From Classroom to Industry: Teaching and Learning Anthropology through a Real-Life Case Study in Slovenia

Abstract

This article examines an innovative approach to teaching and learning anthropology, developed within an EU Erasmus+ project PEOPLE. Learning Cycles address the mismatch between skills gained by students and the ones expected by employers in industry. It elaborates on the example of university-industry cooperation established in Slovenia, in which students of anthropology and other related disciplines worked on a real-life case study, gaining industry-relevant skills as well as ability to communicate across disciplines. The authors examine and evaluate the problem-based teaching and learning processes, in which the students, supervised by academic and industry mentors, experimented with their existing anthropological knowledge, skills and methods. By taking the learning process outside of the classroom into a research field site and industry environment of an automation and manufacturing IT company, the students gained experiences in positioning themselves as anthropologists within a research & development team, communicating their research processes and findings, and understanding the relevance and potential of their knowledge and skills in a non-academic, practical settings.