Teaching

Teaching in the winter semester 2023/24

084887
(Bachelor)

084888
(Master)

Film and audio-visual Media in the Context of political Movements and Activism

Einzeltermin, 21.10.23, Sa 11-18, STU 105 (2.10)
Einzeltermin, 22.10.23, So 11-18, STU 105 (2.10)
Einzeltermin, 10.12.23, So 11-18, STU 105 (2.10)
Einzeltermin, 28.01.24, So 11-18, STU 105 (2.10)

Teaching in the summer semester 2023

082878

Public and applied anthropology: A workshop for documentary film, podcast and website production

Einzeltermin, 15.04.23, Sa 11-18, STU 104 (2.1)
Einzeltermin, 16.04.23, So 11-18, STU 104 (2.1)
Einzeltermin, 20.05.23, Sa 11-18, STU 104 (2.1)
Einzeltermin, 21.05.23, So 11-18, STU 104 (2.1)
Einzeltermin, 08.07.23, Sa 11-18, STU 104 (2.1)
Einzeltermin, 09.07.23, So 11-18, STU 104 (2.1)

082884

Public and applied anthropology: A workshop for documentary film, podcast and website production

Teaching in the winter semester 2022/23

080876

Filming Culture and Issues of Representation. A Filmmaking Workshop

Einzeltermin, 22.10.2022 , Sa. 11-18, STU 104 (2.1)
Einzeltermin, 23.10.2022 , Sa. 11-18, STU 104 (2.1)
Einzeltermin, 10.12.2022 , Sa. 11-18, STU 104 (2.1)
Einzeltermin, 11.12.2022 , Sa. 11-18, STU 104 (2.1)
Einzeltermin, 28.01.2023 , Sa. 11-18, STU 104 (2.1)
Einzeltermin, 29.01.2023 , Sa. 11-18, STU 104 (2.1)

080885

Filming Culture and Issues of Representation. A Filmmaking Workshop

Teaching in the summer semester 2022

088884

Visual Anthropology Documentary Filmmaking Workshop. Portraits of emotional Belonging.

Einzeltermin, 09.04.22, Sa 11-18, ULB 202
Einzeltermin, 10.04.22, So 11-18, ULB 201
Einzeltermin, 21.05.22, Sa 11-18, STU 105 (2.10)
Einzeltermin, 22.05.22, So 11-18, STU 105 (2.10)
Einzeltermin, 02.07.22, Sa 11-17, STU 105 (2.10)
Einzeltermin, 03.07.22, So 11-17, STU 105 (2.10)

088883

Visual Anthropology Documentary Filmmaking Workshop. Portraits of emotional Belonging.

Einzeltermin, 09.04.22, Sa 11-18
Einzeltermin, 10.04.22, So 11-18
Einzeltermin, 21.05.22, Sa 11-18, STU 105 (2.10)
Einzeltermin, 22.05.22, So 11-18, STU 105 (2.10)
Einzeltermin, 02.07.22, Sa 11-17, STU 105 (2.10)
Einzeltermin, 03.07.22, So 11-17, STU 105 (2.10)

Teaching in the winter semester 2021/22

086876

Participatory and Collaborative audio-visual Research Methods and Representation
Einzeltermin, 16.10.21, Sa 11-18, ULB 202
Einzeltermin, 17.10.21, So 11-18, ULB 202
Einzeltermin, 12.11.21, Fr 10-12
Einzeltermin, 27.11.21, Sa 11-18, ULB 202
Einzeltermin, 28.11.21, So 11-18, ULB 202
Einzeltermin, 10.12.21, Fr 10-12
Einzeltermin, 07.01.22, Fr 10-12
Einzeltermin, 22.01.22, Sa 11-18, ULB 202
Einzeltermin, 04.02.22, Fr 10-12

086890

Participatory and Collaborative audio-visual Research Methods and Representation
Einzeltermin, 16.10.21, Sa 11-18
Einzeltermin, 17.10.21, So 11-18
Einzeltermin, 12.11.21, Fr 10-12
Einzeltermin, 27.11.21, Sa 11-18
Einzeltermin, 28.11.21, So 11-18
Einzeltermin, 10.12.21, Fr 10-12
Einzeltermin, 07.01.22, Fr 10-12
Einzeltermin, 22.01.22, Sa 11-18
Einzeltermin, 04.02.22, Fr 10-12

