
Cultural Anthropology
Code: 108157Credits: 6
| Degree programme | Type | Course |
|---|---|---|
| Humanities and Management of Culture | FB | 1 |
Contact lecturer
- Name :
- Maria Montserrat Clua Faine
- Email :
- montserrat.clua@uab.cat
Teaching staff
- Irina Casado Aijon
Group languages
You can consult this information at the end of the document.
Prerequisites
This subject has no prerequisites.
Objectives
This subject aims to provide a first approach to sociocultural anthropology and its contributions to the study of human sociocultural variability from a comparative perspective. promoting a critical approach to the cultural complexities of the contemporary world and its challenges.
Throughout the semester, the basic concepts and key themes of Social and Cultural Anthropology are presented and developed. The discipline and its focus will be located, the classic thematic areas of anthropological research on different cultures will be discussed, and anthropological perspectives on difference and inequality (gender, class, ethnicity, age, etc.) in a globalised world will be introduced. Through the study of ethnographic cases that illustrate cultural diversity and highlight the contrasts and similarities with the sociocultural context itself, and with the support of reading and audiovisual materials, students will gain basic knowledge of the anthropological discipline and the key concepts that allow them to have a critical and comprehensive view of the different forms of social life of the human species.
Learning outcomes
- CM04 (Develop a critical, respectful and tolerant attitude towards human variability, valuing richness and interest in cultural diversity.) Develop a critical, respectful and tolerant attitude towards human variability, valuing richness and interest in cultural diversity.
- CM05 (Apply the gender perspective in the analysis of human variability and in the evaluation of inequalities, proposing actions to overcome them.) Apply the gender perspective in the analysis of human variability and in the evaluation of inequalities, proposing actions to overcome them.
- KM07 (Recognise cultural diversity and the main social challenges in the globalised world.) Recognise cultural diversity and the main social challenges in the globalised world.
- KM08 (Define the principles of anthropology as a discipline that studies different cultures from a comparative and descriptive perspective.) Define the principles of anthropology as a discipline that studies different cultures from a comparative and descriptive perspective.
- SM06 (Interpret cultural diversity through basic concepts related to anthropology.) Interpret cultural diversity through basic concepts related to anthropology.
- SM07 (Analyse the ethical implications in the study of cultural diversity, addressing issues such as representation, privacy and respect for the communities involved.) Analyse the ethical implications in the study of cultural diversity, addressing issues such as representation, privacy and respect for the communities involved.
Contents
Topic 1. Introduction. The anthropological discipline
1.1 Anthropology in the field of human and social sciences.
1.2 Object, method and techniques of anthropology.
1.3 Ethnography and fieldwork.
1.4 Fundamental concepts: culture, diversity, ethnocentrism, relativism, naturalization, difference and inequality.
Topic 2. Socio-political classifications
2.1 Racism.
2.2 Cultural fundamentalism.
2.4 Gender, age, class and other forms of classification.
Topic 3. Belief systems, symbolism and ritual
3.1 Rituals and rites of passage.
3.2 Universality of the religious phenomenon: beliefs, practices and community.
3.3 Social functions of religiosity: explaining, crisis, emotions, and political control.
3.4 Ontologies: animism, naturalism, totemism and analogism.
3.5 Varieties of communication with the intangible world: shamanism and possession.
3.6 Syncretism.
Topic 4. Family and kinship
4.1 What is kinship?
4.2 Filiation.
4.3 Alliance: polygyny, polyandry, same-sex marriages.
4.4 Kinship terminology.
4.5 New forms of kinship in the West
Topic 5. Economy and subsistence
5.1 Adaptation strategies: hunting-gathering, horticulture, agriculture, livestock.
5.2 Modes of production.
5.3 Distribution: exchange, reciprocity, market, redistribution.
5.4 Types of economies: marriage economy, ritual economy, prestige economy, care economy.
Topic 6. Politics
6.1 Structures of political organization: bands, tribes, chiefdoms, states.
6.2 Theories on the origin of the head and the State.
6.3 Authority and conflict.
6.4 Origin of inequalities.
6.5 Power and biopolitics.
6.6 Resistance and agency.
Learning activities and methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Study of content covered in class, reading of required and supplementary texts, preparing summaries, outlines, exercises, and assessment assignments. | 96 | 3.84 | CM04, CM05, KM07, KM08, SM06, SM07 |
| Theoretical classes, text discussions, documentary viewings, and debates | 50 | 2 | CM04, CM05, KM07, KM08, SM06, SM07 |
| Individual or group tutorials | 4 | 0.16 | CM04, KM07, SM07 |
- The work by the students consists mainly of attentive attendance and participation in the classroom, research and analysis of information, carrying out the planned readings and carrying out the corresponding exercises and assignments.
