The course covers recent writings and currents of thought that mark, or are likely to mark, turning points in social and cultural theory. Particular care will be taken to situate theories in their historical and social contexts. Attendance to weekly 40 min. discussion classes throughout the course is compulsory. Distance learning students attend in person or via the Internet (with Zoom).

In the course we examine the field methods and train students in their application. The focus is on ethical issues, research design, the fieldwork setting, participant observation, different kinds of interviews, use of visual material and the analysis of data and presentation of research results.

The aim of the seminar is to aid students who are writing their thesis. We will discuss how to approach a final thesis and the students will have the opportunity to discuss their research issues. This seminar creates a forum for master students to discuss their research projects and receive support, encouragement and feedback in the work process. The seminar will be flexible to meet the needs of the group of students attending at each time.

In the seminar each student works or their own project and the teaching method is built on a “shut up and write!” ideology. The instructor has a short introduction in each meeting followed by some productive writing of the students in a supportive environment.   In the second part of the seminar each student will present and discuss their project for about 20 minutes.

Note that this course is only taught in the spring semester and is intended both for students that enroll in the MA thesis course in the spring semester or the following fall semester.

Taught every other week.

Einkunn: Staðið/Fall

The student works on a written project or a literature review on a specific area related to the research topic of the master thesis. The student contacts the supervisor, who will guide the student regarding this reading course.

The student works on a written project or a literature review on a specific area related to the research topic of the master thesis. The student contacts the supervisor, who will guide the student regarding this reading course.

MA thesis

MA thesis

MA thesis

In this course, students work as mentors for participants at the upper‑secondary and university levels in the project Sprettur. Mentors play an essential role in supporting and encouraging other students in their studies and social life. Their role is to build constructive relationships with participants, act as positive role models, and take part in joint activities organised within Sprettur. Mentorship is based on relationship‑building and regular meetings and involves a commitment to the students the mentor supports. 

Sprettur is a support project for students with a foreign background who seek additional support to improve their academic performance and participation in the university community. Students in the course work as mentors and are paired with participants based on shared interests. Mentors also work together in groups and in consultation with teachers and project coordinators. 

Students may choose to enrol in the course in the autumn semester, spring semester, or distribute the workload across both semesters (the full academic year). The course structure accommodates this choice, but all academic requirements remain the same. Mentors plan regular meetings with Sprettur participants and typically spend three hours per month with participants, three hours per month in homework groups, and attend a total of five seminars. 

Students submit journal entries on Canvas and design and deliver a learning experience for the participants in Sprettur. Journal entries are based on readings and critical reflections on the mentorship role and on personal experience in the project. The course is taught in Icelandic and English. 

Upon completing the course and meeting all requirements, students receive 5 ECTS credits and an official certificate of participation and completion of the project. 

Students fill out an electronic application form, and the supervising teacher contacts applicants. 

More information about Sprettur can be found here: www.hi.is/sprettur 

The course focuses on anthropological research on nature and the environment, as well as ideas from other human and social sciences, on the relationship between people and their environment. Various basic terms and theories central to environmental anthropology and related fields will be introduced and discussed.

The course explores several attempts to throw light on the emergence and characteristics of various cultural and social institutions and practices by reference to ecological systems and material relations as their foundation. It will also address critique of such attempts. 

A particular emphasis will be placed on changing views on the environment that have emerged in recent years, including ideas of resource extraction and management and several forms of environmentalisms.

Last but not least the many interactions of climate change causes and effects and societies will be explored as they are materialising all over the globe. Climate, climate change and society and culture, and their mutual influences, will also be investigated as a historical theoretical issue, from various points of view.

Several ethnographic examples of human-environment interaction will be examined throughout the course.

The course focuses on anthropological research on nature and the environment, as well as ideas from other human and social sciences, on the relationship between people and their environment. Various basic terms and theories central to environmental anthropology and related fields will be introduced and discussed.

The course explores several attempts to throw light on the emergence and characteristics of various cultural and social institutions and practices by reference to ecological systems and material relations as their foundation. It will also address critique of such attempts. 

A particular emphasis will be placed on changing views on the environment that have emerged in recent years, including ideas of resource extraction and management and several forms of environmentalisms.

Last but not least the many interactions of climate change causes and effects and societies will be explored as they are materialising all over the globe. Climate, climate change and society and culture, and their mutual influences, will also be investigated as a historical theoretical issue, from various points of view.

Several ethnographic examples of human-environment interaction will be examined throughout the course.

New theories and studies on globalization and global processes are presented in the class. The course aims at giving a general overview of important themes related to globalization processes. Studies that shed light on the diverse economic, social and political aspects of global processes are furthermore examined. A critical examination of main concepts is an important aspect of the course but studies that show how people are agents/victims in globalized world are also presented.

The teaching consists of lecture and class discussions. 

 The course is taught in English.

Vocational training in global studies and anthropology aims to provide students with increased skills through vocational training and to strengthen their connections with the labour market. This is a practical course that provides insight into the activities of institutions, non-governmental organizations, companies and other parties in-line with the aims of the course.

An agreement is made between the study program in anthropology and the relevant field of work. Students can make suggestions for a field of work or receive suggestions from the study program about a suitable field for internships. Subjects should be related to different aspects of anthropology and global science (electives: migration and multiculturalism, global health and development studies). For example, there could be one or two more important projects as well as various incidental projects. It is desirable that the student becomes acquainted with as many areas of work as possible in his / her field of work. The study program does not pay wages for the working hours, but the course is eligible for credits.

The student must contact the study program before the internship begins and have the plan approved. A special agreement is made with the person responsible for the worksite.

The scope of the internship shall be 250-300 hours divided between while working in the workplace and writing a report.

Before starting work in the field, the student compiles a reading list in consultation with the supervisor/supervisory teacher about the type of activity that the student intends to become involved with and the field itself. The student submits a draft summary of reading material before the internship begins. At the end of the participation in the worksite, the student writes a report on the internship where the activities are described and analysed.

In order to get credits evaluated for the internship, the student must hand in:

1. A letter from a supervisor, which includes a confirmation that the internship has lasted for at least 4 months, along with a short statement about the student and his tasks.
2. A statement that includes: 
   1. A description of the main tasks conducted during the internship period,
   2. Weekly reports based on the student's journal entries,
   3. A description of how the internship is useful for his/her study programme.
   4. The length of the report should be between 2,000–3,000 words and be based on a concise academic discussion that draws on peer-reviewed sources in scholarly publications.

Vocational training in global studies and anthropology aims to provide students with increased skills through vocational training and to strengthen their connections with the labour market. This is a practical course that provides insight into the activities of institutions, non-governmental organizations, companies and other parties in-line with the aims of the course.

An agreement is made between the study program in anthropology and the relevant field of work. Students can make suggestions for a field of work or receive suggestions from the study program about a suitable field for internships. Subjects should be related to different aspects of anthropology and global science (electives: migration and multiculturalism, global health and development studies). For example, there could be one or two more important projects as well as various incidental projects. It is desirable that the student becomes acquainted with as many areas of work as possible in his / her field of work. The study program does not pay wages for the working hours, but the course is eligible for credits.

The student must contact the study program before the internship begins and have the plan approved. A special agreement is made with the person responsible for the worksite. 

The scope of the internship shall be 125-150 hours, divided between working in the workplace and writing a report. 

Before starting work in the field, the student compiles a reading list in consultation with the supervisor/supervisory teacher about the type of activity that the student intends to become involved with and the field itself. The student submits a draft summary of reading material before the internship begins. At the end of the participation in the worksite, the student writes a report on the internship where the activities are described and analysed.

In order to get credits evaluated for the internship, the student must hand in:

1. A letter from a supervisor, which includes a confirmation that the internship has lasted for at least 4 months along with a short statement about the student and his tasks.
2. A statement that includes: 
   1. A description of the main tasks conducted during the internship periods,
   2. Weekly reports based on the student's journal entries,
   3. A description of how the internship is useful for his/her study programme.
   4. Tasks where a specific part of the work is examined and put into a theoretical perspective.

One of the main purposes of Icelandic museums is to preserve the country's cultural and natural heritage for future generations. Furthermore, to encourage increased knowledge of this heritage and understanding of its connections to the outside world. According to Icelandic museum laws, museums are expected to "enhance people's quality of life" by fostering an understanding of the development and status of culture, art, nature, and/or science. Therefore, museums and museum education can impact society, groups, and individuals. Museology plays a key role in this context and is the main subject of this course.

Students will be introduced to theoretical approaches aimed at supporting diverse and impactful educational practices related to archaeology, art, natural sciences, cultural heritage, and other museum subjects. Attention will be given to the different target audiences of museum education, the role of visitors within museums, spatial considerations, text production, multimedia, interactivity, and more.

This is a distance-learning course divided into three modules. Each module includes short lectures by the instructor reflecting on the course material, guest lectures (delivered digitally), and supplementary materials. Over the semester, three in-person and/or Zoom sessions will be held, where students will receive lectures from museum professionals and work on an educational project in collaboration with a museum in Reykjavík. The project will be developed based on students’ academic interests, under the supervision of the instructor and with support from museum staff.

The reading material be based on on essential theoretical works as well as recent research. The history of the field will be critically examined in light of trends at the beginning of the 21^st century. 

Work format

Teaching will take the form of lectures and discussions.

What is cultural heritage and what purpose does it serve? Why does it always seem to be endangered? How does it tie together the past and the present? What's it got to do with the nation and the state? Historical consciousness? Globalization? Capitalism? Politics? The course will seek to answer these questions with reference to new research in folklore, ethnology, anthropology, art history, sociology, museology, history and archaeology and with a view to understanding what is going on in this expanding field of study.

This course covers a detailed overview of theories in criminology and sociology of deviance. Students will read empirical research testing these theories in Iceland and elsewhere.

Different types of crimes and topics will be discussed in criminological/sociological light, such as gender and crime, immigration and crime.

Emphasis is placed on linking theoretical discussion with empirical research.

The course reviews cultural studies on the whole and focuses on its value as a radical form of social and cultural criticism. Texts of key authors from the 19th Century and until recent years are discussed with the very concept of culture as a central issue and the question of its meaning for critical reflexion on society, history and contemporaneity. The interpellation of cultural criticism and the study of culture is scrutinized and the way in which this relationship is central for cultural studies. This conflict, which can be felt in older and recent texts has for the last decades been a fertile ground for the humanities in general and characterizes their connection to cultural politics. Concepts such as ideology, power, hegemony, gender and discourse play a central role in the discussion.

The reading material be based on on essential theoretical works as well as recent research. The history of the field will be critically examined in light of trends at the beginning of the 21^st century. 

Work format

Teaching will take the form of lectures and discussions.

Relations between humans and animals are the focus of this course, which will be approached from both an academic and an artistic standpoint. Students will complete independent projects on an animal of their choice and attend field trips in nature and museums. The lectures will focus on diverse animals, such as polar bears, whales, great auks and puffins and recent scholarship on them. We will dig into visual and material representations of these, and other, animals in varied cultural contexts, including medieval literature, folktales, oral tradition, film, news reports, material culture and tourism. Consideration will be given to the idea of an “afterlife” of animals in the form of artworks, museum artefacts and souvenirs. We will examine artefacts in both private and public collections and pose the questions of what happens when a living animal is turned into a museum object, and how the meaning that we bestow upon an animal can be subject to development and change under different circumstances. The role of animals in the creation of knowledge and formation of discourse surrounding climate change and issues of the Arctic regions will also be addressed, in addition to animals’ connections to specific places and cultural groups and their role in identity formations of past and present. An attempt will be made to step outside of “traditional” dualism in which an emphasis is placed on distinctions between humans and animals as we acquaint ourselves with the ways in which human/animal (ecological, social and cultural) habitats are intertwined.

Aim

The aim is to explore urgent questions and topical issues regarding human/animal co-existence, climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental sustainability. We will consider how artists, researchers, activists and museums have been engaging with these questions and how they can further contribute to the discussion. We will examine how diverse museums convey their ideas and information on human/animal relations through their collections. Students will be encouraged to critically engage with visual material, objects and texts, both online and through visits to museums and exhibitions. 

One of the main purposes of Icelandic museums is to preserve the country's cultural and natural heritage for future generations. Furthermore, to encourage increased knowledge of this heritage and understanding of its connections to the outside world. According to Icelandic museum laws, museums are expected to "enhance people's quality of life" by fostering an understanding of the development and status of culture, art, nature, and/or science. Therefore, museums and museum education can impact society, groups, and individuals. Museology plays a key role in this context and is the main subject of this course.

Students will be introduced to theoretical approaches aimed at supporting diverse and impactful educational practices related to archaeology, art, natural sciences, cultural heritage, and other museum subjects. Attention will be given to the different target audiences of museum education, the role of visitors within museums, spatial considerations, text production, multimedia, interactivity, and more.

This is a distance-learning course divided into three modules. Each module includes short lectures by the instructor reflecting on the course material, guest lectures (delivered digitally), and supplementary materials. Over the semester, three in-person and/or Zoom sessions will be held, where students will receive lectures from museum professionals and work on an educational project in collaboration with a museum in Reykjavík. The project will be developed based on students’ academic interests, under the supervision of the instructor and with support from museum staff.

This course introduces students to the theoretical foundations of managing cultural institutions, such as museums, and government cultural administration with the aim of providing an insight into important cultural work in society. Culture is discussed in a historical context, along with state and city government cultural policies, the legal framework of cultural activities and policy making. The role and unique status of cultural government and museums will be discussed as well as the organizational framework of the state and regions. Students will also be introduced to project and institutional management, the importance of professional governance of project management, financial management and human resource management. The above will be discussed within the framework of Iceland, the Nordic region and globally, and in relation to democracy and public accessibility to cultural heritage

Taught in August 2022

An investigation into the role of apparel in the formation of cultural boundaries and national identity in Iceland during the long 19th century (c.1790-1920). Clothing-practices, male and female, are considered in terms of defining a visible Icelandic identity in response to international fashions and style-trends. Special emphasis is placed on female costume. Theories on the development of cultural boundaries are introduced, as well as an approach toward investigating and interpreting primary sources in a cultural investigation. Travelogues and correspondences as well as historical journals and newspapers will be looked at to consider the dialogue across –and the development of— cultural boundaries in the conscious establishment of a national identity. Students will utilize the sources presented in a final written exam to illustrate evaluate and explain the effect and use of apparel by groups and individuals in the formation and establishment of cultural boundaries.

Instructor:  Dr. Karl Aspelund, Associate Professor, University of Rhode Island.

This course covers a detailed overview of theories in criminology and sociology of deviance. Students will read empirical research testing these theories in Iceland and elsewhere.

Different types of crimes and topics will be discussed in criminological/sociological light, such as gender and crime, immigration and crime.

Emphasis is placed on linking theoretical discussion with empirical research.