Teaching in the Summer Semester 2021

084882	Sound - Image - Culture: Documentary Film Production in Visual Anthropology 12.04.21 - 17.05.21, Mo 10-12 31.05.21 - 07.06.21, Mo 10-12 Einzeltermin, 13.06.21, So 11-18, Einzeltermin, 18.07.21, So 11-18
084890	Sound - Image - Culture: Documentary Film Production in Visual Anthropology 12.04.21 - 17.05.21, Mo 10-12 31.05.21 - 07.06.21, Mo 10-12 Einzeltermin, 13.06.21, So 11-18 Einzeltermin, 18.07.21, So 11-18

Teaching in the Winter semester 2020/21

082874 (Bachelor)	Audio-Visual Research Methods and Short Film Production Workshop Single appointment, 07.11.20, Sa 11-18 Single appointmen,, 08.11.20, So 11-18 Single appointment, 28.11.20, Sa 11-18 Single appointment, 17.01.21, So 11-18 Single appointment, 06.02.21, Sa 11-18
082885 (Master)	Audio-Visual Research Methods and Short Film Production Workshop Single appointment, 07.11.20, Sa 11-18 Single appointmen,, 08.11.20, So 11-18 Single appointment, 28.11.20, Sa 11-18 Single appointment, 17.01.21, So 11-18 Single appointment, 06.02.21, Sa 11-18

Teaching in the Summer Semester 2020

080882	Participatory, collaborative and digital Methods in Visual Anthropology
080889	Participatory, collaborative and digital Methods in Visual Anthropology

Teaching in the Winter Semester 2019/20

088874
(Bachelor)

Rituals & Belonging. Field Research and Audio-Visual Methonds in Social Anthropology I

Einzeltermin 19.10.19, Sa 11-18, STU 105 (2.10)
Einzeltermin 20.10.19, So 11-18, STU 105 (2.10)
Einzeltermin 24.11.19, So 11-18, STU 105 (2.10)
Einzeltermin 01.02.20, Sa 11-18, STU 105 (2.10)
Einzeltermin 02.02.20, So 11-18, STU 105 (2.10)

088885
(Master)

Rituals & Belonging. Field Research and Audio-Visual Methods in Social Anthropology I

For the appointments see notice board, ,Block appointments. -

Teaching in the Summer Semester 2019

086883

Where I belong. Portraits zu Belonging (Short film workshop)
Single-session, 27.04.19, Sa 11-18, STU 105 (2.10)
Single-session, 27.04.19, Sa 11-18, STU 104 (2.1)
Single-session, 28.04.19, So 11-18, STU 105 (2.10)
Single-session, 28.04.19, So 11-18, STU 104 (2.1)
Single-session, 18.05.19, Sa 11-18, STU 105 (2.10)
Single-session, 18.05.19, Sa 11-18, STU 104 (2.1)

Teaching in the Winter Semester 2018/19

084878

Visuelle Anthropologie. Dokumentarfilm Praxis
t.b.a.

In cooperation with: Andreas Samland

084888

Visual Anthropology. Documentary Filmmaking Practice
t.b.a.

In cooperation with: Andreas Samland

Teaching in the Summer Semester 2018

082879

Ton - Bild - Kultur
Einzeltermin, 21.04.18, Sa 11-18, STU 105 (2.10)
Einzeltermin, 21.04.18, Sa 11-18, STU 104 (2.1)
Einzeltermin, 02.06.18, Sa 11-18, STU 105 (2.10)
Einzeltermin, 02.06.18, Sa 11-18, STU 104 (2.1)
Einzeltermin, 22.04.18, So 11-18, STU 104 (2.1)
Einzeltermin, 22.04.18, So 11-18, STU 105 (2.10)
Einzeltermin, 03.06.18, So 11-18, STU 104 (2.1)
Einzeltermin, 03.06.18, So 11-18, STU 105 (2.10)
Einzeltermin, 15.07.18, So 11-18, STU 105 (2.10)
Einzeltermin, 15.07.18, So 11-18, STU 104 (2.1)

In cooperation with: Andreas Samland

Teaching in the Winter Semester 2017/18

081069 (BA)

081080 (MA)

