Undergraduate Course: Anthropological Theory (SCAN10022)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course offers an advanced approach to anthropological theory suitable for those who have previously taken anthropology courses. It is not recommended for those who have not studied any anthropology.
The course explores how contemporary anthropologists apply theory. It introduces a range of advanced concepts and invites students to use these to analyse and theorize the material world. Students are invited to select a material object of particular social or cultural significance, and will then have the opportunity to theorize their object through a variety of theoretical perspectives introduced during the course. This includes engagement with decolonial theory, actor-network theory, theories of materiality, gender, and technology. The focus is not just on studying theories, but on learning how to apply them. |
| Course description |
This course introduces a variety of advanced theoretical concepts and explores how to apply them to selected objects in the material world. We explore anthropological approaches to coloniality, scale, gender, governance, and technology, among other topics. Course assignments will assess the application of these theoretical approaches to chosen objects which will be discussed in class time. As a whole the course aims to leave students with a strong sense of anthropology as a coherent, vibrant discipline with major contributions to make on contemporary issues.
Content
The course is based around students' selection of an object to analyse throughout the course. Guidance will be offered on selection of the object, and erach week will offer the opportunity to explore how new theoreticla ideas relate to thinking about the object. Key theorists to be studied include Michel-Rolph Trouillot, Bruno Latour, Marilyn Strathern, Epeli Hau'Ofa, and others. Focus will be on the contemporary application of anthropological ideas.
Student Learning Experience
Lectures will introduce the core questions of anthropological theory in a cumulative fashion, each week building on the last to produce a fuller appreciation of theory as a process of development. Content will be delivered in lecture sessions involving some participatory activities. These will be supported by hour-long tutorial sessions for each week. Students are expected to actively discuss readings in class, and to participate in classroom activities and discussions during lecture time.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | 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. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2024/25, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 81 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 20,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 9,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
167 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
One short essay due in mid-term (1500 words, 30%), followed by two end-of-term essays of 1500 words each (70%). |
| Feedback |
Students will receive written feedback on all essays, and group feedback on first essay will be given during lecture time. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- By the end of the course, students will have a confident grasp of the main trends in anthropological theory that are influential today.
- They will have read a number of original writings by a range of theorists, and be capable of providing a critical account of anthropological theorists and the intellectual context in which they worked.
- They will be able to relate the application of those theories in existing ethnographic writing and be able to draw upon them in thinking about future ethnographic research.
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Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Tom Boylston
Tel:
Email: tom.boylston@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Karen Leung
Tel:
Email: Karen.Leung@ed.ac.uk |
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