Key Debates in Contemporary Anthropology (001AN)

15 credits, Level 5

Autumn teaching

On this module, you'll explore key debates that shape contemporary anthropology and develop your ability to critically engage with significant theoretical frameworks. You'll examine how these debates influence wider discussions in the social sciences, arts and humanities.

Topics include:

  • migration, displacement, and mobility
  • infrastructure, technology and cyborg sociality
  • anthropology and morality
  • multispecies sociality and the Anthropocene
  • affect and emotional labour
  • precarity, politics and the popular
  • secularism, religions and intolerance
  • perspectivism, ontology and the new orientalism
  • anthropology beyond ethnography: fiction, narrative and depicting the social
  • anthropology beyond logocentrism: physicality and performance.

Each topic is taught by experts in the field, allowing you to engage with current anthropological inquiries and develop your own perspectives.

Teaching

100%: Practical (Workshop)

Assessment

20%: Coursework (Essay)
80%: Written assessment (Essay)

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 150 hours of work. This breaks down into about 20 hours of contact time and about 130 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We鈥檙e planning to run these modules in the academic year 2024/25. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum.

We鈥檒l make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.