The Human Condition: Classic Readings in Anthropology
| Module title | The Human Condition: Classic Readings in Anthropology |
|---|---|
| Module code | PHL3051 |
| Academic year | 2019/0 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | () |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 25 |
|---|
Module description
This module will acquaint you with some of the foundational texts of the discipline of anthropology. It will allow you to deepen your understanding of foundational concepts and theories of the discipline, such as race, kinship, taboo, gift, magic, purity, and some of the major schools of thought in the history of anthropology, such as evolutionism, functionalism and structuralism. You will develop your ability to critically analyse challenging texts, and interpret them in the context of concurrent cultural, socio-economic and political developments such as colonialism, industrialisation, urbanization and globalization.
Module aims - intentions of the module
This module aims:
- To help you develop a critical, nuanced, and self-confident understanding of key concepts, theories and schools within anthropology.
- To raise your awareness of the importance of cultural, socio-economic and political factors that have shaped, and continue to shape, the study of anthropology.
- To help you explore the interdisciplinary relationships between anthropology, sociology, and philosophy.
- To provide you with opportunities interrogate difficult texts for nuances and layers of meaning, styles and strategies of reasoning, as well as tensions and contradictions.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. demonstrate systematic understanding of the canon of anthropological literature and coherent and detailed knowledge of key historic developments in the history of the discipline;
- 2. understand major historical debates in the discipline and critically evaluate their potentials and limitations ;
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. critically develop theoretical ideas by making use of primary sources in anthropological literature;
- 4. demonstrate an understanding of key concepts and theories in the discipline;
- 5. demonstrate awareness of contextual factors impacting on the study of cultural and physical diversity of humans, and ethical and political dilemmas resulting from this;
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 6. access and interpret difficult texts in order to develop an original project;
- 7. devise and sustain an original argument based on close interpretation of texts; and
- 8. communicate effectively in written and verbal form
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:
1: Introduction
2: The Enlightenment Paradox: Kant on Race and Cosmopolitanism
3: Charles Darwin and the Evolution of Mankind
4: Friedrich Engels and the Origin of the Family
5: Franz Boas and the Critique of Race
6: Marcel Mauss on Exchange
7: Bronislaw Malinowski: Anthropology and Psychoanalysis
8: Claude Lévi-Strauss and Structuralism
9: Mary Douglas and the Anthropology of Religion
10: Jack Goody and the Impact of Literacy
11: Summary
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 128 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity | 22 | 11 x 2 hour seminars |
| Guided Independent Study | 44 | Module reading |
| Guided Independent Study | 62 | Essay writing |
| Guided Independent Study | 22 | Seminar preparation |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group presentation | 15 minutes | 1-8 | Oral feedback |
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 1 | 40 | 2000 words | 1-8 | Written and oral feedback |
| Essay 2 | 60 | 2000 words | 1-8 | Written feedback |
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 1 | Essay (2000 words) | 1-8 | August/September reassessment period |
| Essay 2 | Essay (2000 words) | 1-8 | August/September reassessment period |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Basic reading:
Harris, Marvin. The Rise of Anthropological Theory: A History of Theories of Culture. Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1968. Library hardcopies available.
Stocking, George W. Race, Culture, and Evolution: Essays in the History of Anthropology. Chicago Univ. Pr., 1982.
Stocking, George W. Victorian Anthropology. Macmillan USA, 1987.
Kuklick, Henrika. A New History of Anthropology. WileyBlackwell, 2007.
Kant, Immanuel. “Idea for a Universal History from a Cosmopolitan Point of View.” In Perpetual Peace, and Other Essays on Politics, History, and Morals. Hackett Pub. Co., 1983, 29–40. Library hardcopy available. Also available online at www.marxists.org.
Prichard, James Cowles. The Natural History of Man: Comprising Inquiries into the Modifying Influence of Physical and Moral Agencies on the Different Tribes of the Human Family. 4th ed. H. Baillière, 1855. Library hardcopy available (special collections). Also available through Google books.
Broca, Paul. On the Phenomena of Hybridity in the Genus Homo. Published for the Anthropological Society, by Longman, Green, Longman, & Roberts, 1864. Available online through Google books.
Tylor, Edward Burnett. Primitive Culture: Researches into the Development of Mythology, Philosophy, Religion, Art and Custom. Murray, 1871, ch. 1. Library hardcopy available. Also available through Google Books.
Boas, Franz. The Mind of Primitive Man. Macmillan Company, 1911. Library electronic copy available through Anthropology Online.
Lévy-Bruhl, Lucien. How Natives Think. Princeton University Press, 1985. Library hardcopy available. Also available online as Primitive Mentality through Internet Archive.
Durkheim, Émile, and Marcel Mauss. Primitive Classification. London: Cohen & West, 1963. Library hardcopies available.
Malinowski, Bronislaw. Sex and Repression in Savage Society. International Library of Psychology, Philosophy and Scientific Method. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1979. Library hardcopies available. Also available through openlibrary.org.
Lévi-Strauss, Claude. Structural Anthropology. Allen Lane, 1977. Library hardcopy available, electronic copy available through Anthropology Online.
Douglas, Mary. Purity and Danger an Analysis of Concept of Pollution and Taboo. Routledge, 2002. Library hardcopy available, electronic copy available through Dawson Era.
Goody, John Rankine. The Domestication of the Savage Mind. Cambridge University Press, 1977. Library hardcopies available.
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
ELE – http://vle.exeter.ac.uk/
Anthropology Online. Alexander Street Press. Access through Electronic Library.
JSTOR. Access through Electronic Library.
Internet Archive.
Bioheritage Online Library.
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | none |
| Module co-requisites | none |
| NQF level (module) | 6 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 08/03/2016 |
| Last revision date | 30/03/2016 |
