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We experience our lives through our bodies. The human body does not exist in isolation and is not subject to only the discipline of biology; it is shaped by our environment, culture, and politics. Simultaneously, our bodies shape the environment, culture, and politics. In this regard, the human body has been a central topic for social, cultural, and physical anthropology.
Using the human body as our main subject of inquiry, in this module we will explore the primary methodologies of social and cultural anthropology. Therefore, the module is more about anthropological methods than the human body. This means that the module is suitable for those who are more broadly interested in social studies which is not limited to the human body.
In this module, you will find the opportunity to not only learn about research ethics, different types of interviews, observational methods, and conducting fieldwork but also the first-hand experience of employing these methods by exploring topics related to the social and cultural politics of the human body. Interviews and Observational Methods are used across many disciplines including Sociology, Political Science, International Relations, Cultural Studies, Gender Studies etc. Therefore, the module will be beneficial for students who have a broad interest in social sciences.
There are topics organized based on themes. You can choose a theme, and either follow one of the prompted questions or come up with your own research question that relates to the theme. You can find the themes and the prompts at the end of this section, before the Module Structure.
Module leader: Akin Cihan Erdost