- The readings are aimed at preparing for three basic forms of assessment: discussion in debates (in person in the classroom or through the Virtual Campus), exercise carried out at home or in the classroom, following the teacher's instructions and through an exam.
- The different exercises will be returned corrected with comments and guidance to improve student learning.
All training activities will be scheduled at the beginning of the course, along with the program, including the specific dates for each activity or assessment submission. The dates must be strictly adhered to, and any delay not justified by documentation will affect the assessment of the activity/exercise.
The student must take into account that the Virtual Campus is the space through which fundamental information about the subject is notified (various incidents, new developments, etc.). Therefore, it is their responsibility to pay attention to the news and information that is posted during the course. The Virtual Campus will include professors' office hours, the teaching materials necessary to follow the subject (syllabus, readings, evaluation rubrics, manuals, or other materials), audiovisual materials or links to materials for class or complementary activities, and spaces for submitting and correcting work. The professors will indicate if they use other tools available on the Virtual Campus.
Assessment
Continuous assessment activities
| Title | Weight | Hours | ECTS | Learning outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Participation in activities inside and outside the classroom | 15 | 0 | 0 | CM04, CM05, KM07, SM06, SM07 |
| Seminar debating required readings | 15 | 0 | 0 | CM04, CM05, KM08, SM06, SM07 |
| Individual exam on a monograph | 30 | 0 | 0 | CM04, CM05, KM07, SM06, SM07 |
| Individual exam of the material covered | 40 | 0 | 0 | CM04, CM05, KM07, KM08, SM06, SM07 |
This subject does not have a single assessment system. The assessment will be CONTINUOUS and will consist of:
1.- Reading a monograph (30% of the grade)
Critical-descriptive reading of an anthropological monograph. The reference to the monograph will be indicated in the subject syllabus that will be given at the beginning of the course.
The reading will be assessed through an exam that aims to verify that the student has read and understood it and is able to frame ethnographic knowledge in the subject matter.
This exam is MANDATORY. The student will not be able to be assessed for the subject if he/she has not taken this exam.
2.- Subject assessment exam (40% of the grade)
There will be a single final exam. This exam aims to evaluate all the content worked on, as well as the ability to articulate it with other relevant materials worked on in the subject (readings, audiovisuals, and classroom activities).
Passing the final exam (5 points) is mandatory to pass the subject.
3.- Activities, participation and audiovisuals (15% of the grade. This part cannot be recovered)
This block consists of:
- Activities that will be proposed during the semester: the dates for the delivery of these activities will be specified in the classes.
- Audiovisuals: during the semester, audiovisuals on anthropological and social themes will be viewed. For each of the audiovisuals, the student must present an activity at the end of the class.
4.- Seminar on debate of mandatory readings (15% of the grade. This part cannot be recovered)
Students must read and analyze two anthropological articles. The Seminar will be assessed through two activities: the delivery of an exercise in class on the day of the seminar and the assessment activity that will be carried out in class.
Article 1. BOHANNAN, L. (1966) “Shakespeare in the bush” in Natural History, August-September, 1966. Online.
Article 2: AGUILAR, C. (2006) “¡Ah!, ¿pero existen las razas?” in Aguilar (et al.) Lecturas para estrenarse en Antropología. Editorial Diálogo.
On carrying out each evaluation activity, lecturers will inform students (on Moodle) of the procedures to be followed for reviewing all grades awarded, and the date on which such a review will take place.
RECOVERY:
The final exam and the monograph exam will be retrievable, but not the participation activities (in class or on the Campus Virtual) or the audiovisuals.
To be able to participate in the recovery process, students must have previously been assessed (not necessarily passed) in the monograph reading exam and have obtained a minimum average grade of 3.5 in all the assessed activities. Therefore, students who have not taken the monograph exam or who have not obtained a minimum of 3.5 (out of 10) in the total number of tests taken will NOT BE ASSESSABLE.
Absence or late submission of assessment activities without a duly justified and accredited cause means that the activity will not be assessed. Evidence of assessment that does not conform to the format standards of the guidelines and rubrics for carrying out the work will not be accepted. Serious spelling, syntax or form errors may be grounds for failure.
In the event that the student commits any irregularity that could lead to a significant variation in the grade of an assessment, this assessment will be graded 0, regardless of the disciplinary process that may be initiated. In the event that several irregularities occur in the assessment acts of the SAME subject, the final grade for this subject will be 0. (Article 116. Assessment results, modified by agreement of the Governing Council of March 19, 2015). In order to pass the subject, it is necessary to have passed with a minimum grade of 5.
