Prerequisits:

There are no specific prerequisites. However, prior knowledge of basic theories and research methods in ethnology, anthropology, folklore studies, cultural heritage studies, or related fields—is recommended.

Content (Syllabus outline):

1. Modes of Writing in Science
   (The use and purpose of different forms of social sciences and humanities writing – research, interpretative, theoretical, and creative writing, with an emphasis on theoretical, methodological, and epistemological approaches rooted in the research traditions of ethnology, folklore studies, musicology, anthropology, cultural studies, and heritage studies. A Special section will be devoted to scientific writing and women.)
2. Popularization of Science
   (Trends in science, the position of science, and the role and use of scientific writing beyond scientific discourse in the 21st century, with a focus on the social sciences and humanities)
3. Overview of Scientific Writing Beyond Scientific Discourse
   (A general overview of periods, genres, and authors, with emphasis on the literary turn of the 1980s)
4. Ethical Commitments in Writing
   (The principle of “do no harm” and related key ethical principles, as well as ethical considerations when writing for broader audiences)
5. Case Analysis and Practical Writing Exercises
   (An overview of forms and significant authors, writing workshops)
6. Writing as Method
   (The significance of thinking through writing, reflective analysis, experimental forms of writing, collaborative writing)

Readings:

• Clifford, J. & G.E. Marcus (eds) 1986. Writing culture: the poetics and politics of ethnography. Berkeley: University of California Press.
• Fassin, D. 2014. True life, real lives: revisiting the boundaries between ethnography and fiction. American Ethnologist, 41(1), 40-55.
• Geertz, C. 1973a. The interpretation of cultures: selected essays. New York: Basic Books.
• Ghosh, A. 1992. In an antique land. New York: Vintage.
• Gibbs, Anna. 2007. Writing as Method: Attunement, Resonance, and Rhythm. V Affective Methodologies, ur. Britta Timm Knudsen in Carsten Stage, 222–236. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Kusserow, Adrie. 2017. Anthropoetry. V Crumpled Paper Boat: Experiments in Ethnographic Writing, ur. Anand Pandian in Stuart McLean, 71–90. Durham: Duke University Press.
• Lévi-Strauss, C. 1992 [1955]. Tristes tropiques. New York: Penguin Books.
• Malinowski, B. 1967. A diary in the strict sense of the term. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
• Maillot Lionel. 2023. The overlooked benefits of science popularization. Martin W Bauer and Bernard Schiele. Science communication: taking a step back to move forward, CNRS Éditions. HAL Open Science.
• Narayan, K. 1999. Ethnography and fiction: where is the border? Anthropology and Humanism 24(2), 134-47.
• Narayan, K. 2012. Alive in the writing: crafting ethnography in the company of Chekhov. Chicago: University Press
• Pandian, Anand in Stuart McLean (ur.) 2017. Crumpled Paper Boat: Experiments in Ethnographic Writing. Durham: Duke University Press.
• Pratt, M.L. 1992.  Imperial eyes: travel writing and transculturation. London: Routledge.
• Rapport, N. 1994. The prose and the passion: anthropology, literature and the writing of E. M. Forster. Manchester: University Press.
• Rogelja Nataša caf in Špela Ledinek Lozej. 2024. Zbirka etnografskih esejev z metodološkimi premisleki o hoji in pisanju. Ljubljana: Založba ZRC
• Stoller, P. 2009. The power of the between: an anthroplogical odyssey. Chicago: University Press.
• Wulff, Helena (ur.) 2016. The Anthropologist as Writer: Genres and Contexts in the Twenty-first Century. New York: Berghahn Books.
• Wulff, Helena. 2016a. Introducing the Anthropologist as Writer: Across and Within Genres. V The Anthropologist as Writer: Genres and Contexts in the Twenty-first Century, ur. Helena Wulff, 1–20. New York: Berghahn Books.

Objectives and competences:

Objectives:

The course offers an overview of the history of styles of scientific writing, with special emphasis on the so-called literary turn, during which authors re-examined scientific writing and offered a broader reflection on power relations and the situatedness of the observer and the observed. Furthermore, the course highlights different modes of scientific writing in the social sciences and humanities – ranging from research, interpretative, and theoretical writing to creative and experimental forms.

