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External Practicum Seminar

Code: 101254
Credits: 6
2026/2027
Degree programme Type Course
Social and Cultural Anthropology OP 4

Contact lecturer

Name :
Isidoro Ruiz Haro
Email :
isidoro.ruiz@uab.cat

Teaching staff

Isidoro Ruiz Haro

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

The course is highly recommended—and becomes practically essential—for students undertaking External Internships, as it provides the academic space in which to analyze, contextualize, and give meaning to the professional experience developed in real-world settings.

Although it is part of the elective offerings of the Bachelor’s Degree in Social and Cultural Anthropology and is primarily aimed at fourth-year students, the External Internships Seminar can also be taken by students who are not carrying out internships. In such cases, the course provides relevant tools and knowledge to explore the various possibilities for applying anthropological knowledge in professional contexts beyond academia, and to understand the different fields and pathways of professional development in anthropology.

In any case, for students undertaking internships, it is essential to take the seminar simultaneously—during the same semester and academic year—as the External Internships course, since both have been conceived as complementary and interdependent: while the internships provide direct experience, the seminar enables critical reflection, theoretical analysis, and the systematization of the learning acquired.

Objectives

The Seminari de Pràctiques Externes is an elective course specifically aimed at fourth-year students in the Degree in Social and Cultural Anthropology. It is taught during the second semester and is designed to be taken simultaneously with course 101265 Pràctiques Externes, with which it maintains a close complementary relationship, although it may also be taken without undertaking an internship.

The course is organized around a weekly three-hour session, with mandatory attendance, and is conceived as a space for collective, participatory, and reflective work. Sessions may combine plenary formats—with the participation of the whole group—with small group dynamics, often organized according to thematic affinities or areas of professional interest. This structure encourages both the exchange of experiences and the shared analysis of practices and the contexts in which they take place.

The seminar is conceived as a key space for critical reflection, systematization, and contextualization of professional practice, as well as for exploring the professional possibilities of anthropology in our context. It promotes the connection between theoretical knowledge, anthropological methodologies, and real situations of intervention and professional practice.

Among others, the learning objectives are oriented toward the development of the following professional competences:

  • To understand the main sectors and fields of professionalization in anthropology.
  • To comprehend the diversity of roles, approaches, and contexts in which professional practice is carried out.
  • To become familiar with contemporary debates on the relationship between theory and practice (theory of praxis) in professional anthropology.
  • To consolidate the use of methodological tools and techniques specific to anthropology applied to real contexts.
  • To develop a critical and reflective perspective on one’s own practice and on intervention contexts.
  • To integrate fundamental ethical principles in professional practice, especially in relation to working with groups and institutions.
  • To improve communication, analysis, and presentation skills in professional environments.

In this way, the seminar becomes a key space not only for supporting the internship experience of those students who undertake it, but also for contributing to the development of a solid, critical, and well-positioned professional profile within the field of anthropology for all students in the degree program.

Learning outcomes

  1. Applying the knowledge of cultural variability and its genesis to avoid ethnocentric projections.
  2. Knowing and understanding the foundations for the implementation of Anthropology into social and environmental interventions.
  3. Knowing some practical intervention cases.
  4. Carrying out oral presentations using appropriate academic vocabulary and style.
  5. Submitting works in accordance with both individual and small group demands and personal styles.
  6. Carrying out an individual work that specifies the work plan and timing of activities.
  7. Identifying the ethical aspects of an intervention.
  8. Recognising the ethical implications of the investigations aimed at intervention.
  9. Knowing and implementing the professional involvement in interventions into different contexts and areas of implementation of Anthropology within the field between culture and society.
  10. Reconciling the Administration demands and those from the affected populations in the intervention projects.
  11. Being capable of carrying out ethnographic designs corresponding to planned changes, and intermediate and final evaluation designs.
  12. Recognising the importance of the internal inequality systems in the intervention processes.
  13. Express ideas with a specific vocabulary appropriate to the discipline.
  14. Plan work effectively, individually or in groups, in order to fulfil the planned objectives.
  15. Propose new experience-based methods or alternative solutions.
  16. Weigh up the impact of any long- or short-term difficulty, harm or discrimination that could be caused to certain persons or groups by the actions or projects.
  17. Critically analyse the principles, values and procedures that govern the exercise of the profession.
  18. Communicate using language that is not sexist or discriminatory.
  19. Carry out ethical use of the information especially when it is of a personal nature.
  20. Consider how gender stereotypes and roles impinge on the exercise of the profession.

