BASS Social Anthropology and Sociology

Key Ideas in Social Anthropology introduces first year students to the contemporary discipline of social anthropology. It does this by explaining how the discipline builds on, and transforms earlier theoretical approaches, in the social sciences, to the study of human culture and society. The course also addresses how an anthropological commitment to ethnographic fieldwork, as a research method, and as the foundation for cross-cultural comparison, shapes contemporary approaches to the study of human social and cultural life. Students are introduced to the history and politics of the emergence of social anthropology as a discipline and the broad approaches that have been used in the past and that are used now to understand human society and culture.

The aim of this course is to give students an introduction to a history of some of the key ideas, guiding debates and underlying theoretical and methodological approaches that ground Social Anthropology as a field of enquiry. We will explore the history and politics of how anthropology as a discipline has emerged; the broad approaches it has used to understand human culture and society; and the way these have changed over time. The course has three inter-related aims:

--to give students an understanding of the historical development of the discipline of Social Anthropology

--to introduce students to some of the key ideas that have shaped anthropological thought and analysis

--to foster students’ capacities to reason anthropologically about a variety of contemporary debates by understanding how theories and concepts are mobilised.

On completion of this module, successful students will have acquired:

 •  A critical understanding of the context of enquiry into human social life in which anthropology first emerged as a field of study

 •  A critical grasp of some of the key approaches and influences in anthropology, including functionalism, structuralism, Marxism, feminism, post-colonialism and post-modernism

 •  An understanding of the changing meanings of “culture” and “society” in these approaches

•  An ability to assess the relevance of all these approaches to anthropology today

Final essay - 1200 words (worth 100%)

There are 3 key ways to get feedback for this course: the most important is the tutorial, which is intended as the place to try out your ideas, raise your questions regarding the text and work through any areas that are unclear. You can also get feedback on your learning from your Teaching Assistant at their dedicated office hours and from the course leader and lecturer at their dedicated office hours indicated on the front of this syllabus.