Our daily life may seem boringly traditional and predictable. Social psychology shows that it is an exciting and multifaceted phenomenon resting on a complicated interplay of individual factors and social structures. In this course we will use theories and findings by social psychologists to shed light on what is behind the glitter of the obvious. We will go from what is public to the aspects that we conceal and hide, study what advertisers, salespeople and influencers do to bend us and turn and look at the degree to which variables like gender, class and ethnicity influence and control what we see, how we see and how we respond to the stimulus of everyday life.

Students will work on diverse small assignments connected to the main thrust of the course, individually or in groups. Even though social psychology relies on both qualitative and quantitative methods the emphasis in the assignments will be on qualitative methods such as visual analysis, conversation analysis and participatory observations.

Course Description

What can the making of the old Icelandic dairy product “skyr” tell us about how Icelandic society has developed for more than a thousand years? How does the microbiome affect health? How do we dispose of waste in an environmentally friendly way within an urban context and what silent majority of earthlings makes it happen? Microbial communities have shaped the earth and its inhabitants for eons, from the dawn of life on earth. To better understand and deal with the environmental, health, and social challenges of the 21st century, we need to better understand these first organisms and the symbiosis between them and other species, including humans. Recent studies reveal that more than half of the cells in our bodies belong to a variety of microbial species. Does that mean humans are microbes, or “merely” that our relationship with microbes is the strongest and most intimate relationship we have with others? The course invites students to explore the symbiotic practices of microbes and humans from various angles, from microbiology and ethnology, food and nutrition sciences and anthropology. Special attention will be given to the role of microbes in developing and preserving food in human societies, as well as their role in digestion, and how these roles are connected to human mental and physical health. The course also explores how microbes sustain vital nutrient cycles and their ability to transform garbage and waste into healthy soil.

The course works with the concept of „One Health“ which has been in development for the past couple of decades. One Health is a transdisciplinary and collaborative paradigm that recognizes the shared environment and interconnection between people, animals, plants and microbes. The approach promotes health and wellbeing for humans, animals and the environment, emphasizing coordination, communication, and joint efforts across disciplines. The topic will be explored through different examples of microbial-human relations such as how microbes affect the taste of food  and its composition, how diets affect gut microbiota, the role of fermentation in shaping microbial-human relations and how urban waste management disrupts nutrition cycles in the human environment. 

In this course students develop a deeper understanding of the relationship between environmental science and financial markets. Students learn current methods for structuring green and sustainable finance frameworks, issuance process, certification. This course covers main methods and concepts related to impact reports. Students learn how sustainable finance frameworks are used in practice after issuance within financial institutions. This course covers ESG risk assessments, main methods and practical use in the investment process and portfolio structuring. This course covers main indicators reported by financial institutions regarding their loan and investment portfolios, i.e., GAR (green asset ratio) and BTAR (book taxonomy aligned ratio). This course covers different types of climate risks as defined by the TCFD (Task force on climate related financial disclosures). Students learn about responsible and impact investment methodologies and the goals investors seek using such methodologies. This course covers the legal requirements regarding disclosures, in particular the EU Taxonomy and related regulations. Students learn about financed emissions using the PCAF methodology (Partnership for carbon accounting financials). This course will also cover the relationship between the insurance sector and sustainability.

The course will address critical questions related to the interaction between practice and theory in museum work. Numerous examples from the practical work of art museums, natural history museums and cultural museums will be examined in this context, and the course is therefore suitable for students from more disciplines than museology, such as archaeology, art history, cultural studies, disability studies, anthropology, ethnography, sociology and other disciplines. The history of museums will be examined with a critical mindset and attention will be paid to trends and policies in the profession at the beginning of the 21st century. Museums are particularly viewed as public institutions, but as such they have many and growing roles to play for communities, the quality of life of people and groups, education, research and transnational relations, to name a few. The course will cover questions like the application of theory in museum work, ethics, censorship, globalization, indigenous peoples, the impact of digital culture, religion, immigrants and inclusion, to name a few. The course is taught exclusively via distance learning and assessment is based on projects completed over the semester. The course is taught in the beginning of October and ends at the end of November.

The course will address questions related to the interaction between practice and theory in museum work. Numerous examples from the practical work of art museums, natural history museums and cultural heritage museums will be examined in this context. The course is therefore suitable for students from more disciplines than museology, such as archaeology, art history, cultural studies, disability studies, anthropology, ethnography, sociology and other disciplines. It will consider how both practice and theory have shaped museum institutions and their activities. The course will cover, among other things, the practice and theory of collecting, preservation, classification and registration, exhibition design, visitors, marketing and the social impact of museums. The course is taught exclusively via distance learning and assessment is based on a variety of projects completed during the course. The course is taught at the beginning of the fall and ends at the end of September.

Human mobility and multicultural societies are often seen as the main characteristics of the contemporary world. In the course, we look at main theories approaching mobility and multicultural society, critically addressing them and analyzing their utility. The concept of multiculturalism and related concepts such as culture, assimilation and integration are critically evaluated, as well as mobility in the past and the relationship between mobility and multiculturalism. Different approaches in the social sciences are introduced and main research themes in anthropology in particular and social sciences in general will be examined.

The teaching methods are lectures and discussions.

The 21st century is increasingly characterized by growing discontent and xenophobia, fueled by a pervasive sense of an uncertain and threatened future. This perception of an apocalyptic or dystopian future is intertwined with a strong demand for reconciliation with the injustices and violence of the past. These tensions highlight the need to critically examine how history, memory, and power shape contemporary crises and the futures that are often envisioned in the present. This class examines the crises and visions of the future that characterize the 21st century while also reflecting on recent efforts to confront and reconcile with the past. Through recent scholarly writings, we explore how crises are experienced and how the future is both imagined and contested in the present. In doing so, we consider ruins of the past provide ways for understanding today’s challenges. One aspect of the course involves engaging with decolonial perspectives. Decolonization, in this context, is not only a political process of undoing colonial systems but also an intellectual and cultural effort to challenge the enduring legacies of colonialism in shaping global inequalities, epistemologies, and imaginaries of the future. By interrogating how colonial histories continue to manifest in modern crises—such as environmental destruction, economic disparity, and systemic racism—we seek to understand if decolonial approaches seek to offer pathways toward more equitable futures. What is the source of anxiety in the present? How do the ruins of colonial pasts inform present crises? Do critical theories provide alternatives to the dystopian trajectories often predicted for our world? How does the concept of polycrisis—interconnected crises spanning ecological, economic, and social domains—help us make sense of our collective experiences in the 21st century? By grappling with these questions, this course invites students to critically examine the intersections of crisis, memory, and future-making, offering tools to navigate and reimagine the complexities of the present.

The societal role of museums will be discussed from several angles: economic, political, cultural, social and last but not least in an international context. Examples of topics that will be discussed in the course are the role of museums in building the concept of the nation; the legal environment of museums; how museums are run; the status and role of the main museums; museums owned and run by local authorities and other museums; the financing of museums, and the policies of authorities regarding museums. Both national and foreign examples will be taken. 

Work format

Teaching will take the form of lectures and discussions.

An examination will be made of the religious beliefs and practices of people in Scandinavia from the earliest of times until the conversion, material ranging from burial practices to rock carvings, to the written evidence given in the works of Tacitus, Adam of Bremen and Saxo Grammaticus, as well as in early Icelandic works like the Eddic poems and the Kings' sagas. Alongside this discussion of the development and key features of Old Norse religion, some attention will be paid to the concepts of seid and shamanism, especially in connection to their role in early religions. Finally, an examination will be made of the conversion of Scandinavia and how Christian concepts and practices both fitted and contrasted with the previously dominant Old Norse worldview.

Teaching format

• The teaching takes place in the form of lectures and discussion on the material of the lectures.

The course focuses on fashion as a manifestation of material culture resulting from the behavior of individuals in society. Students investigate theories on fashion in industrialized market-economies, while considering various theories in philosophy, sociology, ethnology and anthropology. Concepts of influential factors in the development of apparel fashions will be critically reviewed and analyzed with a view toward students’ local community. The relationship of fashion development to different demographics, specifically in terms of gender, class, sexuality, age, and other significant demographics of social differentiation will be especially noted. An investigation into the “spirit of our time” (the “Zeitgeist”), and a field-study on the fashions of specific groups or locations will be conducted. These lead to a consideration of findings in the light of the theories presented. The investigations and discussions all lead to a final project resulting in a definition and analysis of the development and nature of current fashions as well as a formal forecast of future fashions and fashion–culture.

‘Violence’ is a common term of everyday life, yet it is not an easy concept to define or understand. The purpose of this course is to explore the manifold manifestations of violence from anthropological perspectives. The anthropologists Nancy Scheper-Hughes and Philippe Bourgois (2004) argue that violence “can be everything and nothing; legitimate and illegitimate; visible or invisible; necessary or useless; senseless and gratuitous or utterly rational and strategic.” The emphasis of the course is the cultural contexts in which violence occurs and gives it meaning. The focus of the course is the violence of everyday life and its varied manifestations beyond just the physical to consider other forms, such as structural, verbal, textual and representational manifestations of violence. The course will consider theoretical conceptualizations of violence, but also ethical and practical matters of confronting violence in ethnographic research.

This course focuses on arts and artistic methods and their role as a subject of anthropological inquiry, anthropological method and form of knowledge dissemination. Firstly, it considers different forms of artistic expression (literature, film, performance) as analytical lens that helps anthropologists to read into contemporary society. Secondly, it explores how artistic and creative practice can contribute to anthropological research and ways of doing ethnography. Finally, it examines how different artistic forms can be used to communicate research findings beyond conventional academic writing.

The course deals with interconnections between political radicalism, culture, tradition and power. We will focus on contemporary representations of dissent in particular, look at the discourse of democracy and cultural difference, reactions to and criticism of protest in the Western political tradition and dissent in more repressive political systems. The role of intellectuals and writers will be explored as well as the function of artistic expression and design in transforming cultural and social environments. We will also discuss media and social media discourse in connection with an attempt to understand the various and sometimes contradictory objectives of public institutions. A few points of conflict will be discussed that to some extent expose fundamental conflicts in liberal democratic societies such as questions about the wisdom and ignorance of publics, reactions to climate change, inequality and extreme poverty. Finally corruption and power will be discussed as well as social and cultural expression, the possibilities and limitations of freedom of speech, the use and abuse of information, disinformation, secrecy, fake and “fake news”.

The course focuses on stereotypes and prejudice as manifestations of Othering processes and racism, by using the lens of critical race theories and postcolonial perspectives. The course emphasizes the interlinking of past and present discourses and images about those categorized as Others and how Othering takes place. For this purpose, it analyses colonial imaginaries and of the historical connection of orientalism with key concepts such as culture, identity, and development. It thus highlights the connection between older colonial discourses, nationalism, and contemporary imageries that target marginalized groups, with a specific focus on the European context.  

The course asks how discourses shape bodies and identities of specific groups or categories of people, as well as the social and physical spaces they inhabit. The course also addresses the issue of agency and strategies of resistance against Othering processes and racism, and explores the delicate role that anthropological knowledge, and social theory more in general, plays in this scenario.  

 The course will be taught in English. 

According to the United Nation’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs, slightly over half of the world’s population lives in urban areas. This is projected to be 66% percent by the year 2050, with Africa and Asia accounting for 90% of this new urban growth. Urban anthropology has increasingly played a critically important role in the development of the discipline of anthropology in terms of theory, research methods and social justice movements. This course provides an historical overview of the development of urban anthropology and on through to recent developments. An emphasis will be placed on anthropological theory and research methods, but also issues such as social justice, architecture, design and urban planning. The course will cover, among others, the early Chicago ethnographers and early urban poverty research, utopian and modernist urban planning, power and built form, divisions and gated communities, crime and urban fear, urban homelessness, and the governance of built spaces. The course will conclude with a section on cities in transition, which includes a focus on the post-industrial/global city, the effects of neoliberalism on urban spaces, and a discussion of the possible future(s) of urbanism and the role of anthropology in understanding these developments.

Students must have completed 120 ECTS in their BA study before attending this course

Over the past years, public discussion on how to address cases of sexual violence has been heated, particularly in the aftermath of the #MeToo Movement. Research shows that only a small percentage of such cases are reported to the police and only a small number of those cases lead to a conviction. This has been called a justice gap. Increasingly, we see victim-survivors of sexual violence tell their stories on social media, or in the media, and in some cases alleged offenders are named publicly which has evoked different responses amongst the public and had various consequences.

In this course, these societal developments will be explored from the perspective of sociology of law. Sociology of law uses theories and methods from the social sciences to examine the law, legal institutions, and legal behaviours, in the effort to analyse legal phenomena in their social, cultural, and historical contexts. To shed further light on the treatment of sexual violence cases, this course will also include readings from criminology, victimology, gender studies and the health sciences.

The course will seek answers to the following questions and more: Who commits sexual violence and why? How are men’s experiences of being subjected to sexual violence different from women’s experiences? Why is the legal status and rights of defendants different from that of victims? How is law in the books different from law in practice? How has the criminal justice system developed historically? What characterises legal education and the legal profession? What is the difference between legal consciousness and legal culture? How does legal justice differ from social justice? What are the advantages and disadvantages to non-traditional justice systems in comparison to traditional justice systems?

This course engages with museum and heritage ecologies and entanglements of nature and culture. The course draws on posthuman and new materialist theories to examine entanglements and human/non-human agencies in relation to heritage ecologies and museums in the present. Particular attention is payed to heritage as a dynamic human/non-human construct that encourages connections and change. To this end, the course draws on lcelandic cases and research led teaching.

Vocational training in global studies and anthropology aims to provide students with increased skills through vocational training and to strengthen their connections with the labour market. This is a practical course that provides insight into the activities of institutions, non-governmental organizations, companies and other parties in-line with the aims of the course.

An agreement is made between the study program in anthropology and the relevant field of work. Students can make suggestions for a field of work or receive suggestions from the study program about a suitable field for internships. Subjects should be related to different aspects of anthropology and global science (electives: migration and multiculturalism, global health and development studies). For example, there could be one or two more important projects as well as various incidental projects. It is desirable that the student becomes acquainted with as many areas of work as possible in his / her field of work. The study program does not pay wages for the working hours, but the course is eligible for credits.

The student must contact the study program before the internship begins and have the plan approved. A special agreement is made with the person responsible for the worksite. 

The scope of the internship shall be 125-150 hours divided between while working in the workplace and writing a report. 

Before starting work in the field, the student compiles a reading list in consultation with the supervisor/supervisory teacher about the type of activity that the student intends to become involved with and the field itself. The student submits a draft summary of reading material before the internship begins. At the end of the participation in the worksite, the student writes a report on the internship where the activities are described and analysed.

In order to get credits evaluated for the internship, the student must hand in:

1. A letter from a supervisor, which includes a confirmation that the internship has lasted for at least 4 months along with a short stutta statement about the student and his tasks.
2. A statement that includes: 
   1. A descrption of the main tasks conducted during the internship periods,
   2. Weekly reports based on the student's journal entries,
   3. A description how the internhsip is useful for his/her study programme.
   4. tasks where a specific part of the work is examined and put into a theoretical perspective.

