FYF@Innis Seminars

Murder and Other Deathly Crimes: Anthropological Perspectives

Professor: Naisargi N. Davé
Subject: Innis College
Course Code: ANT192H1S

Seminar description

Anthropology has much to say about death. There is foundational literature on sacrifice, suicide, and the rites surrounding the end of life. Anthropology also has a lot to say about violence: war, conflict, revolution. But at the nexus of death and violence lies murder, a culturally and socially salient phenomenon that garners less scholarly attention. This seminar will explore what constitutes murder in different cultural and historical contexts, by reading across anthropology, cultural studies, and film studies. 

Get to know your professor

Naisargi N. Davé

headshot of moutaa el waer

You can call me…

Paul or Professor He or Dr. He.

I just can't live without…

American football

I just can't live without…

American football

My hometown is…

Atlanta, Georgia

For my undergraduate degree…

Anthropology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA.

I am surprisingly good at…

Sleeping

Fun fact:

I’ve trained in Hindustani classical vocals.

If I wasn't teaching, I would be a…

Totally useless, or a comedic actor.

What I'm working on now is…

A book about murder and true crime storytelling in contemporary India.

Lately, something that has been exciting me about my research/scholarship is…

Working with a team of five fabulous undergrads in the JHI Scholars in Residence program.

A fun fact about my field of study is…

Raman, the elephant, is both the tallest captive elephant in the world, and the only elephant in India to have been arrested for… murder!

I was inspired to get into this field because…

Of observing my mother’s satisfaction with lurid Indian merder cases when I was young.

My first-year seminar in five words:

In a sentence, what you’ll learn in my course:

How stories we tell about violent death shape and reflect the life of our societies.

One of my favourite things about teaching first-year students is…

Your bright-eyed enthusiasm.

My best advice for those starting their first year…

The best way to learn something is to teach it to others.

NAME: Chelsea Rochman.

INNIS FYF SEMINAR I WILL BE TEACHING IN 2020-2021: EEB197H1S Biodiversity and the city

HOMETOWN: Tucson, Arizona.

THE LAST GREAT MOVIE I SAW WAS: Coco :)

MY ACTUAL FAVOURITE MOVIE: hmmmm… not sure.

THE SONG I HAVE ON REPEAT RIGHT NOW: CSNY, Judy Blue Eyes.

FAVOURITE FOOD: Pickles & gummy candy.

GUILTY PLEASURE: Gummy worms & other gummy candy.

I AM SURPRISINGLY VERY GOOD AT: Multi-tasking.

A FUN FACT ABOUT MYSELF: I have 2 sisters named Berrye.

MY FAVOURITE THING ABOUT TEACHING: Keeping up with the knowledge.

WHY YOU SHOULD TAKE MY CLASS: So you can see the nature behind the concrete in our city.

WHAT I WANT MY STUDENTS TO KNOW: We live in the Carolinian forest.

A COOL FACT ABOUT MY FIELD OF STUDY: There are just as many freshwater fish species as marine.

SOME FINAL WORDS: The waste hierarchy is a good rule to live by.

Good to know

Pre-requisites: none
Co-requisites: none
Exclusions: none
Recommended Preparation: none
Breadth: Creative & Cultural Representations (1)
CR/NCR: Not eligible for CR/NCR option
Restrictions: Restricted to first-year students

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You can enrol in courses on a first-come, first-served basis during regular course registration.

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programs.innis@utoronto.ca
416-946-7107