LFU:online

The examination of selected societies, culture areas, or social institutions, or theoretical topics to illustrate the anthropological perspectives to problems of applied anthropology, culture process, change, and development. Topic will vary from semester to semester. May be repeated for credit.

This course combines an introduction to the core concepts and methodology of cultural anthropology with service in the local community. The learning aspect includes a topical and theoretical overview of cultural anthropology and ethnography, including understanding culture and cultural diversity; cultural categories like race, ethnicity, and gender; the social institutions of marriage, family, religion, and law; food production and immigration. Assigned hands-on service projects will train students in the application of these basic concepts as well as ethnographic methods used in fieldwork, including participant observations. Students will learn to maintain a journal for field notes to record factual information and to think critically about connecting the learning and service aspects of the course.

Fieldtrips:
1. South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Bolzano, Italy to visit the Iceman (Otzi). I will use a “scavenger hunt” assignment to allow students to get more out of their visit by paying attention to details about cultural life in Europe 5,000 years ago.
2. Dachau, Germany to learn about the persecution of specific ethnic groups. The tour will be personalized to address this assignment. Students will be given a checklist to help them focus on materials pertinent to completing this assignment.

Experiential Learning Activities:
Activities with refugees and Roma Gypsies in Innsbruck to allow students to learn how to apply anthropological concepts (like reflexivity) and methods (participant observation) in a field situation.

The University of New Orleans International Summer School program has a mandatory class attendance policy. All students are required to attend class for all morning classes and any required afternoon and/or weekend fields trips and lectures. No unexcused absences are allowed. However, LFU students who have to miss a UNO class due to LFU examinations in the first two weeks of our program, can receive one excused absence for this. Any further unexcused absences will result in an academic penalty. Each faculty member determines the penalty for missed classes. Most professors deduct a letter grade for each additional missed class day. For details, please refer to your course syllabi, which will be distributed on the first day of class. The listed ECTS credits are a recommendation by the University of New Orleans Innsbruck Summer School, based on contact hours, anticipated out-of-classroom requirements such as field trips, and projected workload for readings, assignments, and exam preparation. Mail: Center-New-Orleans@uibk.ac.at