Vocational training in global studies and anthropology aims to provide students with increased skills through vocational training and to strengthen their connections with the labour market. This is a practical course that provides insight into the activities of institutions, non-governmental organizations, companies and other parties in-line with the aims of the course.

An agreement is made between the study program in anthropology and the relevant field of work. Students can make suggestions for a field of work or receive suggestions from the study program about a suitable field for internships. Subjects should be related to different aspects of anthropology and global science (electives: migration and multiculturalism, global health and development studies). For example, there could be one or two more important projects as well as various incidental projects. It is desirable that the student becomes acquainted with as many areas of work as possible in his / her field of work. The study program does not pay wages for the working hours, but the course is eligible for credits.

The student must contact the study program before the internship begins and have the plan approved. A special agreement is made with the person responsible for the worksite. 

The scope of the internship shall be 250-300 hours divided between while working in the workplace and writing a report.. 

Before starting work in the field, the student compiles a reading list in consultation with the supervisor/supervisory teacher about the type of activity that the student intends to become involved with and the field itself. The student submits a draft summary of reading material before the internship begins. At the end of the participation in the worksite, the student writes a report on the internship where the activities are described and analysed.

In order to get credits evaluated for the internship, the student must hand in:

1. A letter from a supervisor, which includes a confirmation that the internship has lasted for at least 4 months along with a short stutta statement about the student and his tasks.
2. A statement that includes: 
   1. A descrption of the main tasks conducted during the internship periods,
   2. Weekly reports based on the student's journal entries,
   3. A description how the internhsip is useful for his/her study programme.
   4. The length of the report should be between 2,000–3,000 words and be based on a concise academic discussion that draws on peer-reviewed sources in scholarly publications.

The field of Folklore, emerging out of the phenomena collectively referred to as  Modernity, has a complicated and problematic relationship with gender, both in the material that circulates and the subsequent academic treatment of that material. This seminar combines theoretical perspectives from Gender Studies and Folkloristics to better understand the interconnectedness of popular cultural forms, analyses, and the operations of power, specifically gender relations. Beginning with a feminist critique of Folkloristics from within (a historical reference point), we will examine more recent work on the relationship between gender and genre, between the empowering acts of ordinary rituals (so-called women‘s genres), and how the old, debunked Nature/Culture divide, in which women‘s genres were debased and denigrated, may, looked at from a different perspective, suggest alternate approaches to some contemporary global issues.

Teacher of the course: JoAnn Conrad

The course focuses on a number of key areas of Icelandic society and culture from an anthropological perspective. The course will build upon a set of themes that have a long tradition within the anthropology of Iceland, but a particular emphasis will be placed upon the contemporary context and emergent issues that are confronting Icelandic society.  The instruction will be in English in order to make the course accessible to non-Icelandic speaking students, but also to strengthen the English academic writing skills of non-native speakers of English.

An examination will be made of the religious beliefs and practices of people in Scandinavia from the earliest of times until the conversion, material ranging from burial practices to rock carvings, to the written evidence given in the works of Tacitus, Adam of Bremen and Saxo Grammaticus, as well as in early Icelandic works like the Eddic poems and the Kings' sagas. Alongside this discussion of the development and key features of Old Norse religion, some attention will be paid to the concepts of seid and shamanism, especially in connection to their role in early religions. Finally, an examination will be made of the conversion of Scandinavia and how Christian concepts and practices both fitted and contrasted with the previously dominant Old Norse worldview.

Teaching format

• The teaching takes place in the form of lectures and discussion on the material of the lectures.

Curating is a fast growing discipline within various types of museums, like art museums, natural history museums and cultural history museums. In this course different approches to curating, exhibition making and exhibition design in such museums will be examined from critical perspectives, with emphasis on management, different narrative strategies, scripting and mediation. Past and present exhibitions of art museums, natural history museums and cultural history museums, in Iceland and abroad, will be critically addressed and analyzed.

Everybody need to eat; food connects nature to culture, culture to industry, the public to the private, the local to the global, the home to the workplace, the past to the present and one person to another in relationships that organize and transcend the axes of class, gender, ethnicity, race and age. The study of food demonstrates that food is always laden with meaning that exceeds its nutritional value and that this meaning is central to understanding the relationship between food and people, one of the more important relationships we have with the world. Food habits thus reveal our views, values and aestethics, and food shapes our existence, bodies, memories, society, economy and ethics.

In the course we will explore what people eat, how, when, with whom and why. Doing so provides us with valuable insights regarding gender and generations, food safety and health, sustainability and human rights, class and cultural diversity, sense and sensibility, technology and food production, food and diet trends, food traditions and cultural heritage, emotions and microbes, friendship and family dynamics.

In the course we explore the relationship between food production and consumption in the 21st century with specific emphasis on public health, ethical consumption and sustainability.

Food and culture is an interdisciplinary course taught in cooperation between the Department of Folkloristics/Ethnology and Museum Studies and the Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition.

What is criminology? Criminological data and what criminologists do.

Crime definitions and how crime can be explained and understood. Examples of different theoretical perspectives will be covered in class: Classical Criminology and Social & Psychological Theories. What kind of criminological research and research questions are used with different theories? 

Using this theoretical background, a number of crime types and topics within Icelandic criminology will be presented and discussed in class, including the following: Physical and sexual violence, alcohol and drugs in society, crime and punishment, public attitudes to crime and punishment, and social crisis and crime. 

Students keep a journal about the lecture topics and the readings covered in class, evaluate the material, and draw their own conclusions. Final exam on-site.

The societal role of museums will be discussed from several angles: economic, political, cultural, social and last but not least in an international context. Examples of topics that will be discussed in the course are the role of museums in building the concept of the nation; the legal environment of museums; how museums are run; the status and role of the main museums; museums owned and run by local authorities and other museums; the financing of museums, and the policies of authorities regarding museums. Both national and foreign examples will be taken. 

Work format

Teaching will take the form of lectures and discussions.

The objective of this course is to gain methodological knowledge, understanding and practical skills to analyze images and visual data (photographs, films, drawings, advertisements, online media, etc.). We will discuss various methods of analysis of the visual content, consider visual databases and how to work with them. Students receive practical training in visual methodological studies and how to evaluate them. The course is based on practical assignments, where students prepare and design research proposals, collect data and how to analyze. The course is interdisciplinary and is suitable for students of humanities and social sciences, and other related fields.

What is cultural heritage and what purpose does it serve? Why does it always seem to be endangered? How does it tie together the past and the present? What's it got to do with the nation and the state? Historical consciousness? Globalization? Capitalism? Politics? The course will seek to answer these questions with reference to new research in folklore, ethnology, anthropology, art history, sociology, museology, history and archaeology and with a view to understanding what is going on in this expanding field of study.

This course delves into the multifaceted relationship between museums and the societies they serve. It aims to explore how museums are not only custodians of cultural heritage but also active participants in shaping cultural narratives and communal identities. By examining historical contexts, theoretical frameworks, and practical case studies, students will gain insight into the influential role that museums play in reflecting and sometimes challenging societal values. The course will cover topics such as museums as agents of social change, the importance of inclusivity and accessibility, and the impact of digital technology on community engagement. Through discussions, case studies, and hands-on projects, students will explore how museums can effectively engage with diverse audiences and contribute to a more equitable society. By the end of the course, students will have developed a nuanced understanding of how museums can evolve in response to the dynamic needs and values of the communities they serve.

This course critically examines the impact of contemporary social issues on museums and their practices. It seeks to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of how museums are confronted with, and often strive to address, various societal challenges, including diversity, equity, inclusion, social justice, and sustainability. Throughout the course, students will explore social issues within the museum context and analyze real-world examples of museums that actively engage with these topics. Key themes will include the role of museums as advocates for marginalized communities, the importance of community collaboration and co-creation, and strategies for addressing climate change within museum practices. The course is taught from the end of February to the end of March.

In this course students develop skills to estimate corporate greenhouse gas emissions. Students will understand main methods when estimating the emissions, how external data is obtained and used and which platforms are available for corporate disclosures such as the CDP, Nasdaq and GRI. Students will furthermore learn the implications of scopes, the use of life-cycle assessments, which indicators are material, how those indicators are selected and how carbon offset programs work in relation to corporate emissions. The Greenhouse Gas Protocol is a foundation in this course, as the guidance serves as a key tool for multiples disclosure platforms. Upon completion, students can independently estimate the greenhouse gas emission from corporations through the supply chain and present the information in a standard format, using a relevant disclosure platform. Students will furthermore understand current methodological developments in greenhouse gas emission accounting, particularly in relation to financial market participants. Students will furthermore understand how the information generated is used externally, for example by rating agencies conducting ESG risk assessments. 

This is an intensive course with the active participation of students. It is taught over 14 weeks. The course takes as its starting point the idea that although governments and nonprofits are crucial to modern society, businesses are largely responsible for creating the wealth upon which the well-being of society depends, while also being a part of the problems created. As they create that wealth, their actions affect society, which is composed of a wide variety of stakeholders, and the natural environment. In turn, society shapes the rules and expectations by which businesses must navigate their internal and external environments. These include the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, i.e., Goals 1-5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 16, the Paris Agreement, the UN Global Compact, the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), the Global Reporting Initiative, and more. This interaction between corporations, society (in its broadest sense) and the natural environment is the concern of corporate social responsibility (CSR), but the issues need to be addressed from a strategic point of view. 

Regardless of one’s viewpoint about the interaction of business and society, the continued co-existence of for-profit organizations is essential. This course seeks to explore the dimensions of that interaction from a multi-stakeholder perspective. That exploration is intended to be interactive, with the journey of exploration involving an analysis of CSR-related issues, simulation, and case studies.

The course is organized into six broad sections. In the first section, we will explore what corporate social responsibility (CSR) means and the driving forces of CSR. The second section focuses on the stakeholder perspective, and in the third section, we study the legal perspective. In the fourth section, we will explore the behavioral perspective, in the fifth section the strategic perspective and in the sixth section the focus will be on the sustainable perspective and sustainable value creation.   

The course covers recent writings and currents of thought that mark, or are likely to mark, turning points in social and cultural theory. Particular care will be taken to situate theories in their historical and social contexts. Attendance to weekly 40 min. discussion classes throughout the course is compulsory. Distance learning students attend in person or via the Internet (with Zoom).

In the course we examine the field methods and train students in their application. The focus is on ethical issues, research design, the fieldwork setting, participant observation, different kinds of interviews, use of visual material and the analysis of data and presentation of research results.

The aim of the seminar is to aid students who are writing their thesis. We will discuss how to approach a final thesis and the students will have the opportunity to discuss their research issues. This seminar creates a forum for master students to discuss their research projects and receive support, encouragement and feedback in the work process. The seminar will be flexible to meet the needs of the group of students attending at each time.

In the seminar each student works or their own project and the teaching method is built on a “shut up and write!” ideology. The instructor has a short introduction in each meeting followed by some productive writing of the students in a supportive environment.   In the second part of the seminar each student will present and discuss their project for about 20 minutes.

Note that this course is only taught in the spring semester and is intended both for students that enroll in the MA thesis course in the spring semester or the following fall semester.

Taught every other week.

Einkunn: Staðið/Fall

The student works on a written project or a literature review on a specific area related to the research topic of the master thesis. The student contacts the supervisor, who will guide the student regarding this reading course.

The student works on a written project or a literature review on a specific area related to the research topic of the master thesis. The student contacts the supervisor, who will guide the student regarding this reading course.

MA thesis

MA thesis

MA thesis

In this course, students work as mentors for participants at the upper‑secondary and university levels in the project Sprettur. Mentors play an essential role in supporting and encouraging other students in their studies and social life. Their role is to build constructive relationships with participants, act as positive role models, and take part in joint activities organised within Sprettur. Mentorship is based on relationship‑building and regular meetings and involves a commitment to the students the mentor supports. 

Sprettur is a support project for students with a foreign background who seek additional support to improve their academic performance and participation in the university community. Students in the course work as mentors and are paired with participants based on shared interests. Mentors also work together in groups and in consultation with teachers and project coordinators. 

Students may choose to enrol in the course in the autumn semester, spring semester, or distribute the workload across both semesters (the full academic year). The course structure accommodates this choice, but all academic requirements remain the same. Mentors plan regular meetings with Sprettur participants and typically spend three hours per month with participants, three hours per month in homework groups, and attend a total of five seminars. 

Students submit journal entries on Canvas and design and deliver a learning experience for the participants in Sprettur. Journal entries are based on readings and critical reflections on the mentorship role and on personal experience in the project. The course is taught in Icelandic and English. 

Upon completing the course and meeting all requirements, students receive 5 ECTS credits and an official certificate of participation and completion of the project. 

Students fill out an electronic application form, and the supervising teacher contacts applicants. 

More information about Sprettur can be found here: www.hi.is/sprettur 

The course focuses on anthropological research on nature and the environment, as well as ideas from other human and social sciences, on the relationship between people and their environment. Various basic terms and theories central to environmental anthropology and related fields will be introduced and discussed.

The course explores several attempts to throw light on the emergence and characteristics of various cultural and social institutions and practices by reference to ecological systems and material relations as their foundation. It will also address critique of such attempts. 

A particular emphasis will be placed on changing views on the environment that have emerged in recent years, including ideas of resource extraction and management and several forms of environmentalisms.

Last but not least the many interactions of climate change causes and effects and societies will be explored as they are materialising all over the globe. Climate, climate change and society and culture, and their mutual influences, will also be investigated as a historical theoretical issue, from various points of view.

Several ethnographic examples of human-environment interaction will be examined throughout the course.

The course focuses on anthropological research on nature and the environment, as well as ideas from other human and social sciences, on the relationship between people and their environment. Various basic terms and theories central to environmental anthropology and related fields will be introduced and discussed.

The course explores several attempts to throw light on the emergence and characteristics of various cultural and social institutions and practices by reference to ecological systems and material relations as their foundation. It will also address critique of such attempts. 

A particular emphasis will be placed on changing views on the environment that have emerged in recent years, including ideas of resource extraction and management and several forms of environmentalisms.

Last but not least the many interactions of climate change causes and effects and societies will be explored as they are materialising all over the globe. Climate, climate change and society and culture, and their mutual influences, will also be investigated as a historical theoretical issue, from various points of view.

Several ethnographic examples of human-environment interaction will be examined throughout the course.

New theories and studies on globalization and global processes are presented in the class. The course aims at giving a general overview of important themes related to globalization processes. Studies that shed light on the diverse economic, social and political aspects of global processes are furthermore examined. A critical examination of main concepts is an important aspect of the course but studies that show how people are agents/victims in globalized world are also presented.

The teaching consists of lecture and class discussions. 

 The course is taught in English.

Vocational training in global studies and anthropology aims to provide students with increased skills through vocational training and to strengthen their connections with the labour market. This is a practical course that provides insight into the activities of institutions, non-governmental organizations, companies and other parties in-line with the aims of the course.

