Sociology and Criminology

Differently Bodied Beings and Ethnographic Encounters (Aut)

Module code: L3021A
Level 5
15 credits in autumn semester
Teaching method: Workshop
Assessment modes: Portfolio

This module begins with the “experiencing bodies” at the heart of phenomenology, exploring their forms, what shapes them, and how they live in the world. A key idea is that we understand these bodies—both their similarities and differences—most clearly during encounters, especially when they interact with one another.

You’ll learn to pay close attention to these moments of encounter, developing an ethnographic way of seeing the world. The module encourages you to cultivate this ethnographic sensitivity while exploring encounters with a wide range of beings, including animals, plants, places, humans, ancestors, spirits, aliens, and the divine.

This is a creative and experimental module that imagines a sociology beyond humans. It considers how such a perspective might help us navigate today’s social, political, and ecological crises to collectively sustain life.

Module learning outcomes

• Demonstrate a good understanding of what phenomenology is and the primary areas upon which it focuses.
• Demonstrate a good understanding of what encounters are and why they are significant in revealing both similarity and difference.
• Demonstrate understanding of what an ethnographic sensibility is, as we are conceptualising it in the module, and be able to apply such a sensibility in exploring aspects of their world.
• Demonstrate an understanding of how attentiveness to differently bodied beings might help us, collectively, to navigate current social, political and ecological crises.