Contents

The Seminari de Pràctiques Externes is aimed at fostering systematic and collective reflection on professional practice in anthropology, as well as on the different fields and sectors in which it can be developed. The course also becomes a space for sharing the internship experiences of students who undertake them, encouraging the collective analysis—with all students—of intervention contexts, challenges encountered, and the professional strategies implemented.

The seminar facilitates the identification of specific competences, as well as reflection on processes of specialization and the development of a personal professional profile in the practice of anthropology. In this sense, it helps establish connections between theoretical knowledge, methodological tools, and concrete professional practices.

In addition, the seminar includes a practical module focused on developing employability skills, addressing techniques and resources for job searching, defining career pathways, and supporting the entry of recent graduates into the labor market.

As a guideline, the contents of the following four areas will be dealt with:

Block 1. Professional Anthropology: Fields, Debates, and Contexts (4 sessions)

  • Professional anthropology: definition, evolution, and areas of application
  • The relationship between theory and practice (praxis) in anthropology
  • Sectors and contexts of professionalization

Block 2. Aspirations, Pathways, and Professional Perspectives (4 sessions)

  • Exploration of students’ interests, motivations, and professional expectations
  • Identification of possible career paths within and beyond academia
  • Analysis of anthropological professional roles in diverse contexts
  • Mapping professional opportunities and emerging niches
  • Reflection on processes of (pre-)specialization and the development of a personal career plan
  • Personal positioning in relation to the challenges and opportunities of the professional field

Block 3. Methodologies, Ethics, and Professional Practice (4 sessions)

  • Adapting ethnographic methodologies to applied contexts
  • Knowledge production in professional environments (reports, assessments, etc.)
  • Interdisciplinary work and collaboration with professional teams
  • Ethics, responsibility, and dilemmas in practice
  • Reflexivity and professional positioning of the anthropologist

Block 4. Translating Competences and Professional Integration (4 sessions)

  • Identification of anthropological competences (analysis, interpretation, mediation, etc.)
  • Translation of knowledge and skills into professional language
  • Building a professional profile and personal narrative
  • Job search techniques (CV, cover letter, interviews, digital profiles)
  • Strategies for entering the labor market and accessing different sectors
  • Final systematization of learning and future projection

Seminar functioning note

Throughout the course, the seminar will also serve as a space for the presentation, sharing, and monitoring of students’ External Internship experiences. These experiences will be incorporated transversally into the sessions, enriching collective discussion and enabling a direct connection between the seminar content and real professional situations and contexts.

Learning activities and methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Preparation of own contributions to the joint work of seminar and analysis of the own process of internships. 30 1.2 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14
Debate sessions on internship experiences, on professionalization environments and profiles and on practical employability sessions. Joint work on design and realization of the round table and/or final dynamics. 50 2 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14
Preparation of the discussions of seminars, based on common guidelines for the analysis and preparation of the presentation of the process itself. Work in groups to prepare the proposals to discuss. 20 0.8 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14

The course methodology is structured around four complementary formats:

  • Seminar sessions focused on professional practice, organized around key topics for debate and reflection proposed by the teaching staff in order to address the content of the different thematic blocks of the course.
  • Collective follow-up sessions, particularly aimed at students undertaking external internships, in which experiences across different contexts, programs, and themes are shared, analyzed, and discussed collectively, fostering collaborative learning and joint reflection.
  • Sessions with external professionals, dedicated to presenting experiences and diverse professional contexts related to anthropology—and more broadly to the social sciences—allowing students to engage with real professional environments.
  • Practical employability sessions, developed in collaboration with the UAB Employability Service, aimed at strengthening transferable skills and enhancing employability, particularly in relation to professional opportunities in anthropology.

Finally, the course may include a closing session involving alumni, focused on the presentation and exchange of professional experiences.

Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment

Continuous assessment activities

Title Weight Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Elaboration of intermediate and final reports 50% 30 1.2 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20
Active participation in seminars, external talks and debate sessions 50% 20 0.8 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18

The assessment of the course is structured into two main components:

Component 1. Active participation (20%)

This component includes attendance and active participation in the seminar activities:

  • Attendance and participation in plenary seminar sessions
  • Participation in sessions conducted by external professionals
  • Attendance at practical employability sessions
  • Participation in the final session (if applicable)

This component may include the submission of short exercises related to the sessions, as well as attendance monitoring.

Component 2. Coursework and final report (80%)

  • Ongoing assignments (30%): Submission of exercises, session reports, or commentaries related to the seminar sessions. Alternatively, a portfolio may be required, including evidence of participation (such as certificates of attendance at employability sessions) and/or a report derived from the completion of a professional skills assessment test linked to the employability enhancement sessions conducted by the UAB Employability Service.
  • Final report (50%): Preparation and submission of a final report evaluating the seminar, integrating the knowledge acquired, reflections on professional development, and connections with the contents covered throughout the course.