An agreement is made between the study program in anthropology and the relevant field of work. Students can make suggestions for a field of work or receive suggestions from the study program about a suitable field for internships. Subjects should be related to different aspects of anthropology and global science (electives: migration and multiculturalism, global health and development studies). For example, there could be one or two more important projects as well as various incidental projects. It is desirable that the student becomes acquainted with as many areas of work as possible in his / her field of work. The study program does not pay wages for the working hours, but the course is eligible for credits.

The student must contact the study program before the internship begins and have the plan approved. A special agreement is made with the person responsible for the worksite.

The scope of the internship shall be 250-300 hours divided between while working in the workplace and writing a report.

Before starting work in the field, the student compiles a reading list in consultation with the supervisor/supervisory teacher about the type of activity that the student intends to become involved with and the field itself. The student submits a draft summary of reading material before the internship begins. At the end of the participation in the worksite, the student writes a report on the internship where the activities are described and analysed.

In order to get credits evaluated for the internship, the student must hand in:

1. A letter from a supervisor, which includes a confirmation that the internship has lasted for at least 4 months, along with a short statement about the student and his tasks.
2. A statement that includes: 
   1. A description of the main tasks conducted during the internship period,
   2. Weekly reports based on the student's journal entries,
   3. A description of how the internship is useful for his/her study programme.
   4. The length of the report should be between 2,000–3,000 words and be based on a concise academic discussion that draws on peer-reviewed sources in scholarly publications.

Vocational training in global studies and anthropology aims to provide students with increased skills through vocational training and to strengthen their connections with the labour market. This is a practical course that provides insight into the activities of institutions, non-governmental organizations, companies and other parties in-line with the aims of the course.

An agreement is made between the study program in anthropology and the relevant field of work. Students can make suggestions for a field of work or receive suggestions from the study program about a suitable field for internships. Subjects should be related to different aspects of anthropology and global science (electives: migration and multiculturalism, global health and development studies). For example, there could be one or two more important projects as well as various incidental projects. It is desirable that the student becomes acquainted with as many areas of work as possible in his / her field of work. The study program does not pay wages for the working hours, but the course is eligible for credits.

The student must contact the study program before the internship begins and have the plan approved. A special agreement is made with the person responsible for the worksite. 

The scope of the internship shall be 125-150 hours, divided between working in the workplace and writing a report. 

Before starting work in the field, the student compiles a reading list in consultation with the supervisor/supervisory teacher about the type of activity that the student intends to become involved with and the field itself. The student submits a draft summary of reading material before the internship begins. At the end of the participation in the worksite, the student writes a report on the internship where the activities are described and analysed.

In order to get credits evaluated for the internship, the student must hand in:

1. A letter from a supervisor, which includes a confirmation that the internship has lasted for at least 4 months along with a short statement about the student and his tasks.
2. A statement that includes: 
   1. A description of the main tasks conducted during the internship periods,
   2. Weekly reports based on the student's journal entries,
   3. A description of how the internship is useful for his/her study programme.
   4. Tasks where a specific part of the work is examined and put into a theoretical perspective.

One of the main purposes of Icelandic museums is to preserve the country's cultural and natural heritage for future generations. Furthermore, to encourage increased knowledge of this heritage and understanding of its connections to the outside world. According to Icelandic museum laws, museums are expected to "enhance people's quality of life" by fostering an understanding of the development and status of culture, art, nature, and/or science. Therefore, museums and museum education can impact society, groups, and individuals. Museology plays a key role in this context and is the main subject of this course.

Students will be introduced to theoretical approaches aimed at supporting diverse and impactful educational practices related to archaeology, art, natural sciences, cultural heritage, and other museum subjects. Attention will be given to the different target audiences of museum education, the role of visitors within museums, spatial considerations, text production, multimedia, interactivity, and more.

This is a distance-learning course divided into three modules. Each module includes short lectures by the instructor reflecting on the course material, guest lectures (delivered digitally), and supplementary materials. Over the semester, three in-person and/or Zoom sessions will be held, where students will receive lectures from museum professionals and work on an educational project in collaboration with a museum in Reykjavík. The project will be developed based on students’ academic interests, under the supervision of the instructor and with support from museum staff.

The reading material be based on on essential theoretical works as well as recent research. The history of the field will be critically examined in light of trends at the beginning of the 21^st century. 

Work format

Teaching will take the form of lectures and discussions.

What is cultural heritage and what purpose does it serve? Why does it always seem to be endangered? How does it tie together the past and the present? What's it got to do with the nation and the state? Historical consciousness? Globalization? Capitalism? Politics? The course will seek to answer these questions with reference to new research in folklore, ethnology, anthropology, art history, sociology, museology, history and archaeology and with a view to understanding what is going on in this expanding field of study.

This course covers a detailed overview of theories in criminology and sociology of deviance. Students will read empirical research testing these theories in Iceland and elsewhere.

Different types of crimes and topics will be discussed in criminological/sociological light, such as gender and crime, immigration and crime.

Emphasis is placed on linking theoretical discussion with empirical research.

The course reviews cultural studies on the whole and focuses on its value as a radical form of social and cultural criticism. Texts of key authors from the 19th Century and until recent years are discussed with the very concept of culture as a central issue and the question of its meaning for critical reflexion on society, history and contemporaneity. The interpellation of cultural criticism and the study of culture is scrutinized and the way in which this relationship is central for cultural studies. This conflict, which can be felt in older and recent texts has for the last decades been a fertile ground for the humanities in general and characterizes their connection to cultural politics. Concepts such as ideology, power, hegemony, gender and discourse play a central role in the discussion.

The reading material be based on on essential theoretical works as well as recent research. The history of the field will be critically examined in light of trends at the beginning of the 21^st century. 

Work format

Teaching will take the form of lectures and discussions.

Relations between humans and animals are the focus of this course, which will be approached from both an academic and an artistic standpoint. Students will complete independent projects on an animal of their choice and attend field trips in nature and museums. The lectures will focus on diverse animals, such as polar bears, whales, great auks and puffins and recent scholarship on them. We will dig into visual and material representations of these, and other, animals in varied cultural contexts, including medieval literature, folktales, oral tradition, film, news reports, material culture and tourism. Consideration will be given to the idea of an “afterlife” of animals in the form of artworks, museum artefacts and souvenirs. We will examine artefacts in both private and public collections and pose the questions of what happens when a living animal is turned into a museum object, and how the meaning that we bestow upon an animal can be subject to development and change under different circumstances. The role of animals in the creation of knowledge and formation of discourse surrounding climate change and issues of the Arctic regions will also be addressed, in addition to animals’ connections to specific places and cultural groups and their role in identity formations of past and present. An attempt will be made to step outside of “traditional” dualism in which an emphasis is placed on distinctions between humans and animals as we acquaint ourselves with the ways in which human/animal (ecological, social and cultural) habitats are intertwined.

Aim

The aim is to explore urgent questions and topical issues regarding human/animal co-existence, climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental sustainability. We will consider how artists, researchers, activists and museums have been engaging with these questions and how they can further contribute to the discussion. We will examine how diverse museums convey their ideas and information on human/animal relations through their collections. Students will be encouraged to critically engage with visual material, objects and texts, both online and through visits to museums and exhibitions. 

One of the main purposes of Icelandic museums is to preserve the country's cultural and natural heritage for future generations. Furthermore, to encourage increased knowledge of this heritage and understanding of its connections to the outside world. According to Icelandic museum laws, museums are expected to "enhance people's quality of life" by fostering an understanding of the development and status of culture, art, nature, and/or science. Therefore, museums and museum education can impact society, groups, and individuals. Museology plays a key role in this context and is the main subject of this course.

Students will be introduced to theoretical approaches aimed at supporting diverse and impactful educational practices related to archaeology, art, natural sciences, cultural heritage, and other museum subjects. Attention will be given to the different target audiences of museum education, the role of visitors within museums, spatial considerations, text production, multimedia, interactivity, and more.

This is a distance-learning course divided into three modules. Each module includes short lectures by the instructor reflecting on the course material, guest lectures (delivered digitally), and supplementary materials. Over the semester, three in-person and/or Zoom sessions will be held, where students will receive lectures from museum professionals and work on an educational project in collaboration with a museum in Reykjavík. The project will be developed based on students’ academic interests, under the supervision of the instructor and with support from museum staff.

This course introduces students to the theoretical foundations of managing cultural institutions, such as museums, and government cultural administration with the aim of providing an insight into important cultural work in society. Culture is discussed in a historical context, along with state and city government cultural policies, the legal framework of cultural activities and policy making. The role and unique status of cultural government and museums will be discussed as well as the organizational framework of the state and regions. Students will also be introduced to project and institutional management, the importance of professional governance of project management, financial management and human resource management. The above will be discussed within the framework of Iceland, the Nordic region and globally, and in relation to democracy and public accessibility to cultural heritage

Taught in August 2022

An investigation into the role of apparel in the formation of cultural boundaries and national identity in Iceland during the long 19th century (c.1790-1920). Clothing-practices, male and female, are considered in terms of defining a visible Icelandic identity in response to international fashions and style-trends. Special emphasis is placed on female costume. Theories on the development of cultural boundaries are introduced, as well as an approach toward investigating and interpreting primary sources in a cultural investigation. Travelogues and correspondences as well as historical journals and newspapers will be looked at to consider the dialogue across –and the development of— cultural boundaries in the conscious establishment of a national identity. Students will utilize the sources presented in a final written exam to illustrate evaluate and explain the effect and use of apparel by groups and individuals in the formation and establishment of cultural boundaries.

Instructor:  Dr. Karl Aspelund, Associate Professor, University of Rhode Island.

This course covers a detailed overview of theories in criminology and sociology of deviance. Students will read empirical research testing these theories in Iceland and elsewhere.

Different types of crimes and topics will be discussed in criminological/sociological light, such as gender and crime, immigration and crime.

Emphasis is placed on linking theoretical discussion with empirical research.

Our daily life may seem boringly traditional and predictable. Social psychology shows that it is an exciting and multifaceted phenomenon resting on a complicated interplay of individual factors and social structures. In this course we will use theories and findings by social psychologists to shed light on what is behind the glitter of the obvious. We will go from what is public to the aspects that we conceal and hide, study what advertisers, salespeople and influencers do to bend us and turn and look at the degree to which variables like gender, class and ethnicity influence and control what we see, how we see and how we respond to the stimulus of everyday life.

Students will work on diverse small assignments connected to the main thrust of the course, individually or in groups. Even though social psychology relies on both qualitative and quantitative methods the emphasis in the assignments will be on qualitative methods such as visual analysis, conversation analysis and participatory observations.

Course Description

What can the making of the old Icelandic dairy product “skyr” tell us about how Icelandic society has developed for more than a thousand years? How does the microbiome affect health? How do we dispose of waste in an environmentally friendly way within an urban context and what silent majority of earthlings makes it happen? Microbial communities have shaped the earth and its inhabitants for eons, from the dawn of life on earth. To better understand and deal with the environmental, health, and social challenges of the 21st century, we need to better understand these first organisms and the symbiosis between them and other species, including humans. Recent studies reveal that more than half of the cells in our bodies belong to a variety of microbial species. Does that mean humans are microbes, or “merely” that our relationship with microbes is the strongest and most intimate relationship we have with others? The course invites students to explore the symbiotic practices of microbes and humans from various angles, from microbiology and ethnology, food and nutrition sciences and anthropology. Special attention will be given to the role of microbes in developing and preserving food in human societies, as well as their role in digestion, and how these roles are connected to human mental and physical health. The course also explores how microbes sustain vital nutrient cycles and their ability to transform garbage and waste into healthy soil.

The course works with the concept of „One Health“ which has been in development for the past couple of decades. One Health is a transdisciplinary and collaborative paradigm that recognizes the shared environment and interconnection between people, animals, plants and microbes. The approach promotes health and wellbeing for humans, animals and the environment, emphasizing coordination, communication, and joint efforts across disciplines. The topic will be explored through different examples of microbial-human relations such as how microbes affect the taste of food  and its composition, how diets affect gut microbiota, the role of fermentation in shaping microbial-human relations and how urban waste management disrupts nutrition cycles in the human environment. 

In this course students develop a deeper understanding of the relationship between environmental science and financial markets. Students learn current methods for structuring green and sustainable finance frameworks, issuance process, certification. This course covers main methods and concepts related to impact reports. Students learn how sustainable finance frameworks are used in practice after issuance within financial institutions. This course covers ESG risk assessments, main methods and practical use in the investment process and portfolio structuring. This course covers main indicators reported by financial institutions regarding their loan and investment portfolios, i.e., GAR (green asset ratio) and BTAR (book taxonomy aligned ratio). This course covers different types of climate risks as defined by the TCFD (Task force on climate related financial disclosures). Students learn about responsible and impact investment methodologies and the goals investors seek using such methodologies. This course covers the legal requirements regarding disclosures, in particular the EU Taxonomy and related regulations. Students learn about financed emissions using the PCAF methodology (Partnership for carbon accounting financials). This course will also cover the relationship between the insurance sector and sustainability.

The course will address critical questions related to the interaction between practice and theory in museum work. Numerous examples from the practical work of art museums, natural history museums and cultural museums will be examined in this context, and the course is therefore suitable for students from more disciplines than museology, such as archaeology, art history, cultural studies, disability studies, anthropology, ethnography, sociology and other disciplines. The history of museums will be examined with a critical mindset and attention will be paid to trends and policies in the profession at the beginning of the 21st century. Museums are particularly viewed as public institutions, but as such they have many and growing roles to play for communities, the quality of life of people and groups, education, research and transnational relations, to name a few. The course will cover questions like the application of theory in museum work, ethics, censorship, globalization, indigenous peoples, the impact of digital culture, religion, immigrants and inclusion, to name a few. The course is taught exclusively via distance learning and assessment is based on projects completed over the semester. The course is taught in the beginning of October and ends at the end of November.

The course will address questions related to the interaction between practice and theory in museum work. Numerous examples from the practical work of art museums, natural history museums and cultural heritage museums will be examined in this context. The course is therefore suitable for students from more disciplines than museology, such as archaeology, art history, cultural studies, disability studies, anthropology, ethnography, sociology and other disciplines. It will consider how both practice and theory have shaped museum institutions and their activities. The course will cover, among other things, the practice and theory of collecting, preservation, classification and registration, exhibition design, visitors, marketing and the social impact of museums. The course is taught exclusively via distance learning and assessment is based on a variety of projects completed during the course. The course is taught at the beginning of the fall and ends at the end of September.

Human mobility and multicultural societies are often seen as the main characteristics of the contemporary world. In the course, we look at main theories approaching mobility and multicultural society, critically addressing them and analyzing their utility. The concept of multiculturalism and related concepts such as culture, assimilation and integration are critically evaluated, as well as mobility in the past and the relationship between mobility and multiculturalism. Different approaches in the social sciences are introduced and main research themes in anthropology in particular and social sciences in general will be examined.

The teaching methods are lectures and discussions.

