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Power, Ideology and Inequality (ANTH30005)
Undergraduate level 3Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
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About this subject
- Overview
- Eligibility and requirements
- Assessment
- Dates and times
- Further information
- Timetable(opens in new window)
Contact information
Semester 1
Please refer to the LMS for up-to-date subject information, including assessment and participation requirements, for subjects being offered in 2020.
Overview
Availability | Semester 1 |
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Fees | Look up fees |
What sorts of inequalities are intensifying in the contemporary world? What dynamics are producing those intensifications? And how have anthropologists historically conceptualized the inequalities with which they gain firsthand experience through long-term fieldwork? Growing numbers of political and economic anthropologists are committed to exploring the ideological and material means by which systems of inequality are created, sustained, misrecognized, and challenged. Drawing principally on Marxist anthropology, post-structuralism and post-colonialism, this subject looks cross-culturally to explore the interrelationships between diverse forms and sources of power, the roles of colonialism and corporate globalization in configuring and sustaining local relations of inequality, and the rise of resistance movements that explicitly challenge exclusions based on class, gender, and ethnicity. Special attention will be paid to the effects of multinational corporations on local power relations and patterns of inequality throughout the world via brand marketing, legal reform, and corporate social responsibility. Case studies will be drawn from Latin America, North America, Africa, Australia, and Southeast Asia.
Intended learning outcomes
On completion of this subject students should:
- Have a thorough understanding of the way in which anthropologists have approached the study of political organisation in a range of cultural contexts;
- Have critically and comparatively examined anthropological theories about the persistence of inequality in communities throughout the world from Latin America to Africa;
- Have acquired knowledge of the interplay between domination and resistance in the context of colonial and post-colonial states;
- Have an appreciation of the ways in which the practices of multinational corporations are shifting local power relations and reconfiguring patterns of domination in the contemporary world;
- Demonstrate an understanding of the diverse contexts in which political anthropologists have developed their theories of power, difference, and inequality;
- 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
None
Recommended background knowledge
Knowledge gained in completing one of the following subjects is recommended but not essential.
Code | Name | Teaching period | Credit Points |
---|---|---|---|
ANTH10001 | Anthropology: Studying Self and Other | Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
ANTH20001 | Keeping the Body in Mind | Semester 2 (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 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
SOTH20002 | Classical Sociological Theory | Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
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
Due to the impact of COVID-19, assessment may differ from that published in the Handbook. Students are reminded to check the subject assessment requirements published in the subject outline on the LMS
Description | Timing | Percentage |
---|---|---|
An essay
| Mid semester | 40% |
A research essay
| During the examination period | 60% |
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. | Throughout the teaching period | N/A |
Additional details
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
Principal coordinator Erin Fitz-Henry 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 2 March 2020 to 7 June 2020 Last self-enrol date 13 March 2020 Census date 30 April 2020 Last date to withdraw without fail 5 June 2020 Assessment period ends 3 July 2020 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 Major Anthropology Major Sociology Minor Development Studies Specialisation (formal) Anthropology Specialisation (formal) Development Studies Specialisation (formal) Anthropology Breadth Track Anthropology - structures, identity and power Breadth Track Development Studies - Breadth options
This subject is available as breadth in the following courses:
- Bachelor of Biomedicine
- Bachelor of Commerce
- Bachelor of Design
- Bachelor of Environments
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Animation)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Dance)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Film and Television)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Music Theatre)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Screenwriting)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Theatre)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Visual Art)
- Bachelor of Music
- Bachelor of Science
- 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