CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY, INTRODUCTION

The course "Cultural Anthropology, introduction", falls within the distinctive training activities of the anthropological stream in the undergraduate degree course in History and is a compulsory exam in the undergraduate degree course in Cultural Heritage (Conservazione e gestione dei beni e delle attività culturali). The course objective is to develop a capacity to reflect on cultural diversity and offer basic theoretical and methodological tools employed by Cultural Anthropology. In reference to the ethnographic research carried out by the lecturer in a Australian indigenous community, the course gives particular attention to the key themes of the anthropological approach and presents the key methods to carry out ethnographic research. The course teaching objective is to provide basic knowledge of the anthropological approach:
1. Themes: cultural diversity, ethnocentrism and cultural relativism, social phenomena and relations, political, economic and religious systems, social change, process of cultural resignification, production of anthropological knowledge, the anthropologist's insertion and positioning, basic knowledge of organization and interpretation of data.

Attending lectures and active participation in the course (face-to-face lectures, writing of a reflexive text) and preparing the exam program will allow students to:
1. learn anthropological theories and methods applied to different social phenomena
2. learn and appreciate other societies' cultural and social complexity
3. To avoid judging other societies or groups imposing one's own cultural categories and learn to reflect on one's one cultural evaluations, practices and representations usually taken for granted
4. to learn technical anthropological vocabulary and terminology
5. be able to take notes and summarize themes and ideas learnt during lectures and in the preparation of exam material

The course does not require any prerequisites as it is introductory to the discipline.

The course introduces students to the main themes in cultural anthropology: definitions and theoretical approaches to the study of culture; the ethnographic method; cultural diversity; ethnocentrism and cultural relativism; social change; the study of kinship, political and economic systems, religion, myth and ritual with particular attention to mortuary ceremonies. The theoretical questions discussed by M. Engelke (2018) will be illustrated with ethnographic examples drawn from different cultures and in particular the ethnographic study by F. Tamisari (2018).


EXAM PROGRAM FOR ATTENDING STUDENTS

Compulsory textbooks
Tamisari, F. 2018 La danza dello Squalo. Relazionalità e performance in una comunità yolngu della Terra di Arnhem, CLEUP, Chapters: Preface, 1,2,3,4,7,8,9
Engelke, M. 2018 Pensare come un antropologo Piccola Biblioteca Einaudi. Chapters 1,2, 4.

EXAM PROGRAM FOR NON ATTENDING STUDENTS

Compulsory textbooks
Tamisari, F. 2018 La danza dello Squalo. Relazionalità e performance in una comunità yolngu della Terra di Arnhem, CLEUP (all chapters)
Engelke, M. 2018 Pensare come un antropologo Piccola Biblioteca Einaudi (all chapters).

Important: this course is not valid towards the award of M-DEA/01 cfu for the FIT course

Compulsory textbooks

Tamisari, F. 2018 La danza dello Squalo. Relazionalità e performance in una comunità yolngu della Terra di Arnhem, CLEUP.
Engelke, M. 2018 Pensare come un antropologo Piccola Biblioteca Einaudi.


Other bibliographical references will be suggested during lectures.

1. Brief reflexive text (500 wds) to write at home and submit (in printed form not written by hand) to the lecturer where students summarize and question a theme discussed during the lectures. Instructions to carry out this exercise will be distributed during the first lectures and uploaded in MOODLE.
2.Written exam. The oral examination includes factual questions (definitions, technical terms, authors and dates) and open answer questions in order to test students' comprehension and critical synthesis abilities.

EVALUATION CRITERIA: the open-answer questions will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
a. comprehension and clear presentation of ideas
b. capacity of synthesis
c. Referring to theses and details debated in the textbook and during the lectures
d. Correct reference to specific ethnographic details (names, places etc.)
e. Correct reference to authors quoted in the textbook and during lectures

NB Students with special requirements and allowances should contact the lecturer in advance and inform her as soon as they arrive in class.

The course consists in:
1. face-to face lectures (use of ppt, and audiovisual material)
2. brief reflexive text to be written at home and submitted in printed form to the lecturer
3. After communication of the exam final results, students are invited to see the lecturer to receive comment on the written exam
4. During lectures further optional readings are uploaded in MOODLE

Italian

Attendance is not compulsory but is highly recommended. Students are invited to consult the information material on the reflexive text and on the final exam in MOODLE and control regularly the lecturer's notices in MOODLE and on her personal web page. Students with special needs and permits must inform the lecturer as soon as they arrive in class. Students can see the lecturer during students hours on Wed mornings by writing to her at least four days in advance.

written

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Poverty and inequalities" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development