The 21st century is increasingly characterized by growing discontent and xenophobia, fueled by a pervasive sense of an uncertain and threatened future. This perception of an apocalyptic or dystopian future is intertwined with a strong demand for reconciliation with the injustices and violence of the past. These tensions highlight the need to critically examine how history, memory, and power shape contemporary crises and the futures that are often envisioned in the present. This class examines the crises and visions of the future that characterize the 21st century while also reflecting on recent efforts to confront and reconcile with the past. Through recent scholarly writings, we explore how crises are experienced and how the future is both imagined and contested in the present. In doing so, we consider ruins of the past provide ways for understanding today’s challenges. One aspect of the course involves engaging with decolonial perspectives. Decolonization, in this context, is not only a political process of undoing colonial systems but also an intellectual and cultural effort to challenge the enduring legacies of colonialism in shaping global inequalities, epistemologies, and imaginaries of the future. By interrogating how colonial histories continue to manifest in modern crises—such as environmental destruction, economic disparity, and systemic racism—we seek to understand if decolonial approaches seek to offer pathways toward more equitable futures. What is the source of anxiety in the present? How do the ruins of colonial pasts inform present crises? Do critical theories provide alternatives to the dystopian trajectories often predicted for our world? How does the concept of polycrisis—interconnected crises spanning ecological, economic, and social domains—help us make sense of our collective experiences in the 21st century? By grappling with these questions, this course invites students to critically examine the intersections of crisis, memory, and future-making, offering tools to navigate and reimagine the complexities of the present.

The societal role of museums will be discussed from several angles: economic, political, cultural, social and last but not least in an international context. Examples of topics that will be discussed in the course are the role of museums in building the concept of the nation; the legal environment of museums; how museums are run; the status and role of the main museums; museums owned and run by local authorities and other museums; the financing of museums, and the policies of authorities regarding museums. Both national and foreign examples will be taken. 

Work format

Teaching will take the form of lectures and discussions.

An examination will be made of the religious beliefs and practices of people in Scandinavia from the earliest of times until the conversion, material ranging from burial practices to rock carvings, to the written evidence given in the works of Tacitus, Adam of Bremen and Saxo Grammaticus, as well as in early Icelandic works like the Eddic poems and the Kings' sagas. Alongside this discussion of the development and key features of Old Norse religion, some attention will be paid to the concepts of seid and shamanism, especially in connection to their role in early religions. Finally, an examination will be made of the conversion of Scandinavia and how Christian concepts and practices both fitted and contrasted with the previously dominant Old Norse worldview.

Teaching format

• The teaching takes place in the form of lectures and discussion on the material of the lectures.

The course focuses on fashion as a manifestation of material culture resulting from the behavior of individuals in society. Students investigate theories on fashion in industrialized market-economies, while considering various theories in philosophy, sociology, ethnology and anthropology. Concepts of influential factors in the development of apparel fashions will be critically reviewed and analyzed with a view toward students’ local community. The relationship of fashion development to different demographics, specifically in terms of gender, class, sexuality, age, and other significant demographics of social differentiation will be especially noted. An investigation into the “spirit of our time” (the “Zeitgeist”), and a field-study on the fashions of specific groups or locations will be conducted. These lead to a consideration of findings in the light of the theories presented. The investigations and discussions all lead to a final project resulting in a definition and analysis of the development and nature of current fashions as well as a formal forecast of future fashions and fashion–culture.

‘Violence’ is a common term of everyday life, yet it is not an easy concept to define or understand. The purpose of this course is to explore the manifold manifestations of violence from anthropological perspectives. The anthropologists Nancy Scheper-Hughes and Philippe Bourgois (2004) argue that violence “can be everything and nothing; legitimate and illegitimate; visible or invisible; necessary or useless; senseless and gratuitous or utterly rational and strategic.” The emphasis of the course is the cultural contexts in which violence occurs and gives it meaning. The focus of the course is the violence of everyday life and its varied manifestations beyond just the physical to consider other forms, such as structural, verbal, textual and representational manifestations of violence. The course will consider theoretical conceptualizations of violence, but also ethical and practical matters of confronting violence in ethnographic research.

This course focuses on arts and artistic methods and their role as a subject of anthropological inquiry, anthropological method and form of knowledge dissemination. Firstly, it considers different forms of artistic expression (literature, film, performance) as analytical lens that helps anthropologists to read into contemporary society. Secondly, it explores how artistic and creative practice can contribute to anthropological research and ways of doing ethnography. Finally, it examines how different artistic forms can be used to communicate research findings beyond conventional academic writing.

The course deals with interconnections between political radicalism, culture, tradition and power. We will focus on contemporary representations of dissent in particular, look at the discourse of democracy and cultural difference, reactions to and criticism of protest in the Western political tradition and dissent in more repressive political systems. The role of intellectuals and writers will be explored as well as the function of artistic expression and design in transforming cultural and social environments. We will also discuss media and social media discourse in connection with an attempt to understand the various and sometimes contradictory objectives of public institutions. A few points of conflict will be discussed that to some extent expose fundamental conflicts in liberal democratic societies such as questions about the wisdom and ignorance of publics, reactions to climate change, inequality and extreme poverty. Finally corruption and power will be discussed as well as social and cultural expression, the possibilities and limitations of freedom of speech, the use and abuse of information, disinformation, secrecy, fake and “fake news”.

The course focuses on stereotypes and prejudice as manifestations of Othering processes and racism, by using the lens of critical race theories and postcolonial perspectives. The course emphasizes the interlinking of past and present discourses and images about those categorized as Others and how Othering takes place. For this purpose, it analyses colonial imaginaries and of the historical connection of orientalism with key concepts such as culture, identity, and development. It thus highlights the connection between older colonial discourses, nationalism, and contemporary imageries that target marginalized groups, with a specific focus on the European context.  

The course asks how discourses shape bodies and identities of specific groups or categories of people, as well as the social and physical spaces they inhabit. The course also addresses the issue of agency and strategies of resistance against Othering processes and racism, and explores the delicate role that anthropological knowledge, and social theory more in general, plays in this scenario.  

 The course will be taught in English. 

According to the United Nation’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs, slightly over half of the world’s population lives in urban areas. This is projected to be 66% percent by the year 2050, with Africa and Asia accounting for 90% of this new urban growth. Urban anthropology has increasingly played a critically important role in the development of the discipline of anthropology in terms of theory, research methods and social justice movements. This course provides an historical overview of the development of urban anthropology and on through to recent developments. An emphasis will be placed on anthropological theory and research methods, but also issues such as social justice, architecture, design and urban planning. The course will cover, among others, the early Chicago ethnographers and early urban poverty research, utopian and modernist urban planning, power and built form, divisions and gated communities, crime and urban fear, urban homelessness, and the governance of built spaces. The course will conclude with a section on cities in transition, which includes a focus on the post-industrial/global city, the effects of neoliberalism on urban spaces, and a discussion of the possible future(s) of urbanism and the role of anthropology in understanding these developments.

Students must have completed 120 ECTS in their BA study before attending this course

Over the past years, public discussion on how to address cases of sexual violence has been heated, particularly in the aftermath of the #MeToo Movement. Research shows that only a small percentage of such cases are reported to the police and only a small number of those cases lead to a conviction. This has been called a justice gap. Increasingly, we see victim-survivors of sexual violence tell their stories on social media, or in the media, and in some cases alleged offenders are named publicly which has evoked different responses amongst the public and had various consequences.

In this course, these societal developments will be explored from the perspective of sociology of law. Sociology of law uses theories and methods from the social sciences to examine the law, legal institutions, and legal behaviours, in the effort to analyse legal phenomena in their social, cultural, and historical contexts. To shed further light on the treatment of sexual violence cases, this course will also include readings from criminology, victimology, gender studies and the health sciences.

The course will seek answers to the following questions and more: Who commits sexual violence and why? How are men’s experiences of being subjected to sexual violence different from women’s experiences? Why is the legal status and rights of defendants different from that of victims? How is law in the books different from law in practice? How has the criminal justice system developed historically? What characterises legal education and the legal profession? What is the difference between legal consciousness and legal culture? How does legal justice differ from social justice? What are the advantages and disadvantages to non-traditional justice systems in comparison to traditional justice systems?

This course engages with museum and heritage ecologies and entanglements of nature and culture. The course draws on posthuman and new materialist theories to examine entanglements and human/non-human agencies in relation to heritage ecologies and museums in the present. Particular attention is payed to heritage as a dynamic human/non-human construct that encourages connections and change. To this end, the course draws on lcelandic cases and research led teaching.

Vocational training in global studies and anthropology aims to provide students with increased skills through vocational training and to strengthen their connections with the labour market. This is a practical course that provides insight into the activities of institutions, non-governmental organizations, companies and other parties in-line with the aims of the course.

An agreement is made between the study program in anthropology and the relevant field of work. Students can make suggestions for a field of work or receive suggestions from the study program about a suitable field for internships. Subjects should be related to different aspects of anthropology and global science (electives: migration and multiculturalism, global health and development studies). For example, there could be one or two more important projects as well as various incidental projects. It is desirable that the student becomes acquainted with as many areas of work as possible in his / her field of work. The study program does not pay wages for the working hours, but the course is eligible for credits.

The student must contact the study program before the internship begins and have the plan approved. A special agreement is made with the person responsible for the worksite. 

The scope of the internship shall be 125-150 hours divided between while working in the workplace and writing a report. 

Before starting work in the field, the student compiles a reading list in consultation with the supervisor/supervisory teacher about the type of activity that the student intends to become involved with and the field itself. The student submits a draft summary of reading material before the internship begins. At the end of the participation in the worksite, the student writes a report on the internship where the activities are described and analysed.

In order to get credits evaluated for the internship, the student must hand in:

1. A letter from a supervisor, which includes a confirmation that the internship has lasted for at least 4 months along with a short stutta statement about the student and his tasks.
2. A statement that includes: 
   1. A descrption of the main tasks conducted during the internship periods,
   2. Weekly reports based on the student's journal entries,
   3. A description how the internhsip is useful for his/her study programme.
   4. tasks where a specific part of the work is examined and put into a theoretical perspective.

Vocational training in global studies and anthropology aims to provide students with increased skills through vocational training and to strengthen their connections with the labour market. This is a practical course that provides insight into the activities of institutions, non-governmental organizations, companies and other parties in-line with the aims of the course.

An agreement is made between the study program in anthropology and the relevant field of work. Students can make suggestions for a field of work or receive suggestions from the study program about a suitable field for internships. Subjects should be related to different aspects of anthropology and global science (electives: migration and multiculturalism, global health and development studies). For example, there could be one or two more important projects as well as various incidental projects. It is desirable that the student becomes acquainted with as many areas of work as possible in his / her field of work. The study program does not pay wages for the working hours, but the course is eligible for credits.

The student must contact the study program before the internship begins and have the plan approved. A special agreement is made with the person responsible for the worksite. 

The scope of the internship shall be 250-300 hours divided between while working in the workplace and writing a report.. 

Before starting work in the field, the student compiles a reading list in consultation with the supervisor/supervisory teacher about the type of activity that the student intends to become involved with and the field itself. The student submits a draft summary of reading material before the internship begins. At the end of the participation in the worksite, the student writes a report on the internship where the activities are described and analysed.

In order to get credits evaluated for the internship, the student must hand in:

1. A letter from a supervisor, which includes a confirmation that the internship has lasted for at least 4 months along with a short stutta statement about the student and his tasks.
2. A statement that includes: 
   1. A descrption of the main tasks conducted during the internship periods,
   2. Weekly reports based on the student's journal entries,
   3. A description how the internhsip is useful for his/her study programme.
   4. The length of the report should be between 2,000–3,000 words and be based on a concise academic discussion that draws on peer-reviewed sources in scholarly publications.

The field of Folklore, emerging out of the phenomena collectively referred to as  Modernity, has a complicated and problematic relationship with gender, both in the material that circulates and the subsequent academic treatment of that material. This seminar combines theoretical perspectives from Gender Studies and Folkloristics to better understand the interconnectedness of popular cultural forms, analyses, and the operations of power, specifically gender relations. Beginning with a feminist critique of Folkloristics from within (a historical reference point), we will examine more recent work on the relationship between gender and genre, between the empowering acts of ordinary rituals (so-called women‘s genres), and how the old, debunked Nature/Culture divide, in which women‘s genres were debased and denigrated, may, looked at from a different perspective, suggest alternate approaches to some contemporary global issues.

Teacher of the course: JoAnn Conrad

The course focuses on a number of key areas of Icelandic society and culture from an anthropological perspective. The course will build upon a set of themes that have a long tradition within the anthropology of Iceland, but a particular emphasis will be placed upon the contemporary context and emergent issues that are confronting Icelandic society.  The instruction will be in English in order to make the course accessible to non-Icelandic speaking students, but also to strengthen the English academic writing skills of non-native speakers of English.

An examination will be made of the religious beliefs and practices of people in Scandinavia from the earliest of times until the conversion, material ranging from burial practices to rock carvings, to the written evidence given in the works of Tacitus, Adam of Bremen and Saxo Grammaticus, as well as in early Icelandic works like the Eddic poems and the Kings' sagas. Alongside this discussion of the development and key features of Old Norse religion, some attention will be paid to the concepts of seid and shamanism, especially in connection to their role in early religions. Finally, an examination will be made of the conversion of Scandinavia and how Christian concepts and practices both fitted and contrasted with the previously dominant Old Norse worldview.

Teaching format

• The teaching takes place in the form of lectures and discussion on the material of the lectures.

Curating is a fast growing discipline within various types of museums, like art museums, natural history museums and cultural history museums. In this course different approches to curating, exhibition making and exhibition design in such museums will be examined from critical perspectives, with emphasis on management, different narrative strategies, scripting and mediation. Past and present exhibitions of art museums, natural history museums and cultural history museums, in Iceland and abroad, will be critically addressed and analyzed.

Everybody need to eat; food connects nature to culture, culture to industry, the public to the private, the local to the global, the home to the workplace, the past to the present and one person to another in relationships that organize and transcend the axes of class, gender, ethnicity, race and age. The study of food demonstrates that food is always laden with meaning that exceeds its nutritional value and that this meaning is central to understanding the relationship between food and people, one of the more important relationships we have with the world. Food habits thus reveal our views, values and aestethics, and food shapes our existence, bodies, memories, society, economy and ethics.

In the course we will explore what people eat, how, when, with whom and why. Doing so provides us with valuable insights regarding gender and generations, food safety and health, sustainability and human rights, class and cultural diversity, sense and sensibility, technology and food production, food and diet trends, food traditions and cultural heritage, emotions and microbes, friendship and family dynamics.

In the course we explore the relationship between food production and consumption in the 21st century with specific emphasis on public health, ethical consumption and sustainability.

Food and culture is an interdisciplinary course taught in cooperation between the Department of Folkloristics/Ethnology and Museum Studies and the Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition.

What is criminology? Criminological data and what criminologists do.

