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Society, Politics, and the Sacred (ANTH30003)
Undergraduate level 3Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
About this subject
- Overview
- Eligibility and requirements
- Assessment
- Dates and times
- Further information
- Timetable(opens in new window)
Contact information
Semester 1
Overview
Availability | Semester 1 |
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Fees | Look up fees |
What is religion? What purpose does it serve? How does it vary across cultures? Why is it growing rapidly in many parts of the world despite predictions of its inevitable decline? And how does it relate to politics in a diversity of social systems? In this subject, we explore the symbolic systems and ritual practices that people throughout the world have used to make sense of their place in the social world, the political order, the environment, and the cosmos. Students learn core anthropological approaches to the study of religion by exploring topics that may include images of mythic order and social transgression; the divergent functions of trance and shamanic practice; the roles of messianic religion in movements for social change; the meanings and functions of contemporary pilgrimage; the relationships between occult movements and the rise of shadow economies; and the uses of religious conceptions in contemporary debates about large-scale mining and climate change. Special attention will be paid throughout to the relationship between religion and politics.
Intended learning outcomes
On completion of this subject students should:
- have an advanced understanding of the key concepts and theoretical debates that have shaped the anthropological study of religion;
- have a clear sense of how those debates have shifted over time;
- be sensitive to the broad range of perspectives that anthropologists bring to bear on religious phenomena (psychoanalytic, structural-functional, symbolic, socio-economic);
- have an appreciation of the diverse manifestations of religious thought and practice in ethnographic s
- have developed an interdisciplinary and comparative perspective on religious phenomena that allows for in-depth analysis of contemporary religious practices;
- be able to communicate in a variety of written and oral formats and to collaborate effectively in groups with people whose disciplinary and cultural backgrounds may differ from their own.
Last updated: 19 March 2024
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
None
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
Students who have completed ANTH30003 The Human Cosmos or ANTH30003 Myth, Ritual and Performance are not permitted to enrol in this subject.
Recommended background knowledge
Knowledge gained in completing any one of the following subjects is recommended but not required.
Code | Name | Teaching period | Credit Points |
---|---|---|---|
ANTH10001 | Anthropology: Studying Self and Other | Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
ANTH20001 | Keeping the Body in Mind | Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
ANTH20007 | Working with Value | Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
ANTH20011 | Ethnic Nationalism and the Modern World | Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
ANTH20012 | Self, Culture and Society | Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
ANTH20008 | Anthropology of Gender and Sexuality | Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
SOTH20002 | Modernity: Foundations of Sociology | Not available in 2024 |
12.5 |
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 19 March 2024
Assessment
Additional details
- A short essay of 800 words (20%) due during the semester.
- An Ethnographic observation of 800 words (20%) due during the semester.
- A 2400 word final essay (60%) due during the examination period.
- Hurdle requirement: Students must attend a minimum of 75% of tutorials in order to pass this subject. All pieces of written work must be submitted to pass this subject. Regular participation in tutorials is required.
- Note: Assessment submitted late without an approved extension will be penalised at 10 marks per working day. In-class tasks missed without approval will not be marked.
Last updated: 19 March 2024
Dates & times
- Semester 1
Coordinator Debra McDougall Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours 1x 1.5 hour lecture and 1x 1 hour tutorial per week for 12 weeks. Total time commitment 170 hours Teaching period 4 March 2019 to 2 June 2019 Last self-enrol date 15 March 2019 Census date 31 March 2019 Last date to withdraw without fail 10 May 2019 Assessment period ends 28 June 2019 Semester 1 contact information
Time commitment details
170 hours
Last updated: 19 March 2024
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
Readings will be provided online through the subject's LMS site prior to the commencement of semester.
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
Type Name Specialisation (formal) Anthropology Major Anthropology Specialisation (formal) Anthropology Breadth Track Anthropology - ritual, meaning and performance - Breadth options
This subject is available as breadth in the following courses:
- Links to additional information
- Available through the Community Access Program
About the Community Access Program (CAP)
This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
- Available to Study Abroad and/or Study Exchange Students
This subject is available to students studying at the University from eligible overseas institutions on exchange and study abroad. Students are required to satisfy any listed requirements, such as pre- and co-requisites, for enrolment in the subject.
Last updated: 19 March 2024