TEACHING ANTHROPOLOGY IN THE TIK-TOK AND AI ERA. ON TRANSFERABLE SKILLS BUILT THROUGH PRACTICAL EXERCISES AND FILMMAKING PRACTICE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.2478/subbs-2025-0010Keywords:
anthropology education, experiential learning, digital natives, interdisciplinary collaboration, documentary filmmakingAbstract
This paper examines methods of teaching introductory anthropology to non-anthropology students in the context of digital culture and post-pandemic social realities. Drawing on courses taught between 2018 and 2025 within the Documentary Filmmaking master’s program at Babeș-Bolyai University, it explores how anthropology can be made relevant to film students shaped by constant online interaction, social media, and artificial intelligence. The study presents a pedagogical model based on experiential learning, interdisciplinary collaboration, and international filmmaking teamwork involving students from Romania, the United States, and Italy. Emphasis is placed on “hands-on” projects that encourage direct engagement with people and communities beyond digital environments. Student feedback indicates that anthropological methods and skills were transferable to filmmaking practice and other professional contexts. The paper argues that experiential and collaborative approaches can make anthropology accessible and meaningful for digital-native film students.
References
Baudrillard, J. (1994). Simulacra and simulation. University of Michigan press.
Bernard, H. R. (2017). Research methods in anthropology: Qualitative and quantitative approaches. Bloomsbury Publishing PLC.
Copeland, T. J., & FRANÇOIS DENGAH, H. J., II. (2016). “Involve me and I learn”: Teaching and applying anthropology. Annals of Anthropological Practice, 40(2), 120–133. Portico.
Demerath, P. (2019). Maximizing Impact in Anthropology and Education: Capitulations, Linkages, and Publics. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 50(4), 448–458. Portico.
Emerson, R. M., Fretz, R. I., & Shaw, L. L. (2011). Writing ethnographic fieldnotes (2nd ed.). University of Chicago Press.
Eriksen, T. H. (2017). What is anthropology? (2nd ed.). Pluto Press
Fukuzawa, S. (2024). Is there a legitimate role for Artificial Intelligence in large online Anthropology Courses? Teaching Anthropology blog. Available at https://teachinganthropology.org/is-there-a-legitimate-role-for-artificial-intelligence-in-large-online-anthropology-courses/
Geertz, C. (1973). The interpretation of cultures. Basic Books.
Guest, G., Namey, E. E., & Mitchell, M. L. (2013). Collecting and analyzing qualitative data. In H. R. Bernard & C. C. Gravlee (Eds.), Handbook of methods in cultural anthropology (2nd ed., pp. 227–258). Rowman & Littlefield.
Hernández Sánchez, C. (2013). Anthropology and Initiation of Teachers’ Training. Anthropology in Action, 20(3).
Hoag, E. (2024). “Hearing What They Don’t Say”: Cultivating New Perspectives through Teaching and Learning Anthropology at a College of Art and Design. Teaching and Learning Anthropology, 7(2).
Krause-Jensen, J., & Hau, M. F. (2025). Chatbots and the Craft of Ethnography: Exploring AI's Impact on Anthropological Teaching and Practice. Teaching Anthropology, 14(2), 109-117.
Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Prentice Hall.
Kuh, G. D. (2008). High-impact educational practices: What they are, who has access to them, and why they matter. Association of American Colleges and Universities.
Lassiter, L. E. (2005). The Chicago guide to collaborative ethnography. University of Chicago Press.
Longkumer, T. (2025). Generative AI in Anthropology: Redefining Fieldwork, Textualisation, and Collaborative Knowledge Production. Teaching Anthropology, 14(2), 118-130.
Plato. (2004). The Republic (C. D. C. Reeve, Trans.). Hackett Publishing Company. (Original work published ca. 380 BCE)
Rylko-Bauer, B., Singer, M., & van Willigen, J. (2006). Reclaiming applied anthropology: Its past, present, and future. American Anthropologist, 108(1), 178–190.
Spradley, J. P. (1980). Participant observation. Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Stein, S., Andreotti, V. O., Bruce, J., &Suša, R. (2016). Towards different conversations about the internationalization of higher education. Comparative and International Education, 45(1), 1–18.
STEIN, M. J., DAUGHERTY, A., RIVERA, I., MUZZO, J., & LYNN, C. D. (2016). Thinking outside anthropology’s box: Socializing undergraduates through collaborative research, teaching, and service. Annals of Anthropological Practice, 40(2), 164–177. Portico.
Weston, G., & Djohari, N. (2025). Generative AI and Socio-Technological Advancements: What Now for Anthropology?. Teaching Anthropology, 14(2), 76-79.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Studia Universitatis Babeș-Bolyai Sociologia
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
