Module ANT2003 for 2016/7
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
ANT2003: Current Debates in Anthropology
This module descriptor refers to the 2016/7 academic year.
Module Aims
The primary aim of the module is to build on students' existing knowledge of anthropological theory, and introduce them to a body of concepts and approaches developed by practitioners of this dynamic subject in response to conducting fieldwork in a changing world. The module also aims to equip students with the necessary knowledge and skills to enable them to understand and evaluate the differing views expressed by established anthropologists in relation to key theoretical debates. Through constructive seminar discussions they will be also be empowered to feel confident in utilising anthropological theory as a tool for analysing their own research.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. display a detailed knowledge of specific theoretical concepts and methodological approaches in anthropology and the intellectual debates concerning them; 2. display an informed awareness of, and sensitivity to, human diversity, and a reflexive appreciation of its scope and complexity; 3. evaluate the ethical implications of anthropological research in relation to a selection of ethnographic case studies and in relation to the Association of Social Anthropologists' Ethical Guidelines for Good Research Practice. |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 4. demonstrate a competence in using major theoretical perspectives and concepts in anthropology via the application of appropriate theoretical models in the analysis of ethnographic case studies 5. demonstrate a recognition of the politics of language, indirect forms of communication, forms of power, theoretical statements and claims of authority, and an ability to analyse them 6. demonstrate the ability to plan, undertake and present scholarly work that shows an understanding of anthropological aims, methods and theoretical considerations |
| Personal and Key Skills | 7. express their own ideas orally and in writing, summarize the arguments of others, and distinguish between the two 8. engage in constructive discussion in group situations and seminars 9. evaluate their strengths and weaknesses in learning and study skills and to take action to improve their capacity to learn |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
These lectures will focus upon specific themes relevant to the contemporary global era. They will focus upon the role of anthropology in interrogating such themes, and will examine the insights that the discipline can bring to our understanding of how the current globalised world functions. The final lecture will focus upon the course exam and revision.
Possible lecture topics covered by this course, in addition to others not listed here are:
1. Time I: The temporal turn
2. Time II: Anthropocene
3. Morality I: The ethical turn
4. Morality II: Everyday morality
5. Being I: The ontological turn
6. Being II: Things
7. Feeling I: The affective turn
8. Feeling II: Social suffering
9. Horizons I: Uncertainty and doubt
10. Horizons II: Creativity and imagination
11. Turning in circles, or moving ahead? Anthropological trajectories
Learning and Teaching
This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 128 | 0 |
...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity | 11 | Weekly 1 hour lectures |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity | 11 | Weekly 1 hour seminars |
| Guided independent study | 33 | Reading of the set texts for weekly lectures and the tutorials |
| Guided independent study | 33 | Additional reading under the guidance of the lecturer |
| Guided independent study | 20 | Preparation and writing of the essay |
| Guided independent study | 30 | Recapitulation of reading done throughout the term; preparation of essay plans; mock exam writing, etc. |
| Guided independent study | 6 | Background research conducted by the student depending on need and interest |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
ELE - http://vle.exeter.ac.uk/
How this Module is Assessed
In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.
Formative Assessment
A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual oral presentation relating to one of the debates. Topics will be allocated during the first session. | 10 minutes in the context of the seminars | 2, 3, 8, 9 | Oral, including peer observation and assessment |
| Participation in non-assessed exercises in lectures | 10 minutes per lecture | 2, 3, 8, 9 | Oral, in class |
Summative Assessment
A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | 50 | 0 |
...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One unseen examination | 50 | 2 hours | 1,2,3,4,7 | Written and oral feedback |
| One essay | 50 | 2,000 words | 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 | Written and oral feedback |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
Re-assessment
Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | Essay (2,000 words) | 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 | Next reassessment period |
| Examination | Examination (2 hours) | 1,2,3,4,7 | Next reassessment period |
Indicative Reading List
This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.
Basic reading:
Bear, Laura. 2016. Time as Technique. Annual Review of Anthropology, Vol. 45
Cooper, E & D. Pratten. 2014. Introduction. In Cooper, E & D. Pratten (eds.) Ethnographies of Uncertainty in Africa (London: Palgrave).
Crapanzano, Vincent. 2004. “Imaginative Horizons” in Imaginative Horizons: An Essay in Literary-Philosophical Anthropology. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Latour, Bruno. 2014. “Anthropology at the Time of the Anthropocene: A Personal View of What Is To Be Studied.” Distinguished lecture, Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association, Washington, DC, December 6.
Laidlaw, J. 2002. For an anthropology of ethics and freedom. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute 8(2): 311-332.
Viveiros de Castro, E. 2004. Exchanging Perspectives: The Transformation of Objects into Subjects in Amerindian Ontologies. Common Knowledge, 10(3), 463-484.
Navaro-Yashin, Yael. 2012. The Make-Believe Space: Affective Geography in a Postwar Polity. Durham & London: Duke University Press.
