The Department of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology offers undergraduate programmes in Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology, several independent Masters programmes, a CREOLE Master programme in Cultural Differences and Transnational Processes as a part of EU joint programme and a guided doctoral research in ethnology and cultural anthropology as a part of the interdisciplinary programme.
History
In 1919, when the Faculty of Arts was founded at the University of Ljubljana, the curriculum already included a leture on Ethnology as a ‘Seminar on Ethnography’. Officially the lectures on Ethnology and Ethnography began in the academic year 1940-1941. The first fully appointed proffesor was the Director of the Slovene Ethnographic Museum, Niko Županić. The main topics of Proffessor Županić's research was the earliest history and ethnogenesis of the Slavs, which was reflected in the first issues of the Etnolog (Ethnologist) Journal, which he founded and edited.
After the Second World War and the implemenatition of the physical anthropology and ethnology of non-European cultures the new generation of ethnologists has shifted the discipline in terms of f methodology, subject, and organisation. The research of urban ethnology and worker's culture was introduced. In the 1980s various new themes were introduced with the appointment of new proffessors and teachears that broadend the concepts of Ethnology and Antrhopology.
In the year 1990 the Department was renamed the Department of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology, and various anthropological subjects again became part of the curriculum. Since the year 1998, ethnology and cultural anthropology became an independent course of study at the Faculty of Arts. Since that year many new proffessors were appointed at the the Department.
Today
Department is very active in the field of international research cooperation and student exchange.
In 1999 the Department began to publish its own monograph collection from the field of ethnology and cultural anthropology entitled the Županič Library (14 volumes had been published by 2005), and two years later a collection of student works entitled Etno je fletno (‘Ethno Rules’). Since 2001 the Department has engaged in international student and teacher exchanges. Students have the opportunity to perform a part of their studies at over 20 partner departments all over Europe (Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain and Sweden).
Researchers in the Department are involved in several bilateral research projects (with partners from Portugal, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia) and in research projects from the 6th EU Framework (Eumon; Ramses) and Alpha (EU research collaboration with Latin America).
The Department has its own library.