Anthropological informed film: audio-visual representation of fieldwork
Single Session, 21.10.17, Sa 11-18, STU 105 (2.10)
Single Session, 21.10.17, Sa 11-18, STU 104 (2.1)
Single Session, 11.11.17, Sa 11-18, STU 105 (2.10)
Single Session, 11.11.17, Sa 11-18, STU 104 (2.1)
Single Session, 22.10.17, So 11-18, STU 105 (2.10)
Single Session, 22.10.17, So 11-18, STU 104 (2.1)
Single Session, 12.11.17, So 11-18, STU 105 (2.10)
Single Session, 12.11.17, So 11-18, STU 104 (2.1)
Single Session, 21.01.18, So 11-18, STU 105 (2.10)
Single Session, 21.01.18, So 11-18, STU 104 (2.1)

In cooperation with: Andreas Samland

Teaching in the Summer Semester 2017

089071

Audio-Visuelle Repräsentation Anthropologischer Feldforschung
Einzeltermin, 06.05.17, Sa 11-18, STU 105 (2.10)
Einzeltermin, 17.06.17, Sa 11-18, STU 105 (2.10)
Einzeltermin, 15.07.17, Sa 11-18, STU 105 (2.10)
Einzeltermin, 07.05.17, So 11-18, STU 105 (2.10)
Einzeltermin, 18.06.17, So 11-18, STU 105 (2.10)

In cooperation with: Andreas Samland

Teaching in the Winter Semester 2016/17

087079 (BA)

087089 (MA)

Visual Anthropology (BA und MA)

Single session, 22.10.2016, Sa 11-18 STU 104 (2.1)
Single session, 23.10.2016, So 11-18 STU 104 (2.1)
Single session, 04.12.2016, So 11-18 STU 104 (2.1)
Single session, 14.01.2017, Sa 11-18 STU 104 (2.1)
Single session, 15.01.2017, So. 11-18 STU 104 (2.1)

In cooperation with: Andreas Samland

Teaching in the Winter Semester 2015/16

083102

Visual Anthropology
Single-Session, 31.10.15, Sa 11-18, STU 105 (2.10)
Single-Session, 31.10.15, Sa 11-18, STU 104 (2.1)
Single-Session, 21.11.15, Sa 11-18, STU 105 (2.10)
Single-Session, 21.11.15, Sa 11-18, STU 104 (2.1)
Single-Session, 12.12.15, Sa 11-18, STU 105 (2.10)
Single-Session, 12.12.15, Sa 11-18, STU 104 (2.1)
Single-Session, 06.02.16, Sa 11-18, STU 105 (2.10)
Single-Session, 06.02.16, Sa 11-18, STU 104 (2.1)

Teaching in the Summer Semester 2015

088813 BA

088847 MA

Visual Anthropology
Single-Session, 18.04.15, Sat 11-18, STU 105 (2.10)
Single-Session, 18.04.15, Sat 11-18, STU 104 (2.1)
Single-Session, 26.04.15, Sun 11-18, STU 105 (2.10)
Single-Session, 26.04.15, Sun 11-18, STU 104 (2.1)
Single-Session, 10.05.15, Sun 11-18, STU 105 (2.10)
Single-Session, 10.05.15, Sun 11-18, STU 104 (2.1)
Single-Session, 31.05.15, Sun Sat 11-18, STU 105 (2.10)
Single-Session, 31.05.15, Sun 11-18, STU 104 (2.1)
Single-Session, 21.06.15, Sun 11-18, STU 105 (2.10)
Single-Session, 21.06.15, Sun 11-18, STU 104 (2.1)
Single-Session, 04.07.15, Sat 11-18, STU 105 (2.10)
Single-Session, 04.07.15, Sat 11-18, STU 104 (2.1)

in collaboration with: Arjang Omrani, M.A

Teaching in the Winter Semester 2014/2015

088718

088703

Audio-Visual Anthropology Practice

in collaboration with: Arjang Omrani, M.A.

This is a practical class open for advanced B.A. and M.A. students, to produce anthropological informed film. The aim is to practice and experience how to give an audio-visual insight into a social phenomenon, social group, or social reality. The camera might be used as the research-tool but students will be persuaded also to try to go beyond in order to use the potential of the medium as much as possible on base of more recent theories and works in anthropology and other disciplines, to explore and develop innovative ways of story-telling and narrative strategies. Students will also have to deal with the issues of ethics, self-reflexivity and challenges considering filmic representation of people's lives.
The institute will offer some limited numbers of equipments, which students can borrow, to realize the projects. However, students will be encouraged also use their own or other equipments on base of their creativities.
In the course of the semester an anthropological short film project has to be completed in groups (2-3 students). The teachers will offer supervision of the projects and basic training of how to deal with camera and editing technology. This also involves individual meetings to supervise the production process. Finally, we will organize a public screening of the works.

