Comparative Studies of Social and Cultural Diversity IV

This course is an introduction to affect and sensory studies. In recent years, emotions and the senses have become a vibrant topic of research in a range of disciplines from humanities and social sciences to biology and psychology. Scholars in these growing fields have argued for the importance of understanding how technological, economic, and cultural changes transformed people’s emotional and sensory experience. Yet, due to the interdisciplinary nature of this growing field, there is no consensus on theoretical grounds or methodological frameworks in studying emotions and the senses. The course aims to help students understand theories and methodologies employed by scholars in the fields and critically analyze how, of if, affect and sensory studies would contribute to expanding and/or deepening the existing scholarly knowledge.