This subject allows the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies exclusively in text correction or translation tasks. The student must (i) identify the parts that have been generated with AI; (ii) specify the tools used; and (iii) include a critical reflection on how these have influenced the process and the final result of the activity. The lack of transparency in the use of AI in this assessable activity will be considered a lack of academic honesty and will result in the activity being assessed with a 0 and not being able to be recovered, or greater sanctions in serious cases.
Erasmus and exchange students who request to advance an exam must present a document from their home university justifying their request.
Bibliography
Handbook of reference
KOTTAK, Conrad Phillip (2006) Antropología cultural. Madrid: McGraw-Hill.
Other Handbooks of reference
AGUIRRE, Ángel (ed.) (1982) Conceptos clave de la antropología cultural. Barcelona: Daimón.
AUGÉ Marc - COLLEYN Jean-Paul (2005) Qué es la antropología. Barcelona: Paidós.
AZCONA, Jesús (1987) Para comprender la antropología (vol. 1: “La historia”, vol. 2: “La cultura”), Estella, Verbo Divino.
BARRET, Stanley R. (1997) Anthropology: A student’s guide to Theory and Method. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
BEALS, Ralph – HOIJER, Harry (1978) Introducción a la antropología. Madrid: Aguilar.
BEATTIE, John (1972) Otras culturas. México: F.C.E.
BOCK, Philip (1977) Introducción a la moderna antropología cultural. México: F.C.E.
BOHANNAN, Paul (1996) Para raros, nosotros: introducción a la antropología cultural. Madrid: Ediciones Akal.
BOHANNAN, Paul - GLAZER, Mark (eds.) (1992) Antropología: lecturas. Madrid: McGraw-Hill.
BOIVIN, Mauricio – ROSATO, Ana – ARRIBAS, Victoria (1998) Constructores de Otredad. Una introducción a la Antropología Social y Cultural. Buenos Aires: Eudeba.
EMBER, Carol (2003) Introducción a la Antropología. Madrid: McGraw-Hill.
EMBER, Carol R.- EMBER, Melvin (2004) Antropología cultural. Madrid: Prentice Hall.
ESPINA BARRIO, Ángel B. (1992) Manual de Antropología cultural. Salamanca: Amarú ediciones.
FRIGOLÉ, Joan (et al.) (1995) Antropologia Social. Barcelona: Edicions Proa.
HARRIS, Marvin (2004) Introducción a la Antropología General. Madrid: Alianza Editorial.
HARRIS, Marvin (2009 [1983]) Antropología cultural. Madrid: Alianza Editorial.
HENDRY, Joy (1999) An Introduction to Social Anthropology. Other People’s Worlds. Macmillan Press: London.
HERSKOVITS, Melville J. (1964) El hombre y sus obras. México: F.C.E.
KAPLAN, David – MANNERS, Robert A. (1979) Introducción crítica a la teoría antropológica. México: Nueva Imagen.
KOTTAK, Conrad Phillip (2002) Antropología cultural. Espejo para la humanidad. Madrid: McGraw-Hill.
LINTON, Ralph (1972) Estudio del hombre. México: F.C.E., Breviarios.
LISÓN Carmelo (ed.) (2007) Introducción a la Antropología Social y Cultural. Teoría, método y práctica. Madrid: Akal.
LLOBERA, Joan Ramon (1975) La antropología como ciencia. Barcelona: Anagrama.
LLOBERA, Joan Ramon (1999) Manual d'antropologia social: estructura i evolució de les societats humanes. Edicions de la Universitat Oberta de Catalunya: Pòrtic, Barcelona.
LUQUE BAENA, Enrique (1985) Del conocimiento antropológico. Madrid: Siglo XXI editores.
MALLART, Lluís (2009) Sóc fill dels evuzok, Barcelona, La Campana.
ROSSI, Ino - O’HIGGINS, Edward (1981) Teorías de la cultura y métodos antropológicos. Barcelona: Anagrama.
Dictionaris
AADD (1993) Diccionari d’Antropologia. Barcelona, TERMCAT.
BONTE, Pierre i IZARD, Michel (2008 [1991]) Etnología y Antropología. Madrid: Akal.
Software
There is no specific software for this subject other than the Virtual Campus.
Course groups and languages
The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE
| Type of teaching | Group | Language | Semester | Shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (TE) Theory | 1 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (PAUL) Classroom practices | 1 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |