Constructing the Social World: How Norms, Intentions and Institutions Shape Society

Dozent/in	Dr. Willem Edward Church
Veranstaltungsart	Hauptseminar
Code	FS251426
Semester	Frühjahrssemester 2025
Durchführender Fachbereich	Ethnologie
Studienstufe	Bachelor Master
Termin/e	wöchentlich (Mo), ab 17.02.2025, 14:15 - 16:00 Uhr, Inseliquai 10 220
Umfang	2 Semesterwochenstunden
Turnus	wöchentlich
Inhalt	How are categories like ‘money,’ ‘marriage,’ or ‘gender’ created and sustained, and what makes them real to those who rely on them? How do we, as individuals, participate in shaping the social realities around us? This course explores these questions through three prominent frameworks for understanding social construction: social norms, performativity, and collective intentionality. By analyzing and applying these theories to anthropological contexts, we will examine contrasting accounts of how social expectations form and guide behavior, how individuals’ repeated (re)enactments bring social properties and entities into being, and how shared goals and intentions lay the groundwork for social reality itself. The course will critically assess the strengths and limitations of each approach, highlighting both the stability and transformative potential of social constructs. By the end, students will be equipped with analytical tools to explore the intersections of conventions, performative acts, and collective agency, fostering a nuanced understanding of how these frameworks can help anthropologists understand the creation of the social world.
Sprache	Englisch
Anmeldung	***Important*** In order to acquire credits, it is mandatory to register for the course via the UniPortal. Registration opens two weeks before and ends two weeks after the start of the semester. Registrations and cancellations are no longer possible after this period. The exact registration dates can be found here: www.unilu.ch/ksf/semesterdaten
Abschlussform / Credits	Aktive Teilnahme / 4 Credits
Hörer-/innen	Nach Vereinbarung
Kontakt	willem.church@doz.unilu.ch
Literatur	A complete reading list will be provided one week before the semester begins. However, familiarity with the class themes will greatly enhance students’ ability to critically analyze the ideas we will engage with throughout the course. For an accessible overview that summarizes and attempts to integrate two of the frameworks we will focus on, consider reading: Guala, Francesco. 2016. Understanding Institutions: The Science and Philosophy of Living Together. New Jersey: Princeton University Press.