Introduction to Social Anthropology
Study Board of Market and Management Anthropology, Economics, Mathematics-Economics, Environmental and Resource Management
Teaching language: English
EKA: B500003102
Censorship: Second examiner: External
Grading: 7-point grading scale
Offered in: Odense
Offered in: Autumn
Level: Bachelor
Course ID: B500003101
ECTS value: 10
Date of Approval: 19-04-2022
Duration: 1 semester
Course ID
Course Title
Teaching language
ECTS value
Responsible study board
Study Board of Market and Management Anthropology, Economics, Mathematics-Economics, Environmental and Resource Management
Date of Approval
Course Responsible
Offered in
Level
Offered in
Duration
Recommended prerequisites
Students who follow the course are expected to have basic English communication and writing skills and be familiar with the standard academic essay format.
Aim and purpose
The course teaches skills in cultural and social analysis which are fundamental for other courses in the B.Sc. program that address specific forms of culture and sociality, e.g. regarding consumption in specific regional markets. It introduces students to social anthropology as the study of human commonality and diversity, and its theoretical and methodological underpinnings.
Students gain an analytical comprehension of global modernity by reflecting upon differences and continuities between pre-colonial small-scale social forms and contemporary late-modern societies. Throughout the course, students will build a foundational knowledge of qualitative research based on anthropological approaches, gaining experience with interviewing, participant observation, and thematic coding. They will also gain experience formulating analytical perspectives and critiques through writing.
The course equips students with the ability to identify and analyze potential issues in cross-cultural settings. These competences help organizations adapt to, and perform successfully in, the changing cultural and economic circumstances of a globalized world.
Content
Introduction to foundational concepts of anthropology:
culture - cultural analysis - ethnocentrism - cultural relativism - holism - emic and etic - ethnographic fieldwork and research methods - religion, magic, and worldviews – language and linguistics – economics and livelihood - gender and social inequality - family and kinship - power and politics - community, ethnicity, and nationalism - methodological and ethical challenges in anthropology.
Introduction to theories and methods in a historical and contemporary perspective: unilineal cultural evolutionism, historical particularism, functionalism, structuralism, interpretivism, symbolic anthropology, postmodernism.
Description of outcome - Knowledge
To fulfill the purposes of the course the student must be able to:
- Demonstrate basic knowledge of anthropological concepts, including theories on culture and complexity, worldviews and ideology, social structures, power, and symbolism, and apply these concepts.
Description of outcome - Skills
To fulfill the purposes of the course the student must be able to:
- Demonstrate the ability to critically reflect on the use of anthropological concepts in a concrete empirical setting.
- Identify and analyze potential issues in cross-cultural settings
Description of outcome - Competences
To fulfill the purposes of the course the student must be able to:
- Demonstrate the ability to apply the basic concepts and analytical tools introduced in the course.
- Apply a holistic perspective that places a phenomenon in its wider social, historical, and cultural context.
Literature
For example:
- Welsch, Robert L. and Luis A. Vivanco (2019) Asking Questions About Cultural Anthropology: A Concise Introduction. Oxford University Press
- Allison, Anne (1994) Nightwork: Sexuality, Pleasure, and Corporate Masculinity in a Tokyo Hostess Club, University of Chicago Press
Teaching Method
Lecture in combination with class discussion, small group activities, e-learning tools such as Poll Everywhere and Padlet, and writing assignments in order to guide students’ engagement with the course material and foster critical thinking and analytical skills. Exercise classes are an opportunity to discuss concepts and topics in depth and to practice research methods such as interviewing. Students will carry out a group “mini-ethnography project” in which they apply research, conceptual, and analytic skills from the course that will form the basis of the final exam. Presentations of their initial findings in the final two weeks of the exercise classes are an opportunity for feedback from peers and the students instructor. All classroom learning activities are predicated on the students’ completing the reading assignments prior to each class period as stated in the course syllabus.
Workload
Scheduled classes:
Classes are held twice a week.
Tutorial classes will be once a week, 2x45 minutes, for 14 weeks.
Workload:
The teaching activities result in an estimated distribution of the work effort of an average student as follows:
Lectures: 60 hours
Tutorial classes: 28 hours
Preparation: 135 hours
Examination: 47 hours
In total: 270 hours
This corresponds to an average weekly workload of 13 hours during the semester, including the exam.
Examination regulations
Exam
Name
Exam
Timing
Exam: January
Reexam: February
Examination for guest- and exchange students will be held in December: Internal evaluation. Re-examination will be held in February.
Tests
Exam
Name
Exam
Form of examination
Synopsis with oral examination
Censorship
Second examiner: External
Grading
7-point grading scale
Identification
Student Identification Card - Date of birth
Language
English
Duration
20 minutes oral exam based on synopsis.
Length
14.400 characters including spaces (approx. 6 pages, excluding appendices)
Examination aids
All exam aids are allowed.
Assignment handover
During the semester
Assignment handin
Hand-in Digital exam
ECTS value
10
Additional information
Synopsis and oral exam, with point of departure in a group mini-ethnography project carried out in the semester, in order to demonstrate the students’ grasp of the course material (knowledge), their ability to apply anthropological perspectives (skills) and perform critical analysis of issues and arguments (competences).
Date of submission of synopsis will appear from the examination plan.
20 minutes oral examination, without preparation, based on the synopsis.
One grade is given. Students who have not submitted a synopsis will not be admitted to the oral examination.
For the re-exam: oral examination based on a new submitted synopsis.
EKA
B500003102
External comment
Courses offered
| Offer period | Offer type | Profile | Education | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2023 | Optional | Marketing, Branding og Kommunikation | Bachelor of Science in Economics and Business Administration | Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Economics and Business Administration | Esbjerg, Soenderborg, Slagelse, Odense, Kolding | |
| Fall 2023 | Optional | BA negot Tysk, 180 ECTS, Optag 2021 | Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Business, Language and Culture (English), Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Business, Language and Culture (German) | Odense | |
| Fall 2023 | Optional | BA negot Engelsk, 180 ECTS, Optag 2021 | Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Business, Language and Culture (English), Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Business, Language and Culture (German) | Odense | |
| Fall 2023 | Mandatory | Bachelor of Science in Market and Management Anthropology, Odense, valid from September 1, 2020 | BSc in Market and Management Anthropology - 2022 | Bachelor of Science in Market and Management Anthropology | Odense | 1 | Fall 2023 | Exchange students |