ANTH40030: Key Issues in Sociocultural Theory

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• To develop the student's knowledge of how the main sub-fields of sociocultural anthropology have developed throughout the history of the discipline.
• To develop the student's ability to comment critically on theories and perspectives within sociocultural anthropology.
• To develop the student's awareness of current issues and challenges within the main sub-field of sociocultural anthropology.
• To be taught in Michaelmas term to provide students with important introductory material

• Major theoretical perspectives, movements and authors within sociocultural anthropology are covered. Developments within the discipline are placed in historical and social as well as intellectural contexts. Students are encouraged to reflect upon the meanings and applicability of such terms as 'culture', 'society', 'system', 'function', 'theory', and 'field'. The introductory seminars of the module provide overviews of continuities and transformations in the methodologies, aims and roles of sociocultural anthropology. The main part of the module is then following sub-fields: economics, kinship, language, politics and religion. Connections and contraditctions between classic texts and more recent works are debated. The module is completed with a consideration of dilemmas and opportunities facing contemporary researchers. Theoretical perspectives to be covered include functionalism, structural functionalism, structuralism, Marxism, post-modernism, and social versus cultural anthropology. While the development of the discipline discusses the alternative perspectives provided by sociocultural anthropologists working in other institutional contexts.

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• To develop the students knowledge of how the main sub-fields of socio-cultural anthropology have developed throughout the history of the discipline.

Subject-specific Skills:

• To develop the students ability to comment critically on theories and perspectives within socio-cultural anthropology.
• To develop the students awareness of current issues and challenges within the main sub-fields of socio-cultural anthropology.

Key Skills:

• Communication: students will be taught how to communicate clearly (both orally and in writing) their understanding of the material they have read.
• Improving own learning and performance: students will learn to use a variety of web tools for searching the primary and secondary literature.

• Through a systematic course of directed reading, covering the main themes and major figures.
• Through seminars providing critical overviews of key sub-fields.
• Through the provision of regular opportunities to summarise and debate key issues and themes in the context of seminars.

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