Teaching in the Summer Semester 2014

088720

Visual Anthropology: Filmmaking Practice

Teaching in the Winter Semester 2013/2014

088718

088703

Visual Anthropology: Documentary Filmmaking Practice

Teaching in the Summer Semester 2013

SoSe 2013 Seminar Visuelle Anthropologie (088771), 14-täglich, 15.04.-15.07.13, Raum STU 104

Visual Anthropology consists of two major related but in the same time very different path-ways:
1.) The actual practice of VA is anthropological filmmaking. That is to combine fieldwork and filmmaking in order to produce an audio-visual representation of one's fieldwork. The range of approaches is divers. There are conventional ethnographic documentary films, from an explanative and didactic format, to a rather observational style, up to more interactive and conversational forms of filmmaking. Sometimes these films have creative and interesting narrative structures, and are very aesthetic and cinematographic. However, there are also many especially older films, which are rather driven by the objective to plainly document and salvage “culture(s)” or which use the camera as a pure research tool, without the aim of doing a good film and having an distinctive cinemato-graphic language. Moreover, there are also ethno-fiction films, (such as by Jean Rouch) auto-ethnographic films, collaborative undertakings and also very artistic films that are located between anthropology and art, but which are not considered as 'anthropology' by many anthropologists.

In this VA seminar we are not going to produce own films, but we follow the 2.) path-way:
We deal critically and analytically with the above stated formats of VA. Theoretical concern will be the history, debates, practices and methods of VA. Films will be reviewed and analyzed, and the theoretic body of literature concerned with VA will be treated. We will watch classics but also contemporary documentaries, from To live with Herds in East Africa up to Balkan Beats Berlin.
The second path-way is the critical reflection on the first. We will deal with issues of representation of cultural minorities and “others” in anthropological cinema. The latter has been criticized by postmodern critiques (e.g. Trinh T. Minh-ha) as partial, authoritative, unethic and western exotizations of non-western ethnic groups or western cultural minorities. In this context will be also dealt from a media anthropologists' standpoint with fiction and documentary film produced by the very “other”, such as “indigenous” and “third world” filmmaking. Additionally collaborative undertakings get elaborated, that is when anthropological filmmakers worked together with local filmmakers of their field, or initiated local film-projects, e.g. the classic Through Navajo Eyes 1972. While going through the history of anthropological film we deal also with broader film-theory, narrative structures of documentary film and their impact on VA and our own potential VA practice.

The aim of the course is to help students to reflect visual anthropological practices critically and be aware of past and current issues of debates that have been raised through the experiments of VA. Additionally, the seminar shall support students and enhance their ability to make use of visual anthropological knowledge for own potential audio-visual ethnographic fieldwork and filmmaking.

Note:
- For those who are motivated there will be the option to take part in an extra (not mandatory) workshop possibly over a weekend to experiment a bit of own filmmaking and editing.
- All participants should contact thomasj@gmx.net at least two weeks before the first session to receive a mandatory reading as PDF and the download-link for a film to be prepared for the first meeting. Please do not forget about that!

Some selected related literatures are:
Minh-ha, Trinh T. (1993): 'The Totalizing Quest of Meaning', in: Michael Renov (ed.) Theorizing Documentary, New York/London: Routledge, pp. 90-107.
Ruby, Jay. (1991): 'Speaking For, Speaking About, Speaking With, or Speaking Alongside – An Anthropolo- gical and Documentary Dilemma', in: Visual Anthropology Review Fall 1991 Volume 7 Number 2.
Marks, Laura (2000): The Skin of the Film. Intercultural Cinema, Embodiment and the Senses. Durham, Duke University Press.
MacDougall, David (1998): 'Transcultural Cinema', in: ibid. (ed.), Transcultural Cinema, Princeton/New Jersey: Princeton University Press, pp. 245-278.
MacDougall, David [1974] (2003). 'Beyond Observational Cinema', in: Principles of Visual Anthropology, Paul Hockings (ed.) Berlin & New York: Mouton de Gruyter, pp. 115-132.
Wood, Houston (2008): Native Features. Indigenous Films from Around the World. New York: Continuum.

