop strategies to meet both your needs and the requirements of the course. I also encourage you to reach out to the student resources available through Charles University. Student Rights & Responsibilities You have a right to a learning environment that supports mental and physical wellness. You have a right to respect. You have a right to be assessed and graded fairly. You have a right to freedom of opinion and expression. You have a right to privacy and confidentiality. You have a right to meaningful and equal participation, to self-organize groups to improve your learning environment. You have a right to learn in an environment that is welcoming to all people. No student shall be isolated, excluded or diminished in any way. With these rights come responsibilities: You are responsible for taking care of yourself, managing your time, and communicating with the teacher, guest lecturers and with others if things start to feel out of control or overwhelming. You are responsible for acting in a way that is worthy of respect and always respectful of others. Your experience with this course is directly related to the quality of the energy that you bring to it, and your energy shapes the quality of your peers’ experiences. You are responsible for creating an inclusive environment and for speaking up when someone is excluded. You are responsible for holding yourself accountable to these standards, holding each other to these standards, and holding the teacher accountable as well. Personal Pronoun Preference Professional courtesy and sensitivity are especially important with respect to individuals and topics dealing with differences of race, culture, religion, politics, sexual orientation, gender, gender variance, and nationalities. Class rosters are provided to the instructor with the student’s legal name. I will gladly honor your request to address you by a name different than what appears on the roster, and by the gender pronouns you use. Please advise me of this preference early in the semester so that I may make appropriate changes to my records. Note on academic dishonesty Plagiarism is a severe crime. In my experience, it mostly comes from students’ insecurity with academic writing that they are relatively new to. Rather than copying someone else’s text and helping AI rephrase it (which makes it much less easily detectable than it was a couple of years ago), I suggest to write your own thoughts in simple words and it will get easier over time. Note on using AI tools If you are using AI tools, highlight the part of the text where you have used AI and add a footnote explaining which AI tool and which query you used. You are still required to read, understand, critique and interpret ethnographic texts on your own and form coherent arguments based on your readings. At the same time, I see no issues asking AI tools to help you rephrase your thought. You should still have a go at trying to rephrase the ideas in the text we read in your own words. It can be challenging, especially if you are not a native speaker, but for the next few years, it is still considered a useful skill to have. Free grammar tools such as Grammarly are recommended for use to improve the legibility of your work. Poslední úprava: Thiemann André, Dr. phil. (16.02.2026)
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Poslední úprava: Thiemann André, Dr. phil. (09.02.2026)
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