Welcome to World101x, a free open
online course that explores current world
issues using the wealth and depth of anthropology,
the study of humanity by being there and with
people.
From Cuba to Toowoomba, from New York City
to Northern Queensland, from Chile to Malaysia,
from Brisbane to the world, we will explore
what indigeneity means, how people live their
lives within limits,  be they ecological, economic,
cultural, or social. We'll also give you an
idea of what anthropologists do and how they
do it. In short, this course will ask you
to challenge your views on a range of issues,
to think, reflect, and start using the anthropological
toolkit to better understand the world around
us, other people, and ultimately yourself.
The course is split into three modules. The
first covers general themes around the discipline
of social or cultural anthropology. “What
is anthropology,” “What do anthropologists
do,” and, “What issues do we address,”
are going to be key questions we'll try and answer.
We'll aim to define some terms and demonstrate
how diverse the field is. Anthropology, like
culture, has many definitions, and anthropologists
practice it in different ways, from very scientific
methods to the arts, where some people write
in the form of poetry and perform it.
The anthropological lens we deploy attempts
to look at a given moment holistically, which
means addressing the whole of the phenomenon.
This includes looking at the history, the
political, the social, cultural, and any other
domain that seems appropriate to create a
picture that tells as much of the story as
we can gather.
In module one, we figure out what anthropology
is and what anthropologists do.
Fern: I'd like to start by asking you a
question that you've been inflicting on everyone
else: what is anthropology, Gerhard?
Gerhard: In a nutshell?
Fern: Yes, you have one sentence.
Gerhard: One sentence. All right.
Whilst in module two and three, we delve into
some current world issues by following anthropologists
from the University of Queensland into their
respective fieldwork locations to find out
more about their work. Module two looks at
indigeneity, and we'll profile Annie Ross'
work with Aboriginal people near Toowoomba
and Queensland on cultural heritage. We also
look at David Trigger and Richard Martin's
work on Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal relations
in Northern Queensland's Gulf Country, as
well as an exhibition at the university's
Anthropology Museum.
In module three, we discuss 'life within limits'
and follow Anna Cristina Pertierra to Cuba
to find out about her work on kitchen appliances
and what they can tell us about life in a
post-socialist country that is also affected
by US sanctions.
We then visit Sally Babidge in Chile's Atacama
Desert to discuss the relationship between
mining and indigenous people and the contest
over water in the world's most arid place,
before following me to Malaysia, where we
will discuss what life is like for refugees
in a country that does not legally recognize
them. These are all complex issues.
One often-quoted answer anthropologists give
when asked to comment about a current world
issue is: "It's more complex than that," which can be the tagline for the course. 
Context is everything. And that's what we're always trying
to illuminate in our work. The aim of this
course is to get people excited about anthropology and, hopefully, you'll find some or even all of
it useful and exciting.
Welcome to World101x. Let's start the journey.
