Course design question

[Matthew Bernius]

Nate,

On the "outside of" anthropology side, you might want to consider spending a
week with "actor network theory." This could either be done with a couple
articles or with a single book (Latour's "Reassembling the Social" is the
first that pops to mind -- it's also his most "transparent" work).

- Matt

-----------------------------
Matthew Bernius
PhD Student | Cultural Anthropology | Cornell University |
http://anthropology.cornell.edu
Researcher At Large | Open Publishing Lab @ the Rochester Institute of
Technology | http://opl.cias.rit.edu
mBernius at gMail.com | http://www.mattbernius.com | @mattBernius
My calendar: http://bit.ly/hNWEII


On Mon, Mar 21, 2011 at 3:52 PM, Nathaniel Dumas <
ndumas at linguistics.ucsb.edu> wrote:

> Dear Colleagues,
>
> I hope all is well. I'm writing to ask for reading recommendations on a
> graduate-level special topics seminar I am designing, entitled "Activities
> as Analytical and Ethnographic Foci." In particular, the seminar explores
> the claim proposed by Marjorie H. Goodwin (1990, 2006) and others in related
> disciplines (e.g., cultural historical activity theory) about the importance
> of beginning with the study of activities, rather than conventionally
> beginning with "groups," to examine broader questions around social
> organization and power.  In this vein, the students (and I) examine how this
> also affects both the way one does ethnography methodologically and how one
> 'writes' ethnography and culture post-fieldwork. That said, we would begin
> the course with a unit that asks the theoretical and conceptual question:
> "What IS an 'activity' within contemporary social theories?" In this vein,
> what texts (within and beyond anthropology, including philosophy) would you
> all suggest that take up this question?
>
> In respect of others' mailboxes, please reply to me directly at
> ndumas at linguistics.ucsb.edu. Thank you in advance!
>
> Best,
> Nate Dumas
>