Module ANT3109 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
ANT3109: Contemporary Capitalism, Critique and Resistance
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Module Aims
The module aims to provide you with an in-depth knowledge of various institutions, organisations, processes, values and resistance movements making up the contemporary Western world. By encouraging you to engage critically with these topics, it also aims to equip you with the means to question taken-for-granted assumptions about the contemporary situation, understand the factors leading to different forms of social and environmental problems, forms of social unrest responding to them, as well as the achievements and shortcomings of contemporary resistance movements.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. Demonstrate knowledge and critical understanding of a range of perspectives on contemporary capitalism 2. Critically evaluate these perspectives and relate them to empirical studies and findings 3. Critically evaluate the effects of powerful social actors decisions and resistance movements on the social structure, culture, the economy and the environment |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 4. Demonstrate in writing and orally a capacity to reflect upon, apply and criticise theoretical models and empirical findings 5. Demonstrate in writing and orally a capacity question taken-for-granted assumptions |
| Personal and Key Skills | 6. Engage in complex arguments in writing, orally and in small groups 7. Identify problems and anticipate possible avenues for solving them |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:
What is capitalism?
Capitalism in historical perspective
Financialisation
Flexibilisation
Personal responsibilisation
Privatisation
The ‘restoration of class power’ and ideology
Neoliberal governmentality
Contemporary global social movements: GJM and Occupy
The ‘end of history’?
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 Activities | 22 | 11 x two-hour weekly lecture/seminar with lecture introducing topic followed by seminar discussion |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 2 | Guidance for case-study analysis |
| Guided Independent Study | 36 | Readings for seminars and tutorials |
| Guided independent study | 45 | Researching and writing essay |
| Guided independent study | 45 | Researching and writing the case study commentary |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discussion of compulsory readings in seminars | Throughout term | 1-7 | Oral commentary on discussion in seminars |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seen Exam | 50 | 1 hour | 1-7 | Written and oral feedback |
| Case study commentary | 50 | 2000 words | 1-7 | Written and oral feedback |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seen Exam | Seen Exam (1 hour) 50% | 1-7 | August/September reassessment period |
| Case study commentary | Case study commentary (2000 words) 50% | 1-7 | August/September 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.
Boltanski, L. and Chiapello, E. (2005) The New Spirit of Capitalism. London: Verso
Bourdieu, P. (1998) Acts of Resistance: Against the New Myths of our Time. Cambridge: Polity
Della Porta, D. (2015) Social Movements in Times of Austerity. Cambridge: Polity
Duménil, G. and Lévy, D. (2004) Capital Resurgent: The Roots of the Neoliberal Revolution, Boston, MA: Harvard University Press
Harvey, D. (2005) A Brief History of Neoliberalism, Oxford: Oxford University Press
Masquelier, C. (2017) Critique and Resistance in a Neoliberal Age: Towards a Narrative of Emancipation, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan
