Kursusinformation

WHAT IS THIS SEMINAR ABOUT?

This seminar brings together two different agendas: a) an investigation of the dominant economic principles today and b) their impact on urban life, including non-human lives.

In the first part of the semester, we will study financial institutions, their colonial past, and how they still shape the world around us, from megaprojects to housing decisions, from energy infrastructure to planetary health. You will get to understand the basic functioning of finance, off-shore accounts, or the debt crises both at the national and individual levels. The aim is to make the financial jargon accessible to you and decipher its underlying assumptions. In other words, this course will offer elementary financial literacy with a critical eye.

In the latter half of the semester, we will study a more-than-human urbanity, and show how economic decisions have affected their life-worlds. In the meantime, we will also challenge some of the established notions in social sciences such as family, nation, or the community.

I can’t help but think: Does this body belong to me? There are more bacteria and virus-DNA residing in my body than my "human" DNA. 10% of my dry weight is made up of bacteria. My immune system, my digestive organs, and many of my bodily functions are entrusted to them. Is this body truly mine? 

A multitude of organisms meet, compete, multiply, thrive or die within the space which I presume is my own. They keep me alive (whomever that "me" refers to) or they may kill me. We are "thrown-together", as Doreen Massey  once eloquently said. We bring forth a unique, temporary constellation. And not necessarily a coherent one. We move at different speeds, and in different directions, from animal bodies to humans and back. Some survive after I die, and some die so I can survive. I try to set boundaries but in vain. They fly through the holes, crawl beneath the doors, and pass through my skin.

I have ants in my kitchen. Is this house mine?

COURSE STRUCTURE

Some weeks are allocated for class discussions only, where you actively need to take part and debate the readings/movies assigned for the week. I will be more of a silent observer. In other sessions, I will lead the discussions, contextualise the content, and offer some theoretical insights. This does not mean you will have to sit down and listen to me for hours. But the weight of roles would shift slightly.

You can find the weekly plan below with colour codes.

GRADING

TBA