Ateneo - UPO

OUTLINES OF ETHNOLOGY

A) Miller Barbara (2025), Antropologia Culturale (Terza edizione italiana a cura di Broccolini Alessandra), Milano, Pearson. See the document “MANUALE MILLER - PARTI DA STUDIARE.PDF” presente nell’area DIR del corso - www.dir.uniupo.it.
(those who have already taken an exam in demo-ethno-anthropological disciplines will have to replace the manual with another text, contacting the teacher).

B) Aime Marco (2020), Classificare, separare, escludere. Razzismi e identità, Torino, Einaudi.

C) Slides used during the module, which will be available online on DIR platform - www.dir.uniupo.it.

D) A seminar will be organized for attending students.

• Objective - knowledge and comprehension: acquiring the basic knowledge of the discipline: theoretical concepts, and fields of ethnographic investigation; acquiring critical thinking skills necessary to deconstruct the most common stereotypes: understanding the multiplicity and the plurality of worldviews; contextualizing the anthropological change which took place in Italy from the middle of the 20th century through some notions, such as: tradition, modernity, globalization, migration.
• Objectives - ability to apply knowledge and comprehension: being able to identify, to interpret and critically position some aspects of ethno-anthropological culture; acquiring the ability to critically read texts and documents.
• Objectives - expression of opinions and judgments: acquiring the ability to analyze and to make personal pronouncements about the concepts learned; comparing ethnographic data.
• Objectives - communication skills: ability to communicate the issues, orally or by means of written papers, using an appropriate terminology.
• Objectives - ability to study: deepening the topics through bibliographic research on the basis of the knowledge acquired; combining theoretical and methodological concepts with the observation of ethnographic data.
The course is aimed at teaching students the main theoretical and methodological concepts of the discipline and, for the most advanced students, the critical use of the acquired theoretical and methodological knowledge. The assessment of the above mentioned goals will be verified during the exam.
Objectives and contents of the course fulfil the criteria required for the teaching in the first and second level secondary schools.

General culture knowledge from the high school.

Lectures, slides, and ethnographic video recordings. Students will be involved in guided discussions on specific topics.
Slides and other teaching materials will be available on the DIR website.

Students with physical disabilities, Learning Disabilities or Special Education Needs can request specific services and tools via reference office consulting the University webpage: https://www.uniupo.it/en/services/services-students-physical-or-learning-disabilities.

Students with disabilities, learning disabilities or special education needs, once they have contacted the University Staff, can refer to the tutor in charge of the course to define the examination modalities, concerning academic aspects.

E-mail: davide.porporato@uniupo.it.
Room: Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici (Department of Humanities), ground floor, Palazzo Tartara, via Galileo Ferraris n. 109, Vercelli.

Office hours: Wednesday, 9.00-10.30.
Students are kindly asked to contact the teacher in advance by e-mail.

The exam is aimed at verifying the achievement of the learning objectives. The exam is structured in two parts that can be taken on a single day or in two consecutive or non-consecutive calls, at student’s discretion.
First part
A) Miller Barbara (2025), Antropologia Culturale (Third Italian edition), Milano, Pearson (only the chapters listed in the document “MANUALE MILLER - PARTI DA STUDIARE.PDF” available on DIR) and slides presented during course.
The knowledge of the program will be evaluated by an e-test consisting in 30 multiple-choice questions. The e-test lasts 30 minutes. 1 point is given for each correct answer. This part of the exam will be considered successful with a minimum of 18 correct answers.
Second part
B) Aime Marco (2020), Classificare, separare, escludere. Razzismi e identità, Torino, Einaudi and slides presented during course.
An oral or written presentation, depending on student’s preference, on two themes of the program determined by the teacher.
During the exam the candidate will be tested on a topic decided by the teacher. Answers will also enable to test communication skills. The written test lasts 60 minutes; the oral test lasts 25 minutes approximately. The mark is expressed in thirtieths. The second part of the exam will be considered successful with a minimum score of 18 points.
The final assessment is given by the average of the two partial marks and it is expressed according to the following criteria:
- from 18 to 21/30: acceptable knowledge and comprehension of the basic concepts of the discipline, and of the ethnographic research field; sufficient ability to understand and to conceptualize the anthropological change which took place in Italy in the 20th century; fair ability to apply the acquired knowledge and to communicate the issues using an appropriate terminology; fair ability to acquire new skills;
- From 22 to 25/30: the same items with a satisfactory performance;
- From 26 to 28/30: the same items with a good performance;
- From 29 to 30/30 (with possible honors): the same items with an excellent performance.
The results of the first part will be announced on the DIR website (registration number + mark); the final mark will be notified on “Esse3 – Computer Services” e-platform. The candidate may review her/his test during office hours.

The origins of the discipline; the concept of culture in the anthropological sense; culture and symbols; culture and nature; the process of enculturation; levels of culture; cultural diversity; culture and creativity; cultural relativism and ethnocentrism; ethnicity and race; models of parental relationships; the results of globalization; migration, integration and social cohesion; memory strategies; ethnography as a resource for reflective teaching; education and multiculturalism. (Gender mainstreaming addition)
Sex and gender: roles, gender-based intersections, and sexual orientation.

Knowledge and understanding:
knowledge of some fundamental theoretical concepts of the discipline; knowledge of the ethnographic research fields; ability to understand and contextualize the anthropological change in Italy during the 20th century.
Ability to apply knowledge and understanding: skills to critically identify, interpret and place some aspects of ethno-anthropological culture; ability to critically read a text.
Expression of opinions and judgments: ability to make personal pronouncements about the concepts learned; ability to compare ethnographic data.
Communication skills: ability to communicate the acquired knowledge by using an appropriate terminology.
Learning/studying skills: ability to draw on bibliographic resources to acquire new competences; ability to combine theoretical and methodological concepts with the direct observation of ethnographic data.
To achieve an advanced level, students must also prove to have:
- an organic vision of the topics addressed in class, and the attitude to synthetize and analyze them;
- the ability to elaborate a personal and critical vision of the topics, with excellent language proficiency;
- the ability to explore particular topics autonomously.
These results are consistent with the requirements of the Annual Form (SUA) of the 3-year course (A4.b.2.).