Dynamics of dispossessionLaajuus (5 cr)

Course unit code: TUKO1305

General information

Credits: 5 cr

Teaching language: English

Responsible person: Marjo Lindroth

Objective

By the end of this course, the participants are able to:
- understand dispossession as both a historical and contemporary phenomenon
- identify societal processes that maintain dispossession
- obtain a comprehension of different approaches to study dispossession
- critically discuss the concept of dispossession in relation to current social, economic, legal, and political developments
- apply a multifaceted approach to processes of dispossession in one’s own research.

Content

This course is intended for doctoral researchers in social sciences, legal studies, education and art and design who are interested in gaining an understanding of contemporary dispossession. The course introduces different approaches to dispossession that can be applied in studies ranging from socio-economic, political and legal development to cultural and environmental issues. We read and discuss different scholarly interpretations of dispossession and of the ways in which dispossession is maintained and furthered in society. The course offers the participants tools to detect and understand processes of deprivation, loss and appropriation in their own research contexts.

Program:
1. A reading task before the course
2. Introductory lecture: How to understand the persistence of dispossession?
3. Thematic session 1: Waiting
4. Thematic session 2: Endurance
5. Thematic session 3: Hope
6. Closing session with presentations and final discussion
7. Final essay

Further information

Evaluation 1–5. The evaluation is based on active participation in the sessions, presentation and an essay.

Execution methods

A course with a preliminary reading task; an introductory lecture (2h); three thematic sessions each with assigned preliminary readings, an introduction to the theme and group discussions (9h); a closing session with student presentations (3h); and a final essay. This course is preferably an in situ course, but can be organised in a hybrid format with the possibility for online participation.