Abstract

During the summers of 2017 and 2018, more than a hundred teenagers participated in “We Humans”, an anthropology course hosted by the Summer Academy in Santiago, Chile. The premise of the class was to create a space where students could develop a genuine and curious approach to certain “mysteries” of the field, rather than a dry study of the historical concept of humanity. By stimulating a sense of wonder and the students’ hypothesis testing in the classroom, this course attempted to provide a meaningful and engaging anthropological mindset. As such, the learning process prioritized the search for answers to unveil the mysteries, rather than the answers themselves. This encouraged students to navigate open-ended possibilities, instead of dwelling on the few certainties of the process. Thus, the challenge was twofold: to reengage students with their capacity for amazement as part of their natural ‘propensity to learn’ (Feuerstein, R. et al. 1988; Calvo, C. 2017) which is systematically neglected in most schools, and to equip them with ‘uncertainty competences’ (Tauritz, R. 2016) to help them endure and sort through the codes of a highly complex and interconnected world. This paper will discuss some of the teaching experiences in light of these challenges, hoping to spur a grounded debate for new methods, materials, and strategies for a 21st century anthropology classroom.