Research Interests
- Audio-Visual Anthropology
- Indigenous Media studies
- Indigenous Cinema in Latin America
- Media Anthropology
- Affect Theory
- Anthropology of Emotion
- Documentary Art & Anthroplogy
- Collaborative and Participatory Methods
- Artistic Research Methods
- Sensory Cinema & the Anthropology of the Senses

Curriculum Vitae

2016-2020	Research Associate (Doctoral Candidate), Collaborative Research Centre ‘Affective Societies’ and Institute for Latin American Studies (FU Berlin)
2016-2019	Associated member of the PhD Graduate School ‘Between Spaces’, Institute for Latin American Studies (FU Berlin)
2016-2021	Program co-coordinator & lecturer for the MA Visual Anthropology, Media and Documentary Practices (WWU Münster)
2013-2021	Associate lecturer for BA and MA courses, Dept. of Social and Cultural Anthropology, WWU Münster
2014-2015	Freelance work for e-learning modules, Institute for Latin American Studies (FU Berlin)
2012-2014	Research Assistant, Dept. of Social and Cultural Anthropology, WWU Münster
2010-2012	MA Visual and Media Anthropology, FU Berlin
2006-2010	BA Cultural and Social Anthropology, WWU Münster BA Comparative Religion Studies, WWU Münster Student assistant (2008-2010) for the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics (WWU Münster)

Thema der M.A. Thesis:
Indigenous Media and Art Practices as Articulations of Indigenous Contemporaneities in Chiapas

M.A. Film: 'Darkmoon' (Indigenous Artists, Indigenous Poetry, Young Indigenous Modernity)

Publications

2021	(forthcoming) Affizierende Filmproduktionen: Aushandlungen von Gefühlen der Zugehörigkeit und des Konzeptes von Indigenität durch Filmemacher*innen in Chiapas.
2020	Never Silent Sights. De(colonial) Affect in a Social Environment of Racialisation. Anthrovision VANEASA Online Journal, Vol. 7.2 Special Issue: Epistemic Disobedience. Transcultural and Collaborative Filmmaking as a Decolonial Option (Florian Walter & Judith Albrecht eds.). Electronic version URL: http://journals.openedition.org/anthrovision/5821
2019	Insvestigating affective media practices in a transnational setting. In: Antje Kahl (ed.) Analyzing Affective Societies. Methods and Methodologies, New York: Routledge, pp. 183-199. (co-authored with Ingrid Kummels)
2019	The Politics of Affective Societies. An Interdisciplinary Essay. EmotionsKulturen / EmotionCultures \| Volume 7. Series edited by Birgitt Röttger-Rössler and Anita von Poser. Bielefeld: transcript. (co-authored with Jonas Bens and Aletta Diefenbach et al.)
2016	La producción de pertenencia afectiva por parte del movimiento de los medios indígenas en Chiapas. In: Ingrid Kummels (ed.) La producción afectiva de comunidad: Los medios audiovisuales en el contexto transnacional México-EE.UU. Berlin: Tranvía.
2013	Religiosity in a Virtual World: Reasons and Motivations. In: Undine Frömming (ed.) Virtual Environments and Cultures. A Collection of Social Anthropological Research in Virtual Cultures and Landscapes. Berlin, New York, Oxford, Wien: Peter Lang, pp. 165-176.

Movies

"Skatements" (2009)

"Wir sind halt Tamilen" (2009)

"Darkmoon" (2013)

Thomas John, M.A.

Teaching

Teaching in the winter semester 2023/24

Teaching in the summer semester 2023

Teaching in the winter semester 2022/23

Teaching in the summer semester 2022

Teaching in the winter semester 2021/22

Teaching in the Summer Semester 2021

Teaching in the Winter semester 2020/21

Teaching in the Summer Semester 2020

Teaching in the Winter Semester 2019/20

Teaching in the Summer Semester 2019

Teaching in the Winter Semester 2018/19

Teaching in the Summer Semester 2018

Teaching in the Winter Semester 2017/18

Teaching in the Summer Semester 2017

Teaching in the Winter Semester 2016/17

Teaching in the Winter Semester 2015/16

Teaching in the Summer Semester 2015

Teaching in the Winter Semester 2014/2015

Teaching in the Summer Semester 2014

Teaching in the Winter Semester 2013/2014

Teaching in the Summer Semester 2013

Research Interests

Curriculum Vitae

Publications

Movies