Introduction to Social Anthropology
| Module title | Introduction to Social Anthropology |
|---|---|
| Module code | ANT1000 |
| Academic year | 2024/5 |
| Credits | 30 |
| Module staff | Dr Geoffrey Hughes (Lecturer) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 80 |
|---|
Module description
This module will introduce you to the methods and perspectives of socio/cultural anthropology. You will encounter a range of classic and contemporary ethnographic case studies, gaining a foundational knowledge of anthropological theory and concepts. The module will help you to question cultural assumptions and think critically about the questions and challenges anthropologists encounter when studying the social world. You will have the opportunity to apply anthropological theories to contemporary problems and to develop an understanding of the role of ethnographic fieldwork in social science research. Although the focus is on the study of human cultural diversity and social organisation, we will also consider the historical processes and colonial legacies that have shaped the discipline.
Module aims - intentions of the module
This module aims to provide foundational knowledge of anthropological theory and concepts, and learn how to think critically and analytically about key questions and problems in studying the diverse worlds that human beings inhabit. It will require you to start to learn about ethnographic methods, which are increasingly used in a variety of organisational and professional contexts, including the practical and ethical dilemmas that researchers often face.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Demonstrate understanding of shared and diverse socio-cultural practices;
- 2. Show a basic understanding of the relationship between specific social and cultural forms in relation to broader global and historical processes;
- 3. Demonstrate - in formative and summative work - some facility in the use of the repertoire of key concepts and approaches of anthropological analysis.
- 4. Display, in written and oral form, the ability to question cultural assumptions;
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. Critically evaluate classic and contemporary anthropological texts;
- 6. Communicate in a formal academic writing style with appropriate referencing and independent research;
- 7. Display - in written and oral form - an understanding of the discipline's relation to, and difference from, other approaches in the social sciences;
- 8. Identify and discuss key anthropological issues relevant to the contemporary world in critical, comparative and cross-cultural context;
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 9. Demonstrate transferable problem-solving skills by formulating, researching, and addressing questions in a focused way;
- 10. Plan and execute work independently and in collaboration with others;
- 11. Demonstrate skills in cross-cultural understanding, translation and comparison in professional settings.
Syllabus plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:
- Studying the ‘other’: the emergence of the anthropological perspective
- Anthropology and its colonial legacies
- People and things: houses, objects, materials
- Kinship and the construction of relatedness
- Gendered difference
- Of witches and fallen gods: thinking in different modes
- Senses of place, qualities of time: questioning ontologies
- Worlds in and out of control: order, disorder and dirt
- Power and resistance
- Embodied culture
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 55 | 245 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 33 | 22 Lectures of 90 minutes each involving group discussion and film screenings |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 22 | 22 Seminars of one hour each |
| Guided independent study | 110 | Weekly reading for lectures and tutorials |
| Guided independent study | 55 | Research and writing of summative essays (reading, library-based research) |
| Guided independent Study | 55 | Preparation of portfolio for submission |
| Guided independent study | 15 | Peer workshopping of reading responses via ELE |
| Guided independent Study | 10 | Preparing essay plan |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay plan | 500 words | 1-10 | Written |
| Seminar participation | Throughout seminars | 1-7; 11 | Oral |
| Reading Response workshop | 800 words (4 weekly 200-word responses) | 1-11 | Oral and written |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 50 | 2500 words | 1-10 | Written |
| Portfolio | 50 | 2500 words | 1-11 | Written |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay (2500 words) | Essay (2500 words) | 1-10 | Referral/Deferral Period |
| Portfolio (2500 words) | Portfolio (2500 words) | 1-11 | Referral/Deferral Period |
Re-assessment notes
Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.
Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to redo the assessment(s) as defined above. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Appadurai, A. (ed.) 1986. The Social Life of Things: Commodities in cultural perspective. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Butler, J. Bodies that Matter: On the Discursive Limits of Sex. London: Routledge
Carsten, J. (ed.), Cultures of Relatedness: new approaches to the study of kinship. Cambridge: CUP.
Douglas, M. 1966. Purity and Danger. London: Routledge.
Dumont, L. 1980. Homo Hierarchicus: The Caste System and its Implications. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Feld, S. and K. Basso (eds). 1997. Senses of Place. Santa Fe: School of American Research Press.
Fields, K. and B. Fields. 2014. Racecraft: The Soul of Inequality in American Life. London: Verso
Mauss, M. 1990. 1924. The Gift: The form and reason for exchange in archaic societies. London: Routledge.
Mead, M. 1928. Coming of Age in Samoa. New York: Harper
Roscoe, W. 1994. ‘How to become a Berdache: toward a unified analysis of gender diversity’. In H. Gilbert. (ed). Third sex, third gender: beyond sexual dimorphism in culture and history. New York: Zone Books
Turner, V. 1969. The Ritual Process: structure and anti-structure.
Yanagisako, S. and C. Delaney. 1995. Naturalizing Power: Essays in Feminist Cultural Analysis. New York: Routledge.
| Credit value | 30 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 15 |
| NQF level (module) | 4 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 12/02/2024 |
