Postgraduate Module Descriptor


ANTM102: Anthrozoology: Theory and Method

This module descriptor refers to the 2023/4 academic year.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

The syllabus will be split into three phases. The first is concerned with introducing students to a wide range of ethnographic case studies which document and explore the many and varied ways in which humans think about and engage with other animals. Specific case studies might include blood sports, pet-keeping, food taboos and dietary preferences, and the place of animals in religious belief and practice. The second will consider key theoretical debates concerning not just human interactions with animals, but also the ways in which these interactions have featured in or impacted on the social sciences, and anthropology in particular. So, topics to be covered could include post-humanism and its relationship to post-colonialism, intersubjectivity and the possibility of 'knowing' how another (human or nonhuman) experiences the world, the question of personhood and what characteristics combine to make a 'person' and the place of nonhumans in a cosmopolitan anthropology. The third phase will explore the methodological limitations and possibilities of an anthropological (ethnographic) approach to inter- and multi-species interactions. Students will also be required to undertake formative study-skills assessments from the start of the module to ensure that they are cognisant of the expectations of academic referencing systems, as well as to help them develop their confidence and critical/synoptic skills.

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching ActivitiesGuided independent studyPlacement / study abroad
322680

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities1010 x 1 hour audio lectures with accompanying powerpoint presentations
Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities1010 x 1 hour discussion/group seminar
Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities1010 x 1 hour contributions to VLE forums
Scheduled Learning and Teaching activities22 x 1 hour assignment preparation discussions
Guided Independent Study80Weekly preparatory reading for lectures and seminars
Guided Independent Study188Research and writing of summative assessments

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).

ELE – http://vle.exeter.ac.uk/ 

Web based and electronic resources:

Anthrozoos (http://www.bergpublishers.com/?TabId=519)

Humanimalia (http://www.depauw.edu/humanimalia/)

Society & Animals (http://www.societyandanimalsforum.org/sa/index.html)