Crime definitions and how crime can be explained and understood. Examples of different theoretical perspectives will be covered in class: Classical Criminology and Social & Psychological Theories. What kind of criminological research and research questions are used with different theories? 

Using this theoretical background, a number of crime types and topics within Icelandic criminology will be presented and discussed in class, including the following: Physical and sexual violence, alcohol and drugs in society, crime and punishment, public attitudes to crime and punishment, and social crisis and crime. 

Students keep a journal about the lecture topics and the readings covered in class, evaluate the material, and draw their own conclusions. Final exam on-site.

The societal role of museums will be discussed from several angles: economic, political, cultural, social and last but not least in an international context. Examples of topics that will be discussed in the course are the role of museums in building the concept of the nation; the legal environment of museums; how museums are run; the status and role of the main museums; museums owned and run by local authorities and other museums; the financing of museums, and the policies of authorities regarding museums. Both national and foreign examples will be taken. 

Work format

Teaching will take the form of lectures and discussions.

The objective of this course is to gain methodological knowledge, understanding and practical skills to analyze images and visual data (photographs, films, drawings, advertisements, online media, etc.). We will discuss various methods of analysis of the visual content, consider visual databases and how to work with them. Students receive practical training in visual methodological studies and how to evaluate them. The course is based on practical assignments, where students prepare and design research proposals, collect data and how to analyze. The course is interdisciplinary and is suitable for students of humanities and social sciences, and other related fields.

What is cultural heritage and what purpose does it serve? Why does it always seem to be endangered? How does it tie together the past and the present? What's it got to do with the nation and the state? Historical consciousness? Globalization? Capitalism? Politics? The course will seek to answer these questions with reference to new research in folklore, ethnology, anthropology, art history, sociology, museology, history and archaeology and with a view to understanding what is going on in this expanding field of study.

This course delves into the multifaceted relationship between museums and the societies they serve. It aims to explore how museums are not only custodians of cultural heritage but also active participants in shaping cultural narratives and communal identities. By examining historical contexts, theoretical frameworks, and practical case studies, students will gain insight into the influential role that museums play in reflecting and sometimes challenging societal values. The course will cover topics such as museums as agents of social change, the importance of inclusivity and accessibility, and the impact of digital technology on community engagement. Through discussions, case studies, and hands-on projects, students will explore how museums can effectively engage with diverse audiences and contribute to a more equitable society. By the end of the course, students will have developed a nuanced understanding of how museums can evolve in response to the dynamic needs and values of the communities they serve.

This course critically examines the impact of contemporary social issues on museums and their practices. It seeks to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of how museums are confronted with, and often strive to address, various societal challenges, including diversity, equity, inclusion, social justice, and sustainability. Throughout the course, students will explore social issues within the museum context and analyze real-world examples of museums that actively engage with these topics. Key themes will include the role of museums as advocates for marginalized communities, the importance of community collaboration and co-creation, and strategies for addressing climate change within museum practices. The course is taught from the end of February to the end of March.

In this course students develop skills to estimate corporate greenhouse gas emissions. Students will understand main methods when estimating the emissions, how external data is obtained and used and which platforms are available for corporate disclosures such as the CDP, Nasdaq and GRI. Students will furthermore learn the implications of scopes, the use of life-cycle assessments, which indicators are material, how those indicators are selected and how carbon offset programs work in relation to corporate emissions. The Greenhouse Gas Protocol is a foundation in this course, as the guidance serves as a key tool for multiples disclosure platforms. Upon completion, students can independently estimate the greenhouse gas emission from corporations through the supply chain and present the information in a standard format, using a relevant disclosure platform. Students will furthermore understand current methodological developments in greenhouse gas emission accounting, particularly in relation to financial market participants. Students will furthermore understand how the information generated is used externally, for example by rating agencies conducting ESG risk assessments. 

This is an intensive course with the active participation of students. It is taught over 14 weeks. The course takes as its starting point the idea that although governments and nonprofits are crucial to modern society, businesses are largely responsible for creating the wealth upon which the well-being of society depends, while also being a part of the problems created. As they create that wealth, their actions affect society, which is composed of a wide variety of stakeholders, and the natural environment. In turn, society shapes the rules and expectations by which businesses must navigate their internal and external environments. These include the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, i.e., Goals 1-5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 16, the Paris Agreement, the UN Global Compact, the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), the Global Reporting Initiative, and more. This interaction between corporations, society (in its broadest sense) and the natural environment is the concern of corporate social responsibility (CSR), but the issues need to be addressed from a strategic point of view. 

Regardless of one’s viewpoint about the interaction of business and society, the continued co-existence of for-profit organizations is essential. This course seeks to explore the dimensions of that interaction from a multi-stakeholder perspective. That exploration is intended to be interactive, with the journey of exploration involving an analysis of CSR-related issues, simulation, and case studies.

The course is organized into six broad sections. In the first section, we will explore what corporate social responsibility (CSR) means and the driving forces of CSR. The second section focuses on the stakeholder perspective, and in the third section, we study the legal perspective. In the fourth section, we will explore the behavioral perspective, in the fifth section the strategic perspective and in the sixth section the focus will be on the sustainable perspective and sustainable value creation.   

The course covers recent writings and currents of thought that mark, or are likely to mark, turning points in social and cultural theory. Particular care will be taken to situate theories in their historical and social contexts. Attendance to weekly 40 min. discussion classes throughout the course is compulsory. Distance learning students attend in person or via the Internet (with Zoom).

In the course we examine the field methods and train students in their application. The focus is on ethical issues, research design, the fieldwork setting, participant observation, different kinds of interviews, use of visual material and the analysis of data and presentation of research results.

The aim of the seminar is to aid students who are writing their thesis. We will discuss how to approach a final thesis and the students will have the opportunity to discuss their research issues. This seminar creates a forum for master students to discuss their research projects and receive support, encouragement and feedback in the work process. The seminar will be flexible to meet the needs of the group of students attending at each time.

In the seminar each student works or their own project and the teaching method is built on a “shut up and write!” ideology. The instructor has a short introduction in each meeting followed by some productive writing of the students in a supportive environment.   In the second part of the seminar each student will present and discuss their project for about 20 minutes.

Note that this course is only taught in the spring semester and is intended both for students that enroll in the MA thesis course in the spring semester or the following fall semester.

Taught every other week.

Einkunn: Staðið/Fall

The student works on a written project or a literature review on a specific area related to the research topic of the master thesis. The student contacts the supervisor, who will guide the student regarding this reading course.

The student works on a written project or a literature review on a specific area related to the research topic of the master thesis. The student contacts the supervisor, who will guide the student regarding this reading course.

MA thesis

MA thesis

MA thesis

In this course, students work as mentors for participants at the upper‑secondary and university levels in the project Sprettur. Mentors play an essential role in supporting and encouraging other students in their studies and social life. Their role is to build constructive relationships with participants, act as positive role models, and take part in joint activities organised within Sprettur. Mentorship is based on relationship‑building and regular meetings and involves a commitment to the students the mentor supports. 

Sprettur is a support project for students with a foreign background who seek additional support to improve their academic performance and participation in the university community. Students in the course work as mentors and are paired with participants based on shared interests. Mentors also work together in groups and in consultation with teachers and project coordinators. 

Students may choose to enrol in the course in the autumn semester, spring semester, or distribute the workload across both semesters (the full academic year). The course structure accommodates this choice, but all academic requirements remain the same. Mentors plan regular meetings with Sprettur participants and typically spend three hours per month with participants, three hours per month in homework groups, and attend a total of five seminars. 

Students submit journal entries on Canvas and design and deliver a learning experience for the participants in Sprettur. Journal entries are based on readings and critical reflections on the mentorship role and on personal experience in the project. The course is taught in Icelandic and English. 

Upon completing the course and meeting all requirements, students receive 5 ECTS credits and an official certificate of participation and completion of the project. 

Students fill out an electronic application form, and the supervising teacher contacts applicants. 

More information about Sprettur can be found here: www.hi.is/sprettur 

The course focuses on anthropological research on nature and the environment, as well as ideas from other human and social sciences, on the relationship between people and their environment. Various basic terms and theories central to environmental anthropology and related fields will be introduced and discussed.

The course explores several attempts to throw light on the emergence and characteristics of various cultural and social institutions and practices by reference to ecological systems and material relations as their foundation. It will also address critique of such attempts. 

A particular emphasis will be placed on changing views on the environment that have emerged in recent years, including ideas of resource extraction and management and several forms of environmentalisms.

Last but not least the many interactions of climate change causes and effects and societies will be explored as they are materialising all over the globe. Climate, climate change and society and culture, and their mutual influences, will also be investigated as a historical theoretical issue, from various points of view.

Several ethnographic examples of human-environment interaction will be examined throughout the course.

The course focuses on anthropological research on nature and the environment, as well as ideas from other human and social sciences, on the relationship between people and their environment. Various basic terms and theories central to environmental anthropology and related fields will be introduced and discussed.

The course explores several attempts to throw light on the emergence and characteristics of various cultural and social institutions and practices by reference to ecological systems and material relations as their foundation. It will also address critique of such attempts. 

A particular emphasis will be placed on changing views on the environment that have emerged in recent years, including ideas of resource extraction and management and several forms of environmentalisms.

Last but not least the many interactions of climate change causes and effects and societies will be explored as they are materialising all over the globe. Climate, climate change and society and culture, and their mutual influences, will also be investigated as a historical theoretical issue, from various points of view.

Several ethnographic examples of human-environment interaction will be examined throughout the course.

New theories and studies on globalization and global processes are presented in the class. The course aims at giving a general overview of important themes related to globalization processes. Studies that shed light on the diverse economic, social and political aspects of global processes are furthermore examined. A critical examination of main concepts is an important aspect of the course but studies that show how people are agents/victims in globalized world are also presented.

The teaching consists of lecture and class discussions. 

 The course is taught in English.

Vocational training in global studies and anthropology aims to provide students with increased skills through vocational training and to strengthen their connections with the labour market. This is a practical course that provides insight into the activities of institutions, non-governmental organizations, companies and other parties in-line with the aims of the course.

An agreement is made between the study program in anthropology and the relevant field of work. Students can make suggestions for a field of work or receive suggestions from the study program about a suitable field for internships. Subjects should be related to different aspects of anthropology and global science (electives: migration and multiculturalism, global health and development studies). For example, there could be one or two more important projects as well as various incidental projects. It is desirable that the student becomes acquainted with as many areas of work as possible in his / her field of work. The study program does not pay wages for the working hours, but the course is eligible for credits.

The student must contact the study program before the internship begins and have the plan approved. A special agreement is made with the person responsible for the worksite.

The scope of the internship shall be 250-300 hours divided between while working in the workplace and writing a report.

Before starting work in the field, the student compiles a reading list in consultation with the supervisor/supervisory teacher about the type of activity that the student intends to become involved with and the field itself. The student submits a draft summary of reading material before the internship begins. At the end of the participation in the worksite, the student writes a report on the internship where the activities are described and analysed.

In order to get credits evaluated for the internship, the student must hand in:

1. A letter from a supervisor, which includes a confirmation that the internship has lasted for at least 4 months, along with a short statement about the student and his tasks.
2. A statement that includes: 
   1. A description of the main tasks conducted during the internship period,
   2. Weekly reports based on the student's journal entries,
   3. A description of how the internship is useful for his/her study programme.
   4. The length of the report should be between 2,000–3,000 words and be based on a concise academic discussion that draws on peer-reviewed sources in scholarly publications.

Vocational training in global studies and anthropology aims to provide students with increased skills through vocational training and to strengthen their connections with the labour market. This is a practical course that provides insight into the activities of institutions, non-governmental organizations, companies and other parties in-line with the aims of the course.

An agreement is made between the study program in anthropology and the relevant field of work. Students can make suggestions for a field of work or receive suggestions from the study program about a suitable field for internships. Subjects should be related to different aspects of anthropology and global science (electives: migration and multiculturalism, global health and development studies). For example, there could be one or two more important projects as well as various incidental projects. It is desirable that the student becomes acquainted with as many areas of work as possible in his / her field of work. The study program does not pay wages for the working hours, but the course is eligible for credits.

The student must contact the study program before the internship begins and have the plan approved. A special agreement is made with the person responsible for the worksite. 

The scope of the internship shall be 125-150 hours, divided between working in the workplace and writing a report. 

Before starting work in the field, the student compiles a reading list in consultation with the supervisor/supervisory teacher about the type of activity that the student intends to become involved with and the field itself. The student submits a draft summary of reading material before the internship begins. At the end of the participation in the worksite, the student writes a report on the internship where the activities are described and analysed.

In order to get credits evaluated for the internship, the student must hand in:

1. A letter from a supervisor, which includes a confirmation that the internship has lasted for at least 4 months along with a short statement about the student and his tasks.
2. A statement that includes: 
   1. A description of the main tasks conducted during the internship periods,
   2. Weekly reports based on the student's journal entries,
   3. A description of how the internship is useful for his/her study programme.
   4. Tasks where a specific part of the work is examined and put into a theoretical perspective.

One of the main purposes of Icelandic museums is to preserve the country's cultural and natural heritage for future generations. Furthermore, to encourage increased knowledge of this heritage and understanding of its connections to the outside world. According to Icelandic museum laws, museums are expected to "enhance people's quality of life" by fostering an understanding of the development and status of culture, art, nature, and/or science. Therefore, museums and museum education can impact society, groups, and individuals. Museology plays a key role in this context and is the main subject of this course.

Students will be introduced to theoretical approaches aimed at supporting diverse and impactful educational practices related to archaeology, art, natural sciences, cultural heritage, and other museum subjects. Attention will be given to the different target audiences of museum education, the role of visitors within museums, spatial considerations, text production, multimedia, interactivity, and more.

This is a distance-learning course divided into three modules. Each module includes short lectures by the instructor reflecting on the course material, guest lectures (delivered digitally), and supplementary materials. Over the semester, three in-person and/or Zoom sessions will be held, where students will receive lectures from museum professionals and work on an educational project in collaboration with a museum in Reykjavík. The project will be developed based on students’ academic interests, under the supervision of the instructor and with support from museum staff.

The reading material be based on on essential theoretical works as well as recent research. The history of the field will be critically examined in light of trends at the beginning of the 21^st century. 

Work format

Teaching will take the form of lectures and discussions.

What is cultural heritage and what purpose does it serve? Why does it always seem to be endangered? How does it tie together the past and the present? What's it got to do with the nation and the state? Historical consciousness? Globalization? Capitalism? Politics? The course will seek to answer these questions with reference to new research in folklore, ethnology, anthropology, art history, sociology, museology, history and archaeology and with a view to understanding what is going on in this expanding field of study.

This course covers a detailed overview of theories in criminology and sociology of deviance. Students will read empirical research testing these theories in Iceland and elsewhere.

Different types of crimes and topics will be discussed in criminological/sociological light, such as gender and crime, immigration and crime.

Emphasis is placed on linking theoretical discussion with empirical research.

