Module Content

Critical Issues in Social Anthropology is the key component of the Core Course for the MSc in Social and Cultural Anthropology. The aim of the course is to provide comprehensive training in social anthropological theory, emphasising the discipline’s contribution to the comparative study of human beings in their diverse social and cultural formations.

In the first part of the course, which runs throughout Term 1, you will explore key analytical issues in social anthropology, examining fundamental debates and controversies that define the discipline. This includes introducing students to central concepts such as ‘culture’, ‘society’, the notion of the ‘other’, as well as the relationship between ‘nature’ and ‘culture’, and local and global worlds. In Term 2, the course splits to enable students to pursue the track best suited to their academic interests and professional priorities:

TRACK I: THEORY, ETHNOGRAPHY AND COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS (TECA)

Building on the themes of Term 1, this track continues to introduce core theoretical movements in social anthropology by examining fundamental forms of analytical inquiry in the fields of politics, economics, religion and kinship.

TRACK II: THEORY, ETHNOGRAPHY AND PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE (TEPP)

This track examines the relationship and relevance of anthropological research and methods to professional practice in contemporary society. This track is recommended for students who wish to deploy a sound grasp of anthropological theory and method in relation to diverse fields of professional and policy-related practice, including governance, NGOs, creative industries, finance and commercial research.

Learning Outcomes

Having completed the course students will:

have a critical understanding of key debates in the history of anthropology and how these have shaped the production of anthropological knowledge.
	Have a sound grasp of anthropological theory and key concepts in the discipline.
	be able to demonstrate key skills of critical analysis, reflexivity and comparison when assessing anthropological texts.
	have a sound understanding of key debates in the fields of kinship, politics, economics and religion (Track I); or have a sound understanding in the production of anthropological knowledge in and of professional practice, and the implications for the discipline and how it travels beyond the academy (Track II).
	Be able to discuss and reflect upon positionality and ethical issues that inhere with the production of anthropological knowledge.
Teaching Delivery 

The course is taught through a weekly seminar involving a short lecture introducing the topic, which is followed by group discussion. The format of teaching involves discussion of key issues, practice in applying concepts both orally and in writing, and analysis and interpretation of a range of ethnographic and theoretical material.