Degree | Type | Year |
---|---|---|
Sociocultural Gender Studies | FB | 1 |
You can view this information at the end of this document.
No prerequisites are necessary to take this course.
This course provides an introductory exploration of the theoretical and epistemological foundations of anthropology as a scientific discipline focused on the comparative study of human sociocultural diversity. It aims to foster a critical understanding of the ways in which societies organize social and cultural life, as well as the narratives through which difference and social hierarchies are constructed and legitimized.
Through the study of key concepts, theoretical approaches, and ethnographic cases, the course encourages students to develop an anthropological perspective that questions cultural assumptions and analyzes the symbolic, social, and political systems that shape human practices. It also promotes reflection on the historical conditioning of anthropology as a discipline and supports the adoption of contemporary critical perspectives.
The course equips students with tools to interpret cultural and social diversity in an informed and reflective way, integrating the analysis of power relations, gender norms, and other axes of inequality. At the same time, it strengthens students’ ability to construct coherent and well-founded arguments aimed at promoting a respectful and engaged understanding of human life in all its complexity.
The contents of this course provide students with a solid and structured introduction to the fundamental concepts of Social and Cultural Anthropology. The course is organized according to a classical thematic structure, which allows for the exploration of key dimensions of social life—such as kinship, economy, politics, and religion—and the construction of a conceptual foundation for understanding the discipline.
This approach is accompanied by sustained attention to contemporary critical perspectives, particularly contributions from gender studies and intersectionality theory. These perspectives are integrated transversally across all units, enhancing students’ ability to understand how power relations, gender norms, and other axes of inequality permeate all spheres of social and cultural organization.
The course also incorporates a variety of sources—academic readings, audiovisual materials, case studies, and guest lectures—that allow for the exploration of diverse practices and discourses, with particular emphasis on the social construction of difference, processes of domination, and forms of resistance.
The course content is organized into the following thematic units:
Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology
Object of study, comparative perspective, and methods. Ethnography, fieldwork, and reflexivity. Origins of the discipline and its androcentric biases.
Culture, Diversity, and Otherness
Cultural construction of difference. Ethnocentrism, cultural relativism,andsocial hierarchies. Gender and otherness. Sexual difference as a social construction.
Gender Perspectives in Anthropology
The sex/gender system. Feminist critiques of scientific neutrality. Intersectionality as an analytical tool. Androcentric societies and practices of resistance.
Kinship, Family, and Marriage
Diverse forms of family organization. Gender and kinship norms. Heteronormative marriages and alternative models. Debates on filiation and reproduction.
Economy, Work, and Subsistence
Economic organization and the social division of labor. Reproductive labor and invisible economies. The impact of globalization from a gender perspective.
Politics, Power, and Hegemony
Authority, leadership, and domination. Patriarchy and power relations. Social movements and feminisms as forms of resistance.
Beliefs, Spirituality, and Religion
Body, ritual, and identity. Religion and gender normativities. Dissident spiritualities and feminist spiritualities.
Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
---|---|---|---|
Type: Directed | |||
Master classes | 50 | 2 | CM04, CM05, KM10, SM05, SM07, CM04 |
Type: Supervised | |||
Oral presentations and written tests | 25 | 1 | CM04, CM05, KM10, SM05, SM07, CM04 |
Type: Autonomous | |||
Collaborative essay | 75 | 3 | CM04, CM05, KM10, SM05, SM07, CM04 |
Learning activities
Teaching methodology
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Collaborative essay | 40% | 0 | 0 | CM04, CM05, KM10, SM05, SM07 |
Final exam | 40% | 0 | 0 | CM04, CM05, KM10, SM05, SM07 |
Oral presentations and discussion | 20% | 0 | 0 | CM04, CM05, KM10, SM05, SM07 |
The continuous assessment consists of 3 modules, each with a different weight toward the final grade:
This course does not offer the option of single assessment.
General Criteria:
To pass the course, students must obtain a minimum average grade of 5 (on a scale of 0 to 10) from all assessment activities.
Resit (Recovery Assessment):
Students may take part in the resit if they have completed Modules 1 and 3 and have obtained a final average grade between 3.5 and 4.9.
Other Provisions:
Introductory and general texts
Culture, diversity and otherness
Kinship, family and marriage
Economy, work and subsistence
Politics, power and hegemony
Beliefs, spirituality and religion
Gender, sexuality and identity
Complementary readings
That provided by UAB.
Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.
Name | Group | Language | Semester | Turn |
---|---|---|---|---|
(PAUL) Classroom practices | 1 | Catalan/Spanish | first semester | morning-mixed |
(TE) Theory | 1 | Spanish | first semester | morning-mixed |