The course reviews cultural studies on the whole and focuses on its value as a radical form of social and cultural criticism. Texts of key authors from the 19th Century and until recent years are discussed with the very concept of culture as a central issue and the question of its meaning for critical reflexion on society, history and contemporaneity. The interpellation of cultural criticism and the study of culture is scrutinized and the way in which this relationship is central for cultural studies. This conflict, which can be felt in older and recent texts has for the last decades been a fertile ground for the humanities in general and characterizes their connection to cultural politics. Concepts such as ideology, power, hegemony, gender and discourse play a central role in the discussion.

The reading material be based on on essential theoretical works as well as recent research. The history of the field will be critically examined in light of trends at the beginning of the 21^st century. 

Work format

Teaching will take the form of lectures and discussions.

Relations between humans and animals are the focus of this course, which will be approached from both an academic and an artistic standpoint. Students will complete independent projects on an animal of their choice and attend field trips in nature and museums. The lectures will focus on diverse animals, such as polar bears, whales, great auks and puffins and recent scholarship on them. We will dig into visual and material representations of these, and other, animals in varied cultural contexts, including medieval literature, folktales, oral tradition, film, news reports, material culture and tourism. Consideration will be given to the idea of an “afterlife” of animals in the form of artworks, museum artefacts and souvenirs. We will examine artefacts in both private and public collections and pose the questions of what happens when a living animal is turned into a museum object, and how the meaning that we bestow upon an animal can be subject to development and change under different circumstances. The role of animals in the creation of knowledge and formation of discourse surrounding climate change and issues of the Arctic regions will also be addressed, in addition to animals’ connections to specific places and cultural groups and their role in identity formations of past and present. An attempt will be made to step outside of “traditional” dualism in which an emphasis is placed on distinctions between humans and animals as we acquaint ourselves with the ways in which human/animal (ecological, social and cultural) habitats are intertwined.

Aim

The aim is to explore urgent questions and topical issues regarding human/animal co-existence, climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental sustainability. We will consider how artists, researchers, activists and museums have been engaging with these questions and how they can further contribute to the discussion. We will examine how diverse museums convey their ideas and information on human/animal relations through their collections. Students will be encouraged to critically engage with visual material, objects and texts, both online and through visits to museums and exhibitions. 

One of the main purposes of Icelandic museums is to preserve the country's cultural and natural heritage for future generations. Furthermore, to encourage increased knowledge of this heritage and understanding of its connections to the outside world. According to Icelandic museum laws, museums are expected to "enhance people's quality of life" by fostering an understanding of the development and status of culture, art, nature, and/or science. Therefore, museums and museum education can impact society, groups, and individuals. Museology plays a key role in this context and is the main subject of this course.

Students will be introduced to theoretical approaches aimed at supporting diverse and impactful educational practices related to archaeology, art, natural sciences, cultural heritage, and other museum subjects. Attention will be given to the different target audiences of museum education, the role of visitors within museums, spatial considerations, text production, multimedia, interactivity, and more.

This is a distance-learning course divided into three modules. Each module includes short lectures by the instructor reflecting on the course material, guest lectures (delivered digitally), and supplementary materials. Over the semester, three in-person and/or Zoom sessions will be held, where students will receive lectures from museum professionals and work on an educational project in collaboration with a museum in Reykjavík. The project will be developed based on students’ academic interests, under the supervision of the instructor and with support from museum staff.

This course introduces students to the theoretical foundations of managing cultural institutions, such as museums, and government cultural administration with the aim of providing an insight into important cultural work in society. Culture is discussed in a historical context, along with state and city government cultural policies, the legal framework of cultural activities and policy making. The role and unique status of cultural government and museums will be discussed as well as the organizational framework of the state and regions. Students will also be introduced to project and institutional management, the importance of professional governance of project management, financial management and human resource management. The above will be discussed within the framework of Iceland, the Nordic region and globally, and in relation to democracy and public accessibility to cultural heritage

Taught in August 2022

An investigation into the role of apparel in the formation of cultural boundaries and national identity in Iceland during the long 19th century (c.1790-1920). Clothing-practices, male and female, are considered in terms of defining a visible Icelandic identity in response to international fashions and style-trends. Special emphasis is placed on female costume. Theories on the development of cultural boundaries are introduced, as well as an approach toward investigating and interpreting primary sources in a cultural investigation. Travelogues and correspondences as well as historical journals and newspapers will be looked at to consider the dialogue across –and the development of— cultural boundaries in the conscious establishment of a national identity. Students will utilize the sources presented in a final written exam to illustrate evaluate and explain the effect and use of apparel by groups and individuals in the formation and establishment of cultural boundaries.

Instructor:  Dr. Karl Aspelund, Associate Professor, University of Rhode Island.

This course covers a detailed overview of theories in criminology and sociology of deviance. Students will read empirical research testing these theories in Iceland and elsewhere.

Different types of crimes and topics will be discussed in criminological/sociological light, such as gender and crime, immigration and crime.

Emphasis is placed on linking theoretical discussion with empirical research.

Our daily life may seem boringly traditional and predictable. Social psychology shows that it is an exciting and multifaceted phenomenon resting on a complicated interplay of individual factors and social structures. In this course we will use theories and findings by social psychologists to shed light on what is behind the glitter of the obvious. We will go from what is public to the aspects that we conceal and hide, study what advertisers, salespeople and influencers do to bend us and turn and look at the degree to which variables like gender, class and ethnicity influence and control what we see, how we see and how we respond to the stimulus of everyday life.

Students will work on diverse small assignments connected to the main thrust of the course, individually or in groups. Even though social psychology relies on both qualitative and quantitative methods the emphasis in the assignments will be on qualitative methods such as visual analysis, conversation analysis and participatory observations.

Course Description

What can the making of the old Icelandic dairy product “skyr” tell us about how Icelandic society has developed for more than a thousand years? How does the microbiome affect health? How do we dispose of waste in an environmentally friendly way within an urban context and what silent majority of earthlings makes it happen? Microbial communities have shaped the earth and its inhabitants for eons, from the dawn of life on earth. To better understand and deal with the environmental, health, and social challenges of the 21st century, we need to better understand these first organisms and the symbiosis between them and other species, including humans. Recent studies reveal that more than half of the cells in our bodies belong to a variety of microbial species. Does that mean humans are microbes, or “merely” that our relationship with microbes is the strongest and most intimate relationship we have with others? The course invites students to explore the symbiotic practices of microbes and humans from various angles, from microbiology and ethnology, food and nutrition sciences and anthropology. Special attention will be given to the role of microbes in developing and preserving food in human societies, as well as their role in digestion, and how these roles are connected to human mental and physical health. The course also explores how microbes sustain vital nutrient cycles and their ability to transform garbage and waste into healthy soil.

The course works with the concept of „One Health“ which has been in development for the past couple of decades. One Health is a transdisciplinary and collaborative paradigm that recognizes the shared environment and interconnection between people, animals, plants and microbes. The approach promotes health and wellbeing for humans, animals and the environment, emphasizing coordination, communication, and joint efforts across disciplines. The topic will be explored through different examples of microbial-human relations such as how microbes affect the taste of food  and its composition, how diets affect gut microbiota, the role of fermentation in shaping microbial-human relations and how urban waste management disrupts nutrition cycles in the human environment. 

In this course students develop a deeper understanding of the relationship between environmental science and financial markets. Students learn current methods for structuring green and sustainable finance frameworks, issuance process, certification. This course covers main methods and concepts related to impact reports. Students learn how sustainable finance frameworks are used in practice after issuance within financial institutions. This course covers ESG risk assessments, main methods and practical use in the investment process and portfolio structuring. This course covers main indicators reported by financial institutions regarding their loan and investment portfolios, i.e., GAR (green asset ratio) and BTAR (book taxonomy aligned ratio). This course covers different types of climate risks as defined by the TCFD (Task force on climate related financial disclosures). Students learn about responsible and impact investment methodologies and the goals investors seek using such methodologies. This course covers the legal requirements regarding disclosures, in particular the EU Taxonomy and related regulations. Students learn about financed emissions using the PCAF methodology (Partnership for carbon accounting financials). This course will also cover the relationship between the insurance sector and sustainability.

The course will address critical questions related to the interaction between practice and theory in museum work. Numerous examples from the practical work of art museums, natural history museums and cultural museums will be examined in this context, and the course is therefore suitable for students from more disciplines than museology, such as archaeology, art history, cultural studies, disability studies, anthropology, ethnography, sociology and other disciplines. The history of museums will be examined with a critical mindset and attention will be paid to trends and policies in the profession at the beginning of the 21st century. Museums are particularly viewed as public institutions, but as such they have many and growing roles to play for communities, the quality of life of people and groups, education, research and transnational relations, to name a few. The course will cover questions like the application of theory in museum work, ethics, censorship, globalization, indigenous peoples, the impact of digital culture, religion, immigrants and inclusion, to name a few. The course is taught exclusively via distance learning and assessment is based on projects completed over the semester. The course is taught in the beginning of October and ends at the end of November.

The course will address questions related to the interaction between practice and theory in museum work. Numerous examples from the practical work of art museums, natural history museums and cultural heritage museums will be examined in this context. The course is therefore suitable for students from more disciplines than museology, such as archaeology, art history, cultural studies, disability studies, anthropology, ethnography, sociology and other disciplines. It will consider how both practice and theory have shaped museum institutions and their activities. The course will cover, among other things, the practice and theory of collecting, preservation, classification and registration, exhibition design, visitors, marketing and the social impact of museums. The course is taught exclusively via distance learning and assessment is based on a variety of projects completed during the course. The course is taught at the beginning of the fall and ends at the end of September.

Human mobility and multicultural societies are often seen as the main characteristics of the contemporary world. In the course, we look at main theories approaching mobility and multicultural society, critically addressing them and analyzing their utility. The concept of multiculturalism and related concepts such as culture, assimilation and integration are critically evaluated, as well as mobility in the past and the relationship between mobility and multiculturalism. Different approaches in the social sciences are introduced and main research themes in anthropology in particular and social sciences in general will be examined.

The teaching methods are lectures and discussions.

The 21st century is increasingly characterized by growing discontent and xenophobia, fueled by a pervasive sense of an uncertain and threatened future. This perception of an apocalyptic or dystopian future is intertwined with a strong demand for reconciliation with the injustices and violence of the past. These tensions highlight the need to critically examine how history, memory, and power shape contemporary crises and the futures that are often envisioned in the present. This class examines the crises and visions of the future that characterize the 21st century while also reflecting on recent efforts to confront and reconcile with the past. Through recent scholarly writings, we explore how crises are experienced and how the future is both imagined and contested in the present. In doing so, we consider ruins of the past provide ways for understanding today’s challenges. One aspect of the course involves engaging with decolonial perspectives. Decolonization, in this context, is not only a political process of undoing colonial systems but also an intellectual and cultural effort to challenge the enduring legacies of colonialism in shaping global inequalities, epistemologies, and imaginaries of the future. By interrogating how colonial histories continue to manifest in modern crises—such as environmental destruction, economic disparity, and systemic racism—we seek to understand if decolonial approaches seek to offer pathways toward more equitable futures. What is the source of anxiety in the present? How do the ruins of colonial pasts inform present crises? Do critical theories provide alternatives to the dystopian trajectories often predicted for our world? How does the concept of polycrisis—interconnected crises spanning ecological, economic, and social domains—help us make sense of our collective experiences in the 21st century? By grappling with these questions, this course invites students to critically examine the intersections of crisis, memory, and future-making, offering tools to navigate and reimagine the complexities of the present.

The societal role of museums will be discussed from several angles: economic, political, cultural, social and last but not least in an international context. Examples of topics that will be discussed in the course are the role of museums in building the concept of the nation; the legal environment of museums; how museums are run; the status and role of the main museums; museums owned and run by local authorities and other museums; the financing of museums, and the policies of authorities regarding museums. Both national and foreign examples will be taken. 

Work format

Teaching will take the form of lectures and discussions.

An examination will be made of the religious beliefs and practices of people in Scandinavia from the earliest of times until the conversion, material ranging from burial practices to rock carvings, to the written evidence given in the works of Tacitus, Adam of Bremen and Saxo Grammaticus, as well as in early Icelandic works like the Eddic poems and the Kings' sagas. Alongside this discussion of the development and key features of Old Norse religion, some attention will be paid to the concepts of seid and shamanism, especially in connection to their role in early religions. Finally, an examination will be made of the conversion of Scandinavia and how Christian concepts and practices both fitted and contrasted with the previously dominant Old Norse worldview.

Teaching format

• The teaching takes place in the form of lectures and discussion on the material of the lectures.

The course focuses on fashion as a manifestation of material culture resulting from the behavior of individuals in society. Students investigate theories on fashion in industrialized market-economies, while considering various theories in philosophy, sociology, ethnology and anthropology. Concepts of influential factors in the development of apparel fashions will be critically reviewed and analyzed with a view toward students’ local community. The relationship of fashion development to different demographics, specifically in terms of gender, class, sexuality, age, and other significant demographics of social differentiation will be especially noted. An investigation into the “spirit of our time” (the “Zeitgeist”), and a field-study on the fashions of specific groups or locations will be conducted. These lead to a consideration of findings in the light of the theories presented. The investigations and discussions all lead to a final project resulting in a definition and analysis of the development and nature of current fashions as well as a formal forecast of future fashions and fashion–culture.

‘Violence’ is a common term of everyday life, yet it is not an easy concept to define or understand. The purpose of this course is to explore the manifold manifestations of violence from anthropological perspectives. The anthropologists Nancy Scheper-Hughes and Philippe Bourgois (2004) argue that violence “can be everything and nothing; legitimate and illegitimate; visible or invisible; necessary or useless; senseless and gratuitous or utterly rational and strategic.” The emphasis of the course is the cultural contexts in which violence occurs and gives it meaning. The focus of the course is the violence of everyday life and its varied manifestations beyond just the physical to consider other forms, such as structural, verbal, textual and representational manifestations of violence. The course will consider theoretical conceptualizations of violence, but also ethical and practical matters of confronting violence in ethnographic research.

This course focuses on arts and artistic methods and their role as a subject of anthropological inquiry, anthropological method and form of knowledge dissemination. Firstly, it considers different forms of artistic expression (literature, film, performance) as analytical lens that helps anthropologists to read into contemporary society. Secondly, it explores how artistic and creative practice can contribute to anthropological research and ways of doing ethnography. Finally, it examines how different artistic forms can be used to communicate research findings beyond conventional academic writing.

The course deals with interconnections between political radicalism, culture, tradition and power. We will focus on contemporary representations of dissent in particular, look at the discourse of democracy and cultural difference, reactions to and criticism of protest in the Western political tradition and dissent in more repressive political systems. The role of intellectuals and writers will be explored as well as the function of artistic expression and design in transforming cultural and social environments. We will also discuss media and social media discourse in connection with an attempt to understand the various and sometimes contradictory objectives of public institutions. A few points of conflict will be discussed that to some extent expose fundamental conflicts in liberal democratic societies such as questions about the wisdom and ignorance of publics, reactions to climate change, inequality and extreme poverty. Finally corruption and power will be discussed as well as social and cultural expression, the possibilities and limitations of freedom of speech, the use and abuse of information, disinformation, secrecy, fake and “fake news”.

