Anthropology: Studying Human Diversity

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2012:

Anthropology explores the different ways people live their lives. In this subject, an introduction to foundational knowledge in the discipline, students will be exposed to a variety of social and cultural forms around the world and the methods and theories developed to understand them as diverse expressions of a shared human condition. Topical issues that will be encountered include how different peoples around the world experience and react to pleasure, suffering and death, use ritual, religion and magic to understand and change their worlds, organise their sexual and family lives and their friendship networks, create and maintain their identities (individual, gendered, ethnic and youth sub-cultural) and maintain and resist the relations of power in which they are all enmeshed. On completion, students will have developed a foundational knowledge of the discipline of anthropology. They will also have developed an appreciation of both anthropology's distinctiveness and its complementarity with other social science disciplines such as sociology, criminology, geography, political science, history, philosophy and gender studies. Finally, and most importantly, they will, through cross cultural comparison, understand the peculiarity of their own taken-for-granted ways of being.

Students who successfully complete this subject will:

• have developed a foundational knowledge in the discipline of anthropology.
• have a basic understanding of how anthropology developed as a discipline through the 20th century.
• have a background of relevant ethnographic, methodological and theoretical knowledge on which to base further anthropological studies.
• have developed an appreciation of both anthropology's distinctiveness and its complementarity with other social science disciplines.
• have developed a knowledge of the skills required to enable cross cultural comparison.
• Have developed a clear sense of the peculiarity of their own taken-for-granted ways of being.

An ethnographic observation exercise of 1000 words 25% (due week 6), a one hour in-class test 25% (in week 10) and a 2000 word essay 50% (due at the end of semester). 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.

A subject reader will be available from the University Bookshop at the beginning of semester.

Additional Readings will be available through LMS

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

• Bachelor of Biomedicine
• Bachelor of Commerce
• Bachelor of Environments
• Bachelor of Music
• Bachelor of Science
• Bachelor of Engineering

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.

Students who successfully complete this subject will:

• have practice in conducting research, speaking and writing clearly and reading carefully.
• have experience of methods of critical inquiry and argument leading to improved analytical skills.
• have acquired awareness of issues relating to cross-cultural communication.
• have practice working cooperatively in small groups.