Why do some organizations - technological, societal, or cultural - fail spectacularly, while others adapt and endure? How have some societies turned failure into a catalyst for creativity and transformation? What do ruins and dystopias have to say about the human condition? This course offers a concise survey of anthropological and archaeological case studies of failure that span diverse temporal and spatial scales. Topics include design flaws, maintenance lapses, unfulfilled promises, infrastructure breakdowns, and societal collapse. Students will examine how past human responses to these failures have succeeded or fallen short, gaining insights into solutions for building a resilient future at individual, community, and societal levels. In addition to case studies, the course introduces theoretical frameworks on failure drawn from philosophy, infrastructure studies, queer theory, and Anthropocene scholarship. By critically engaging with these perspectives, students will develop an expansive understanding of the complexities of failure and its implications for the past, present, and future.
3-5 units · Letter or Credit/No Credit
Why do some organizations - technological, societal, or cultural - fail spectacularly, while others adapt and endure? How have some societies turned failure into a catalyst for creativity and transformation? What do ruins and dystopias have to say about the human condition? This course offers a concise survey of anthropological and archaeological case studies of failure that span diverse temporal and spatial scales. Topics include design flaws, maintenance lapses, unfulfilled promises, infrastructure breakdowns, and societal collapse. Students will examine how past human responses to these failures have succeeded or fallen short, gaining insights into solutions for building a resilient future at individual, community, and societal levels. In addition to case studies, the course introduces theoretical frameworks on failure drawn from philosophy, infrastructure studies, queer theory, and Anthropocene scholarship. By critically engaging with these perspectives, students will develop an expansive understanding of the complexities of failure and its implications for the past, present, and future.
Offered in Spring 2027 at Stanford University.