The course focuses on stereotypes and prejudice as manifestations of Othering processes and racism, by using the lens of critical race theories and postcolonial perspectives. The course emphasizes the interlinking of past and present discourses and images about those categorized as Others and how Othering takes place. For this purpose, it analyses colonial imaginaries and of the historical connection of orientalism with key concepts such as culture, identity, and development. It thus highlights the connection between older colonial discourses, nationalism, and contemporary imageries that target marginalized groups, with a specific focus on the European context.  

The course asks how discourses shape bodies and identities of specific groups or categories of people, as well as the social and physical spaces they inhabit. The course also addresses the issue of agency and strategies of resistance against Othering processes and racism, and explores the delicate role that anthropological knowledge, and social theory more in general, plays in this scenario.  

 The course will be taught in English. 

According to the United Nation’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs, slightly over half of the world’s population lives in urban areas. This is projected to be 66% percent by the year 2050, with Africa and Asia accounting for 90% of this new urban growth. Urban anthropology has increasingly played a critically important role in the development of the discipline of anthropology in terms of theory, research methods and social justice movements. This course provides an historical overview of the development of urban anthropology and on through to recent developments. An emphasis will be placed on anthropological theory and research methods, but also issues such as social justice, architecture, design and urban planning. The course will cover, among others, the early Chicago ethnographers and early urban poverty research, utopian and modernist urban planning, power and built form, divisions and gated communities, crime and urban fear, urban homelessness, and the governance of built spaces. The course will conclude with a section on cities in transition, which includes a focus on the post-industrial/global city, the effects of neoliberalism on urban spaces, and a discussion of the possible future(s) of urbanism and the role of anthropology in understanding these developments.

Students must have completed 120 ECTS in their BA study before attending this course

Over the past years, public discussion on how to address cases of sexual violence has been heated, particularly in the aftermath of the #MeToo Movement. Research shows that only a small percentage of such cases are reported to the police and only a small number of those cases lead to a conviction. This has been called a justice gap. Increasingly, we see victim-survivors of sexual violence tell their stories on social media, or in the media, and in some cases alleged offenders are named publicly which has evoked different responses amongst the public and had various consequences.

In this course, these societal developments will be explored from the perspective of sociology of law. Sociology of law uses theories and methods from the social sciences to examine the law, legal institutions, and legal behaviours, in the effort to analyse legal phenomena in their social, cultural, and historical contexts. To shed further light on the treatment of sexual violence cases, this course will also include readings from criminology, victimology, gender studies and the health sciences.

The course will seek answers to the following questions and more: Who commits sexual violence and why? How are men’s experiences of being subjected to sexual violence different from women’s experiences? Why is the legal status and rights of defendants different from that of victims? How is law in the books different from law in practice? How has the criminal justice system developed historically? What characterises legal education and the legal profession? What is the difference between legal consciousness and legal culture? How does legal justice differ from social justice? What are the advantages and disadvantages to non-traditional justice systems in comparison to traditional justice systems?

This course engages with museum and heritage ecologies and entanglements of nature and culture. The course draws on posthuman and new materialist theories to examine entanglements and human/non-human agencies in relation to heritage ecologies and museums in the present. Particular attention is payed to heritage as a dynamic human/non-human construct that encourages connections and change. To this end, the course draws on lcelandic cases and research led teaching.

Vocational training in global studies and anthropology aims to provide students with increased skills through vocational training and to strengthen their connections with the labour market. This is a practical course that provides insight into the activities of institutions, non-governmental organizations, companies and other parties in-line with the aims of the course.

An agreement is made between the study program in anthropology and the relevant field of work. Students can make suggestions for a field of work or receive suggestions from the study program about a suitable field for internships. Subjects should be related to different aspects of anthropology and global science (electives: migration and multiculturalism, global health and development studies). For example, there could be one or two more important projects as well as various incidental projects. It is desirable that the student becomes acquainted with as many areas of work as possible in his / her field of work. The study program does not pay wages for the working hours, but the course is eligible for credits.

The student must contact the study program before the internship begins and have the plan approved. A special agreement is made with the person responsible for the worksite. 

The scope of the internship shall be 125-150 hours divided between while working in the workplace and writing a report. 

Before starting work in the field, the student compiles a reading list in consultation with the supervisor/supervisory teacher about the type of activity that the student intends to become involved with and the field itself. The student submits a draft summary of reading material before the internship begins. At the end of the participation in the worksite, the student writes a report on the internship where the activities are described and analysed.

In order to get credits evaluated for the internship, the student must hand in:

1. A letter from a supervisor, which includes a confirmation that the internship has lasted for at least 4 months along with a short stutta statement about the student and his tasks.
2. A statement that includes: 
   1. A descrption of the main tasks conducted during the internship periods,
   2. Weekly reports based on the student's journal entries,
   3. A description how the internhsip is useful for his/her study programme.
   4. tasks where a specific part of the work is examined and put into a theoretical perspective.

Vocational training in global studies and anthropology aims to provide students with increased skills through vocational training and to strengthen their connections with the labour market. This is a practical course that provides insight into the activities of institutions, non-governmental organizations, companies and other parties in-line with the aims of the course.

An agreement is made between the study program in anthropology and the relevant field of work. Students can make suggestions for a field of work or receive suggestions from the study program about a suitable field for internships. Subjects should be related to different aspects of anthropology and global science (electives: migration and multiculturalism, global health and development studies). For example, there could be one or two more important projects as well as various incidental projects. It is desirable that the student becomes acquainted with as many areas of work as possible in his / her field of work. The study program does not pay wages for the working hours, but the course is eligible for credits.

The student must contact the study program before the internship begins and have the plan approved. A special agreement is made with the person responsible for the worksite. 

The scope of the internship shall be 250-300 hours divided between while working in the workplace and writing a report.. 

Before starting work in the field, the student compiles a reading list in consultation with the supervisor/supervisory teacher about the type of activity that the student intends to become involved with and the field itself. The student submits a draft summary of reading material before the internship begins. At the end of the participation in the worksite, the student writes a report on the internship where the activities are described and analysed.

In order to get credits evaluated for the internship, the student must hand in:

1. A letter from a supervisor, which includes a confirmation that the internship has lasted for at least 4 months along with a short stutta statement about the student and his tasks.
2. A statement that includes: 
   1. A descrption of the main tasks conducted during the internship periods,
   2. Weekly reports based on the student's journal entries,
   3. A description how the internhsip is useful for his/her study programme.
   4. The length of the report should be between 2,000–3,000 words and be based on a concise academic discussion that draws on peer-reviewed sources in scholarly publications.

The field of Folklore, emerging out of the phenomena collectively referred to as  Modernity, has a complicated and problematic relationship with gender, both in the material that circulates and the subsequent academic treatment of that material. This seminar combines theoretical perspectives from Gender Studies and Folkloristics to better understand the interconnectedness of popular cultural forms, analyses, and the operations of power, specifically gender relations. Beginning with a feminist critique of Folkloristics from within (a historical reference point), we will examine more recent work on the relationship between gender and genre, between the empowering acts of ordinary rituals (so-called women‘s genres), and how the old, debunked Nature/Culture divide, in which women‘s genres were debased and denigrated, may, looked at from a different perspective, suggest alternate approaches to some contemporary global issues.

Teacher of the course: JoAnn Conrad

The course focuses on a number of key areas of Icelandic society and culture from an anthropological perspective. The course will build upon a set of themes that have a long tradition within the anthropology of Iceland, but a particular emphasis will be placed upon the contemporary context and emergent issues that are confronting Icelandic society.  The instruction will be in English in order to make the course accessible to non-Icelandic speaking students, but also to strengthen the English academic writing skills of non-native speakers of English.

An examination will be made of the religious beliefs and practices of people in Scandinavia from the earliest of times until the conversion, material ranging from burial practices to rock carvings, to the written evidence given in the works of Tacitus, Adam of Bremen and Saxo Grammaticus, as well as in early Icelandic works like the Eddic poems and the Kings' sagas. Alongside this discussion of the development and key features of Old Norse religion, some attention will be paid to the concepts of seid and shamanism, especially in connection to their role in early religions. Finally, an examination will be made of the conversion of Scandinavia and how Christian concepts and practices both fitted and contrasted with the previously dominant Old Norse worldview.

Teaching format

• The teaching takes place in the form of lectures and discussion on the material of the lectures.

Curating is a fast growing discipline within various types of museums, like art museums, natural history museums and cultural history museums. In this course different approches to curating, exhibition making and exhibition design in such museums will be examined from critical perspectives, with emphasis on management, different narrative strategies, scripting and mediation. Past and present exhibitions of art museums, natural history museums and cultural history museums, in Iceland and abroad, will be critically addressed and analyzed.

Everybody need to eat; food connects nature to culture, culture to industry, the public to the private, the local to the global, the home to the workplace, the past to the present and one person to another in relationships that organize and transcend the axes of class, gender, ethnicity, race and age. The study of food demonstrates that food is always laden with meaning that exceeds its nutritional value and that this meaning is central to understanding the relationship between food and people, one of the more important relationships we have with the world. Food habits thus reveal our views, values and aestethics, and food shapes our existence, bodies, memories, society, economy and ethics.

In the course we will explore what people eat, how, when, with whom and why. Doing so provides us with valuable insights regarding gender and generations, food safety and health, sustainability and human rights, class and cultural diversity, sense and sensibility, technology and food production, food and diet trends, food traditions and cultural heritage, emotions and microbes, friendship and family dynamics.

In the course we explore the relationship between food production and consumption in the 21st century with specific emphasis on public health, ethical consumption and sustainability.

Food and culture is an interdisciplinary course taught in cooperation between the Department of Folkloristics/Ethnology and Museum Studies and the Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition.

What is criminology? Criminological data and what criminologists do.

Crime definitions and how crime can be explained and understood. Examples of different theoretical perspectives will be covered in class: Classical Criminology and Social & Psychological Theories. What kind of criminological research and research questions are used with different theories? 

Using this theoretical background, a number of crime types and topics within Icelandic criminology will be presented and discussed in class, including the following: Physical and sexual violence, alcohol and drugs in society, crime and punishment, public attitudes to crime and punishment, and social crisis and crime. 

Students keep a journal about the lecture topics and the readings covered in class, evaluate the material, and draw their own conclusions. Final exam on-site.

The societal role of museums will be discussed from several angles: economic, political, cultural, social and last but not least in an international context. Examples of topics that will be discussed in the course are the role of museums in building the concept of the nation; the legal environment of museums; how museums are run; the status and role of the main museums; museums owned and run by local authorities and other museums; the financing of museums, and the policies of authorities regarding museums. Both national and foreign examples will be taken. 

Work format

Teaching will take the form of lectures and discussions.

The objective of this course is to gain methodological knowledge, understanding and practical skills to analyze images and visual data (photographs, films, drawings, advertisements, online media, etc.). We will discuss various methods of analysis of the visual content, consider visual databases and how to work with them. Students receive practical training in visual methodological studies and how to evaluate them. The course is based on practical assignments, where students prepare and design research proposals, collect data and how to analyze. The course is interdisciplinary and is suitable for students of humanities and social sciences, and other related fields.

What is cultural heritage and what purpose does it serve? Why does it always seem to be endangered? How does it tie together the past and the present? What's it got to do with the nation and the state? Historical consciousness? Globalization? Capitalism? Politics? The course will seek to answer these questions with reference to new research in folklore, ethnology, anthropology, art history, sociology, museology, history and archaeology and with a view to understanding what is going on in this expanding field of study.

This course delves into the multifaceted relationship between museums and the societies they serve. It aims to explore how museums are not only custodians of cultural heritage but also active participants in shaping cultural narratives and communal identities. By examining historical contexts, theoretical frameworks, and practical case studies, students will gain insight into the influential role that museums play in reflecting and sometimes challenging societal values. The course will cover topics such as museums as agents of social change, the importance of inclusivity and accessibility, and the impact of digital technology on community engagement. Through discussions, case studies, and hands-on projects, students will explore how museums can effectively engage with diverse audiences and contribute to a more equitable society. By the end of the course, students will have developed a nuanced understanding of how museums can evolve in response to the dynamic needs and values of the communities they serve.

This course critically examines the impact of contemporary social issues on museums and their practices. It seeks to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of how museums are confronted with, and often strive to address, various societal challenges, including diversity, equity, inclusion, social justice, and sustainability. Throughout the course, students will explore social issues within the museum context and analyze real-world examples of museums that actively engage with these topics. Key themes will include the role of museums as advocates for marginalized communities, the importance of community collaboration and co-creation, and strategies for addressing climate change within museum practices. The course is taught from the end of February to the end of March.

In this course students develop skills to estimate corporate greenhouse gas emissions. Students will understand main methods when estimating the emissions, how external data is obtained and used and which platforms are available for corporate disclosures such as the CDP, Nasdaq and GRI. Students will furthermore learn the implications of scopes, the use of life-cycle assessments, which indicators are material, how those indicators are selected and how carbon offset programs work in relation to corporate emissions. The Greenhouse Gas Protocol is a foundation in this course, as the guidance serves as a key tool for multiples disclosure platforms. Upon completion, students can independently estimate the greenhouse gas emission from corporations through the supply chain and present the information in a standard format, using a relevant disclosure platform. Students will furthermore understand current methodological developments in greenhouse gas emission accounting, particularly in relation to financial market participants. Students will furthermore understand how the information generated is used externally, for example by rating agencies conducting ESG risk assessments. 

This is an intensive course with the active participation of students. It is taught over 14 weeks. The course takes as its starting point the idea that although governments and nonprofits are crucial to modern society, businesses are largely responsible for creating the wealth upon which the well-being of society depends, while also being a part of the problems created. As they create that wealth, their actions affect society, which is composed of a wide variety of stakeholders, and the natural environment. In turn, society shapes the rules and expectations by which businesses must navigate their internal and external environments. These include the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, i.e., Goals 1-5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 16, the Paris Agreement, the UN Global Compact, the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), the Global Reporting Initiative, and more. This interaction between corporations, society (in its broadest sense) and the natural environment is the concern of corporate social responsibility (CSR), but the issues need to be addressed from a strategic point of view. 

Regardless of one’s viewpoint about the interaction of business and society, the continued co-existence of for-profit organizations is essential. This course seeks to explore the dimensions of that interaction from a multi-stakeholder perspective. That exploration is intended to be interactive, with the journey of exploration involving an analysis of CSR-related issues, simulation, and case studies.

The course is organized into six broad sections. In the first section, we will explore what corporate social responsibility (CSR) means and the driving forces of CSR. The second section focuses on the stakeholder perspective, and in the third section, we study the legal perspective. In the fourth section, we will explore the behavioral perspective, in the fifth section the strategic perspective and in the sixth section the focus will be on the sustainable perspective and sustainable value creation.