Karolína Pauknerová
Karolína Pauknerová
Title: Teaching (about) the Anthropocene: Experience with Piloting a Micro-credential Anthropocene Summer School in Prague
Authors: Eliška Fulínová & Karolína Pauknerová
Abstract: In this paper, we present our position on the potential of transdisciplinary alliance in research and teaching (about) the Anthropocene, which we have developed within the Center for Theoretical Study (CTS) in Prague, a research centre jointly established and operated by Charles University and the Czech Academy of Sciences. Since 2017, our collaborative research at the CTS has focused on the Anthropocene, aiming to understand it as an essentially transdisciplinary concept that integrates empirical and theoretical knowledge, encompassing ontological, epistemological, and existential/ethical dimensions. By fostering dialogue and knowledge exchange between the natural sciences and humanities, our goal is to develop a comprehensive understanding of the Anthropocene not only as a new geological epoch but also as a profound shift in our perception of the world, ourselves, and a distinct sensitivity or receptivity. Adopting a transdisciplinary approach, we aim to uncover the intricate connections between human culture (in its broadest sense), ecological transformations, and the evolving human self-conception. This approach allows us to formulate new responses to the question of who is the anthropos of the Anthropocene, while also re conceptualizing the notion of nature to better align with ongoing present day transformations. In addition to disseminating our research findings through popularization and communication in the public domain, we have recently expanded into the field of education. At the CTS, we have joined the University’s initiative to pilot courses under the EU micro-credentials scheme, and we have announced our inaugural Anthropocene Summer School, scheduled for September 2023. Through a combination of seminars, field trips, and workshops, we aim to demonstrate that studying the world in the Anthropocene requires novel approaches that transcend traditional divisions between natural and social sciences, as well as academic and non-academic forms of knowledge. Anthropocene phenomena are complex, dynamic, and often counterintuitively interconnected. To comprehend the present, it is crucial to adopt diverse perspectives and examine the realities around us from different angles. Using examples from the local contexts, our objective is to guide students from diverse backgrounds, including non-academic positions and various social and age groups, to effectively study and interpret the contemporary world in interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary ways. We will emphasise the importance of moving beyond one’s own expertise and facilitating communication across disciplines, which enables us to respond better to the complex ecological, social, and identity challenges of our time. In this paper, we will summarize the outcomes of the pilot run in effectively communicating the complex themes of the Anthropocene that we explore.
Bio: Karolína Pauknerová, graduated in anthropology and archaeology at the Faculty of Humanities and the Faculty of Arts of Charles University. Her research focuses on the topic of landscape and its past and memory, especially on the question of how the meaning of landscape is formed; and the study of material culture. These themes have been developed and pursued, for example, in the field of cultural and natural heritage, its transformation and presentation. These themes also contribute to the Center’s collaborative research and interest in the Anthropocene. She is the author of a monograph in Czech, Landscape between Memory and Forgetting (2019) and co-author of the books in Czech: Paths of Czech Science. Catalogue of the Exhibition (2022), The Dispute over Process and Event (2018) and in English: Non-humans and after in Social Science (2016), Non-humans in Social Science: Ontologies, Theories and Case Studies (2014), Non-humans in Social Science: Animals, Spaces, Things (2011). Since 2021, she represents the CTS as a member and since 2023 as a Management Committee Member for the Czech Republic in the WG3 “Traces and Climate Change” in the COST Action CA20134 Traces as Research Agenda for Climate Change, Technology Studies, and Social Justice (TRACTS). Since 2021, she is a co-chair of the “SIEF WG Space-lore and Place-lore”, she has been a member of the SIEF (International Society for Ethnology and Folklore) since 2017.