Non-assessable: Students who do not achieve 80% attendance and participation and/or students who do not submit their individual reports or don't submit them on the established dates.

Final grade:The final grade will be the sum of weighted notes of the two modules.

Reassessment: Students who obtain a final average mark of failing, having completed all the exercises and the work and report, will have the right to a make-up. The recovery will consist of the repetition of the exercises and/or memory that has been failed.

PLAGIARISM.

In the event that the student commits any irregularity that could lead to a significant variation in the grade of an assessment, this assessment will be graded with 0, regardless of the disciplinary process that may be initiated. If there are several irregularities in the assessment acts of the same subject, the final mark for this subject will be 0.

THIS SUBJECT DOES NOT HAVE A SINGLE ASSESSMENT

ON THE USE OF AI TECHNOLOGIES

This subject entirely prohibits the use of AI technologies in all of its activities. Any submitted work that contains content generated using AI will be considered academic dishonesty; the corresponding grade will be awarded a zero, without the possibility of reassessment. In cases of greater infringement, more serious action may be taken.

Bibliography

Augé, Marc. (2007 [2006]) El oficio de antropólogo. Sentido y libertad. Barcelona: Editorial Gedisa.

Baba, Marietta & Hill, Carol (2006). What’s in the Name ‘Applied Anthropology’? An Encounter with Global Practice1, Carole E. Hill and Marietta L. Baba, Eds., The Globalization of Anthropology. NAPA Bulletin #25. Washington, DC: American Anthropological Association, 176-207.

Bacchi, Carol. (2012). Introducing ‘What’s the Problem Represented to Be’ approach, Bletsas, A. & Beasley, C. (eds.) Engaging with Carol Bacchi: Strategic Interventions & Exchanges. Adelaide: University of Adelaide Press [Engaging with Carol Bacchi. Strategic Interventions and Exchanges (reglab.se)]

Bourdieu, Pierre. (1994). Per a una sociología reflexiva. Barcelona: Herder.

Browner, Carole. (1983). Women Practicing Anthropology: Perspectives Across the Discipline, Practicing Anthropology (1983) 6 (1): 4–7. https://doi.org/10.17730/praa.6.1.n24636687632p22k

Giménez Romero, Carlos. (1999) “El Antropólogo como asesor. Dos experiencias de consultoría en migraciones e interculturalidad” a Antropología más allá de la Academia. VIII Congreso de Antropología. Santiago de Compostela.

Guber, Rosana. et al. (2018) ¿Condenados a la reflexividad? Apuntes para repensar el proceso de investigación social. Consejo Latinoamericano de Ciencias Sociales - CLACSO. ISBN 978-987-722-318-7.

Jabardo, Mercedes; Monreal, Pilar; Palenzuela, Pablo. (eds) (2008). Antropología de Orientación Pública: visibilización y compromiso de la antropología. Actas del XI Congreso de Antropología. San Sebastián: Ankulegi.

Nolan, Riall W. (2013). Anthropology in Practice. Building a career outside Academia. Lynne Rienner Publishers

Nolan, Riall W. (2017). Using Anthropology in the World: A Guide to Becoming an Anthropologist Practitioner. New York: Routledge.

Sociedad Española de Antropología Aplicada (2002). Actas del VI Congreso de Antropología Aplicada y del Simposio El Sentido Práctico de la Antropología (14-16 de noviembre de 2002). Granada: Universidad de Granada.

VV.AA. (2014). Periferias, fronteras y diálogos. Actas del XIII Congreso de Antropología de la Federación de Asociaciones de Antropología del Estado Español. Tarragona: Publicacions de la Universitat Rovira i Virgili.

VV.AA. (2012). Revista de Antropología Experimental, 12. Monográfico Antropología en España: nuevos caminos profesionales. Universidad de Jaén. http://revista.ujaen.es/rae

Algunes webs d’interès:

Unit 9 - Professional Anthropology - SAPIENS (Recursos i guies per antropologia professional)

Careers in Anthropology - Advance Your Career (americananthro.org)

Anthropology Outside of Academia: How To \"Ethnographize\" Yourself A Job | Anthropology (uky.edu)

Software

It is necessary to ensure access to the Teams platform which is the one established by the UAB for carrying out online activity.

Course groups and languages

The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE

Type of teaching Group Language Semester Shift
(TE) Theory 1 Catalan second semester morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 1 Catalan second semester morning-mixed