Competences:

In the context of reflections on the popularization of science and on scientific writing beyond scientific discourse in the 21st century, particular attention will be given to recognizing and practicing alternative ways of presenting research findings (professional and popular articles, literary texts, texts intended for exhibitions and other public events, essays, and some newer experimental forms of writing such as anthropological poetry). Since such texts reach a broader public, the course will also devote special attention to ethical issues related to the popularization of science.

Students will acquire competencies in recognizing different types of scientific texts and experimental scientific genres, as well as competencies in scientific writing beyond scientific discourse, which in recent decades have proven to be highly valuable skills (writing professional articles, essays, exhibition texts, blogs, etc.).

Intended learning outcomes:

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

• demonstrate knowledge of different types of scientific writing, particularly within the social sciences and humanities;
• understand the key reflections of the so-called literary turn and its significance for scientific writing in the social sciences and humanities;
• develop a critical approach to the use of different genres of scientific writing beyond scientific discourse;
• recognize and appropriately respond to ethical dilemmas in their own writing as well as in the writings of other scholars;
• understand the role of science popularization and alternative modes of presenting research findings;
• apply different forms of writing in their own work.

Learning and teaching methods:

Types of learning/teaching:

• Frontal teaching
• Work in smaller groups or pair work
• Independent students work
• e-learning

Teaching methods:

• Explanation
• Conversation/discussion/debate
• Work with texts
• Case studies
• Different presentation
• Field work (e.g. company visits)
• Inviting guests from companies

Assessment:

• Short written assignments 40 %
• Long written assignments 40 %
• Final examination (written/oral) 20 %

Lecturer’s references

• ROGELJA CAF, Nataša. Casting a sideways glance : walking-writing experiments with the river. V: ERNSTEN, Christian (ur.), SHEPHERD, Nick (ur.). Walking as embodied research : drift, pause, indirection. London; New York: Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group, 2024. Str. 288-305. ISBN 978-1-032-01022-9, ISBN 978-1-032-03968-8. DOI: 4324/9781003189992.2-25.
• ROGELJA CAF, Nataša (avtor, fotograf), LEDINEK LOZEJ, Špela (avtor, fotograf), GREGORIČ BON, Nataša (urednik), KOKALJ, Žiga (urednik). Hodopisi : zbirka etnografskih esejev z metodološkimi premisleki o hoji in pisanju. 1. izd. Ljubljana: Založba ZRC, 2023. 215 str., ilustr., zvd. Prostor, kraj, čas, 21.
• ROGELJA CAF, Nataša. Walking with the Rižana River : ethnographic experiments in the Anthropocene. Anthropological notebooks. [Spletna izd.]. 2022, vol. 28, no. 3, str. 11-38, ilustr. ISSN 2232-3716. DOI: 5281/zenodo.7463496.
• ROGELJA CAF, Nataša, LEDINEK LOZEJ, Špela. Hodim, pišem, raziskujem : refleksija hoje in pisanja v etnološkem in antropološkem raziskovanju. Etnolog : glasnik Slovenskega etnografskega muzeja. [Nova vrsta]. [Tiskana izd.]. 2021, letn. 31 = 82, str. 67-86, ilustr. ISSN 0354-0316. https://www.etno-muzej.si/files/etnolog/pdf/0354-0316_31_Rogelja_Ledinek_Hodim.pdf.
• OGELJA CAF, Nataša. A life in letters : an anthropological reflection on the correspondence of Slovene missionary sr. Conradina Resnik. Dve domovini : razprave o izseljenstvu. [Tiskana izd.]. 2019, [št.] 50, str. 89-108, ilustr. ISSN 0353-6777. DOI: 3986/dd.v2019i50.7460.
• ROGELJA CAF, Nataša. Trinajsti mesec : portreti morskih nomadov. Preserje: Aktivni mediji, 2018. 255 str., ilustr. ISBN 978-961-94017-7-4.