Anthropological Analysis of the Contemporary World
Code: 101249 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2500256 Social and Cultural Anthropology | OB | 3 | 2 |
Contact
- Name:
- Clara Rubio Ros
- Email:
- Clara.Rubio@uab.cat
Use of Languages
- Principal working language:
- catalan (cat)
- Some groups entirely in English:
- No
- Some groups entirely in Catalan:
- Yes
- Some groups entirely in Spanish:
- No
Prerequisites
This course has no pre – requisites.
Objectives and Contextualisation
OBJECTIVES
This subject intends to apply the thematic areas of anthropology and related disciplines (especially sociology), but from an anthropological perspective, to the understanding of contemporary social phenomena and problems, emphasizing sociocultural constructions and their plasticity while framing them contextually and temporarily in our society. A part of the program's themes may vary from one course to the next depending on the interest in developing the objectives of the subject.
Training objectives
Achieve the knowledge of the main theoretical contributions on the developed subjects and, especially, to achieve a critical look at our reality and the transmitted, "dominant" and "alternative" cultural models.
The student must be able to be interested critically and understand the sociocultural phenomena of their time and environment.
The student must be able to use a disciplinary perspective to interpret and explain contemporary sociocultural phenomena and problems.
The student must be able to integrate diverse non-disciplinary sources (press, narrative, cinema, ...) and interpret them from a sociocultural perspective through the available theories.
Competences
- Apprehending cultural diversity through ethnography and critically assessing ethnographic materials as knowledge of local contexts and as a proposal of theoretical models.
- Demonstrating they know and comprehend the epistemological and methodological debates in Anthropology and the main investigation techniques.
- Developing critical thinking and reasoning and communicating them effectively both in your own and other languages.
- Students must be capable of applying their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional way and they should have building arguments and problem resolution skills within their area of study.
- Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
- Using the discipline's ethnographic and theoretical corpus with analytical and synthesis skills.
Learning Outcomes
- Analysing a contemporary fact from an anthropological perspective.
- Applying the basic concepts of Social and Cultural Anthropology to the understanding of relationships between various societies and cultures.
- Applying the knowledge of cultural variability and its genesis to avoid ethnocentric projections.
- Apprehending cultural diversity through ethnography and critically assessing ethnographic materials as local context knowledge.
- Assessing critically the explicit and implicit theoretical models in the ethnographic materials.
- Distinguishing between the theoretical concepts of Anthropology and the indigenous concepts.
- Establishing historical connection between ethnographic and theoretical development.
- Identifying main and supporting ideas and expressing them with linguistic correctness.
- Identifying the sociocultural variability through ethnographic texts and audiovisual resources.
- Identifying the transcultural variability of economic, kinship, political, symbolic and cognitive, educational and gender systems as well as their corresponding anthropological theory.
- Interpreting the cultural diversity through ethnography.
- Interpreting today's main events from physical, economic, social and cultural diversity.
- Knowing and assessing the methodological debate of social and cultural Anthropology.
- Knowing and assessing the various processes of intercultural relationship.
- Summarising acquired knowledge about the origin and transformations experienced in the several fields of anthropology.
- Summarizing the characteristics of a written text in accordance to its communicative purposes.
- Theoretically analysing ethnographic examples of cultural diversity in the fields of education, gender and inclusion-exclusion systems.
- Using the ethnographic corpus in the cultural critique.
Content
Contents
1. Introduction, key concepts: Social construction, social problems and social representations.
2. From prejudice to stigma and alterofobia. Social control in contemporary societies.
3. Capitalism, work, Welfare States, and marginalization, social exclusion and poverty processes.
4. Anthropological perspectives of the contemporary world between the north(s) and the south(s). Borders, processes of socio-spatial segregation, relations of power, violence and political conflict.
5. Life Cycle: socioanthropological perspective.
-Childhood: from individual socialization to social agency paradigms
-Youth conditions in urban societies: subcultures, counter-cultures, “tribes”, styles and fashions.
-Old aged: between stigma and new forms of empowerment.
6. Anthropology of emotions and affects. The sociocultural construction of romantic love.
7. Fiction cinema as a cultural product: analyzing models, values and archetypes.
Methodology
FORMATIVE ACTIVITIES
- Theoretical classes and directed debates
- Reading of texts and discussion in teams
- Analysis of audio-visual products with content relevant to the subject
- Writing and presentation of works. Teamwork
- Individual study
- Evaluation
TEACHING METHODOLOGY
- Master classes with ICT support
- Discussions in the class group
- Comprehensive reading and discussion of texts
- Viewing and discussion of documentaries and films.
- oral group presentations
- Recensions and essays on press articles (in groups) from a guide for its realization
- Drawing up diagrams, conceptual maps and summaries.
- Writing a work (individually or in a group) from a guide to its realization.
Activities
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Discussions in the class group | 10 | 0.4 | 1, 3, 2, 4, 5, 14, 10, 12, 18 |
| Master classes | 30 | 1.2 | 17, 1, 3, 2, 4, 5, 13, 14, 6, 7, 9, 10, 8, 12, 11, 16, 15, 18 |
| Viewing and discussion of documentaries and films. | 10 | 0.4 | 1, 3, 13, 14, 6, 9, 8, 12 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Individual or team work | 16 | 0.64 | 1, 3, 2, 5, 14, 6, 7, 9, 10, 8, 12, 16, 15, 18 |
| Tutorials - preparation for written work | 5 | 0.2 | 1, 3, 2, 5, 14, 6, 7, 9, 8, 12, 16, 18 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Comprehensive reading and discussion of texts | 35 | 1.4 | 1, 2, 5, 7, 8, 12, 16 |
| Personal study | 40 | 1.6 | 17, 1, 3, 2, 5, 7, 9, 8, 16, 18 |
Assessment
The assessment will consist of 3 modules with different weight on the final note:
Module 1. Written essay about one of the themes of the subject using the readings and films worked in classes and a little press dossier to be done by the student (individual activity, 40% of the final grade).
Module 2. Seminar of readings: Oral presentation and discussion in groups of a selection of readings on the themes of the subject. (activity in group, 20% of the final grade).
Module 3. Two written tests (partials) about the acquisition of concepts and contents of the syllabus (individual activity, 40% of the final grade).
It will be considered non-evaluable if the student have not completed the activity of Module 1 and one of the subject's Evaluation Tests.
At the time of carrying out each assessment activity, the teacher will inform students (Moodle) of the procedure and date of revocation of the qualifications.
The Module 1 and 3 are Revaluable assessment activities.
The Module 2 (seminar of discussion of readings and oral presentations) is a Non-revaluable activity.
About Plagiarism
In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject.
Online evaluation
In the event that tests or exams cannot be taken onsite, they will be adapted to an online format made available through the UAB’s virtual tools (original weighting will be maintained). Homework, activities and class participation will be carriedout through forums, wikis and/or discussion on Teams, etc. Lecturers will ensure that students are able to access these virtual tools, or will offer them feasible alternatives.
Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seminar of readings: Oral presentation and discussion in groups of a selection of readings on the themes of the subject. | 20% | 1 | 0.04 | 1, 3, 14, 9, 10 |
| Two written tests (partials) about the acquisition of concepts and contents of the syllabus | 40% | 3 | 0.12 | 1, 3, 2, 5, 14, 12 |
| Written essay about one of the themes of the subject using the readings and films worked in classes and a little press dossier | 40% | 0 | 0 | 17, 1, 3, 2, 4, 5, 13, 14, 6, 7, 10, 8, 12, 11, 16, 15, 18 |
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