Undergraduate Course: War and Culture (SCAN10041)
Course Outline
| School |
School of Social and Political Science |
College |
College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type |
Standard |
Availability |
Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) |
SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Credits |
20 |
| Home subject area |
Social Anthropology |
Other subject area |
None |
| Course website |
None
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Taught in Gaelic? |
No |
| Course description |
The aim of this course is to introduce the diverse ways in which anthropological research has dealt with the phenomenon of war. We will discuss some established theories of tribal warfare and a few key philosophical treatises on war and peace. We will be occupied with the thin, yet crucial, difference between symbolic violence and real collective violence. We will also situate theories of tribal warfare within a broader intellectual framework, normative as well as empirical, of morality and politics. The second part of the course will introduce recent ethnographic studies of modern war. We will focus on the paradox that war can be a creative force as well as a radical rupture in cultural life. African postcolonial war memorialism, privatised memories of war experience in Western Europe, field reports from Croatian bomb shelters, the "small wars" of the West Bank, the Vietnamese "ghost army" will be some of the war stories we will read and analyse. |
Entry Requirements
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites |
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| Prohibited Combinations |
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Other requirements |
None
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| Additional Costs |
None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites |
Visiting students should have at least 3 Anthropology courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses. |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course students should have an advanced grasp of anthropological approaches to the causes and consequences of war and other forms of violence. In doing so they will develop a high level of critical insight into how anthropological perspectives can shed light on the processes of war and violence. Of necessity, this is an interdisciplinary exercise, which requires an appreciation of both the particular processes of violence in specific times and places, and how this relates to broader historical, political and cultural forces. Students should have read at several book-length ethnographic studies, and should have a critical awareness of the main theoretical issues in the relationship between anthropological and other approaches to the material covered in the course.
Teaching
The course involves one two-hour session a week for the whole class. Most weeks will involve a mixture of a lecture and discussion and some group work.
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Assessment Information
| Assessment (20%) + Essay (3000-3500 words) (80%) |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Not entered |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Not entered |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords |
Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser |
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Course secretary |
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