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Table of Contents
ANTH 1002: Anthropology in the world
| Unit coordinator and lecturer (weeks 7–12) | Ryan Schram |
|---|---|
| Lecturer (weeks 1–6) | Holly High |
The complete syllabus (or "unit outline") is available on the official USYD web site.
USYD students who are enrolled in ANTH 1002 can find more information on the class Canvas site.
Class description
As humans, culture completes us, but we also create culture through our words and deeds. Social and cultural anthropologists are engaged in both cultural description and cultural criticism: their work contributes to understanding the world and changing it. Anthropologists challenge many dominant beliefs about how the world works. In this class, you will be introduced to the unique perspective of cultural anthropology on human experience through a study of how anthropologists have contributed to debates on contemporary issues of global importance. You will learn how anthropological understandings of culture and society help us to rethink the way we live and the world we inhabit.
Schedule of class sessions
This semester, our class will consist of:
- Self-paced video presentations and notes for each week
- A live videoconference “office hour” with the lecturer on Wednesday at 4 PM
- One of six tutorial sections on campus, or three online
Tutorials
- Monday at 12 PM, in-person
- Monday at 1 PM, in-person
- Monday at 3 PM, live videoconference
- Wednesday at 11 AM, in-person
- Wednesday at 12 PM (a), in-person
- Wednesday at 12 PM (b), in-person
- Wednesday at 1 PM, live videoconference
- Wednesday at 3 PM, live videoconference
- Thursday at 10 AM, in-person
Welcome to anthropology
This class is the second of two introductory units in the anthropology department, and aims to give students an understanding of how anthropologists think. By the end of this semester, you should not only understand what anthropology is and what anthropologists do, but you should also feel like you know how to think like an anthropologist. You will be then able to apply anthropology as a lens to yourself, and decide for yourself what anthropology means. The lecturers and tutors in this class have decided to embrace recent changes, and put students in the driver’s seat.
Although each student is driving their way through this class, you won’t do it alone! We have created a sequence for you to follow every week. As you work through each week’s checklist of tasks, you will have several opportunities to make connections with your peers and to discuss with them what you and they are discovering about anthropology. Your tutors will help you plan and prepare your writing assignments in tutorials, and your lecturers will be available every week to discuss each week’s topics and the class as whole.
When you have registered for the class, you can log in to the class Canvas site, read through the information about how this class will be run this semester in Module Zero. When you are ready, move on to Module I: Rethinking birth. (Also, you will have your first tutorial meeting in Week 1.) Holly is looking forward to meeting you during her live Zoom office hour on Monday at 10 a.m. of Week 1.
ANTH 1002: Anthropology in the world—A guide to the unit
Assignments: Qualitative analysis of a birth interview, Cultural contextualization of an observation about childhood, Assessing Mauss’s influence: An exercise in research skill, Constructive criticism of a colleague’s Mauss research, Critique of your own cultural assumptions, Lecture questions
Class info: Welcome to anthropology, What is anthropology, and why should we care?, What we will do in class, Attendance, timetables, lectures, tutorials, and the hybrid format of this class, Late work, special consideration, and no-disadvantage assessment, The keys to success in this class, How to Zoom to class, Types of scholarly writing, Writing an effective email, Formatting and software requirements for assignments
Acknowledgement of country
This is an acknowledgment that the Sydney University Department of Anthropology <html><strong></html><html><a href=“https://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/council/about-council/welcome-to-country” title='More information on the indigenous owners of Sydney'></html>occupies the lands of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation<html></a></html><html></strong></html>, and furthermore that our work as anthropologists brings us into contact with many communities whose sovereignty is denied.