Every anthropology student is familiar with this situation (and students of other disciplines probably are as well). You're at a birthday party and that sceptical aunt asks you: but what will you do after your studies?
The sentences you produce are a mix of terms like ‘intersubjectivity’, ‘epistemologies’, ‘holistic' and all other kinds of jargon you actually still do not understand yourself after three years of studying. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could explain more easily what we do? And wouldn’t it be nice if we could do so to the ones who finance science, that is, the general public? Like your aunt.
According to the designer of the course Wiebe de Jong, the best way to do so is to show, don’t tell, as journalists say. In the course Future anthropology, Bachelor 3 students take that literally. In this final course of the year, students create a production - in the broadest sense - based on their Bachelor’s thesis. In three to five minutes, they show why anyone would care about their research and what problem is being addressed. During the course, they receive training in storytelling and creating audiovisual productions from professional trainers.
A nice spin-off of this course is that for these students, who are about to graduate, this is a great way to show potential employers what they are capable of. Moreover, on the final course day, students can already practice doing so, for they may present their work to an expert. This year, among others, Clemence Ross, former State secretary of Healthcare and Rabin Baldewsingh, national coordinator against discrimination attended these productions.
So next time these students meet their aunt at a birthday party, they will show rather than tell, and all becomes clear.