– Which teaching program would you like to highlight for your colleagues at the faculty right now?
– As I have recently taken over as head of the master's program at SAI, it is tempting to highlight this program. It has recently undergone a comprehensive revision, where we have adjusted many things—both academically and pedagogically—and we are proud of the result. Not least because we have preserved the long ethnographic fieldwork that is at the heart of anthropology, while also integrating this more systematically into the teaching across semesters.
– However, on the study side of things, I would also like to highlight a brand-new bachelor's program in 'Language and Society', which will be launched in the summer of 2026. In this study program, students will study a language at HF in combination with a social science subject at SV—such as social anthropology—thus achieving a unique double competence. I have great faith in this program and hope that we can establish more such study program collaborations across faculties.
– Who are you collaborating with?
– This semester, I don’t teach all that much, but as mentioned, I am now serving as the head of our master's program, and in that role, the study administration is a crucial collaborator. Especially Kirsten Greiner at SAI, who has an enormous institutional memory and a firm grip on most things. And of course, above me is my head of studies, Ingjerd Hoem, who is a great resource and inspiration.
– Apart from that, I actually find being head of the master’s program particularly interesting, as it requires collaboration with virtually all stakeholders at the department: with the study administration and study program council, with the students’ representatives, and with the entire academic staff who are involved in either teaching or supervising our master's students. It is a lot of fun, and I find myself learning a lot from it!
– In your opinion, what are the three most important factors for achieving good teaching in this field?
– Many insightful things have already been said in this column earlier, so I will limit myself to pointing to two factors. First, academic competence. Those who teach must know what they are talking about and must be well-versed in the subject matter. In a sense, this goes without saying, but it doesn’t hurt to repeat it once in a while in any case. And it is a principle that applies to all disciplines. However, for anthropology in particular, I also believe that the ability to surprise is important. Astonishment is, in many ways, central to our discipline—the ability to be surprised by and simultaneously curious about the diversity of the world and the countless ways we humans have organized societies and built institutions.
– Anthropology is at its best when it manages to turn upside down what we take for granted in everyday life, and this applies to teaching situations as well. And it certainly helps a lot if the students are also ready to be surprised and find it inspiring to have their preconceived notions about how the world can be organized challenged.
– If you were to give one piece of advice to new teachers at the faculty, what would it be?
– Remember that you are not alone! Actively make use of all the fantastic resources available at our faculty! There are experienced instructors and teachers that you can rely on for support and inspiration, along with competent study coordinators and a strong administrative support system.
– At the SV faculty, we are also fortunate to have the learning network EILIN, and at SAI, we have a useful internal digital resource page for teaching. So don’t spend your time reinventing the wheel; let yourself be inspired by and build upon the resources that already exist.