Engaging the World in Theory & Practice

Subject ANTH20012 (2012)

Note: This is an archived Handbook entry from 2012.

Credit Points: 12.50
Level: 2 (Undergraduate)
Dates & Locations:

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2012:

Semester 1, Parkville - Taught on campus.
Pre-teaching Period Start not applicable
Teaching Period not applicable
Assessment Period End not applicable
Last date to Self-Enrol not applicable
Census Date not applicable
Last date to Withdraw without fail not applicable

Standard

Timetable can be viewed here. For information about these dates, click here.
Time Commitment: Contact Hours: 1 x 2 hour lecture and 1 x 1 hour tutorial per week for 10 weeks. The lecture and tutorial programs are staggered and cover the 12 weeks of semester.
Total Time Commitment: An average of 8.5 hours per week
Prerequisites: None.
Corequisites: None.
Recommended Background Knowledge: ANTH10001 or DEVT10001 or an Arts IDF subject.
Subject
Study Period Commencement:
Credit Points:
Non Allowed Subjects: None.
Core Participation Requirements: For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

Coordinator

Dr Paul Green

Contact

Dr Paul Green

pgreen@unimelb.edu.au

Subject Overview:

This subject considers the mutually enforcing role of socio-cultural theory and ethnography in understandings of the contemporary human endeavour. Through an introduction to key social theorists and critical readings from selected core monographs and articles, the subject explores how socio-cultural theory both shapes and is shaped by the ethnographic research that anthropologists in particular take. Particular emphasis is placed on both classic and modern theories of personhood and relatedness in social anthropology and their relevance for understanding a range of contemporary social issues relating to family and kinship, social identity, migration, nationalism, genetics and the everyday life of the nation-state. This subject thus engages with social theories located in specific times and places and applies them to a range of human concerns and experiences that may transgress, reinforce or reconfigure the ongoing relevance in people’s lives of the contemporary nation-state.
Objectives:

Students who successfully complete this subject will:

  • Develop a critical awareness of the contemporary relevance and application of both classic and modern theories in social anthropology
  • Appreciate how a comparative perspective and a tradition of empirical enquiry can inform developments in theory
  • Engage with theories located in specific times and places and apply them to a range of ethnographic case studies located in national and transnational social spaces.
Assessment: Two research essays of 2000 words (50% each), one due mid-semester and the other due during the examination period. This subject has a minimum hurdle requirement of 75% tutorial attendance. Regular participation in tutorials is required. Assessment submitted late without an approved extension will be penalised at 10% per day. In-class tasks missed without approval will not be marked. All pieces of written work must be submitted to pass this subject.
Prescribed Texts:

A reading pack will be available for purchase from the University Bookshop
Breadth Options:

This subject potentially can be taken as a breadth subject component for the following courses:

You should visit learn more about breadth subjects and read the breadth requirements for your degree, and should discuss your choice with your student adviser, before deciding on your subjects.

Fees Information: Subject EFTSL, Level, Discipline & Census Date
Generic Skills:

Students who successfully complete this subject will:

  • Be able to communicate oral and written arguments and ideas effectively and articulately.
  • Develop persuasive and critical arguments on given topics that reflect an awareness of the interplay between theory and practice.
Links to further information: http://www.ssps.unimelb.edu.au/study/ads/
Notes: From 2011 this subject is compulsory for students completing a major in Anthropology and Social Theory.
Related Majors/Minors/Specialisations: Anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology and Social Theory
Anthropology and Social Theory
Related Breadth Track(s): Anthropology - structures, identity and power

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