Introduction to Social Anthropology-Theorising the Everyday World
| Module title | Introduction to Social Anthropology-Theorising the Everyday World |
|---|---|
| Module code | ANT1004 |
| Academic year | 2023/4 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Dr Sally Atkinson (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 60 |
|---|
Module description
This module will introduce you to anthropological studies and concepts that will change the way you see the everyday world. 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 develop research and presentation skills, applying theory to your own life world to develop an understanding of the role of ethnographic fieldwork in social science research.
Module aims - intentions of the module
This module will deepen your foundational knowledge of anthropological theory and concepts, and expand your ability to think critically and analytically about key questions and problems in studying the worlds of other people and our own. You will also begin to develop a sensibility for the practical and ethical issues arising in the context of ethnographic fieldwork (and related qualitative social research) whose methods are increasingly used in a variety of organisational and professional contexts
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. Demonstrate the relationship between specific social and cultural practices and broader global and historical processes;
- 3. Show the ability to understand and apply key anthropological concepts and approaches to the study of the social world;
- 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. Prepare focused and comprehensive written and oral presentations, and discuss ideas and interpretations with others in a clear and reasoned way;
- 11. Plan and execute work independently and in collaboration with others;
- 12. Demonstrate skills in cross-cultural understanding, translation and comparison, which will be of advantage in a broad range of professional settings.
Syllabus plan
Lecture topics for this module include:
- Studying the ‘other’: the emergence of the anthropological perspective
- Anthropology and its colonial legacies
- People and things: family, houses, objects, materials
- Economics & Exchange
- 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 128 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning & Teaching | 11 | 11 x 1-hour lectures |
| Scheduled Learning & Teaching | 11 | 11 x 1-hour tutorials |
| Guided independent study | 55 | Weekly reading for lectures and tutorials |
| Guided independent study | 68 | Research and writing of summative essays (reading, library-based research) |
| Guided independent study | 5 | Web-based activities |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay Plan | 500 words | 1-10 | 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 1 | 40 | 1,000 words | 1-6, 8, 10 | Written |
| Essay 2 | 60 | 2,000 words | 1-6, 8, 10 | 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 1 | Essay (1,000 words) | 1-6, 8, 10 | August/September reassessment period |
| Essay 2 | Essay (2,000 words) | 1-6, 8, 10 | August/September reassessment period |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Appadurai, A. (ed.) 1986. The Social Life of Things: Commodities in cultural perspective. Cambridge: CambridgeUniversity Press.
Barnard, A. and J. Spencer (eds) 1996. Encyclopedia of Social and Cultural Anthropology. Routledge.
Benda-Beckmann, K. von & F. Pirie (eds) 2007. Order and Disorder: Anthropological Perspectives. Oxford and New York: Berghahn.
Carsten, J. 2004. After Kinship. Cambridge: CambridgeUniversity Press
Douglas, M. 1966. Purity and Danger. London: Routledge.
Dumont, L. 1980. Homo Hierarchicus: The Caste System and its Implications. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Gell, A. 1998. Art and Agency in Anthropological Theory.Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Mauss, M. 1990 (1924). The Gift: The form and reason for exchange in archaic societies. London: Routledge.
Miller, D. (ed.) 1993. Unwrapping Christmas. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Turner, V. 1969. The Ritual Process: structure and anti-structure.
ELE – http://vle.exeter.ac.uk/
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
ARD - Anthropology Review Database
Internet Anthropologist
Anthrobase
SOSIG: Social Science Information Gateway
Anthropology Resources on the Internet
Indicative learning resources - Other resources
ethnographic film
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 4 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 01/12/2011 |
| Last revision date | 07/09/2022 |
