Students

ANTH301 – India: Power and Performance

2017 – S2 Day

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Kalpana Ram
Wednesday 4-6
Credit points Credit points
3
Prerequisites Prerequisites
(39cp at 100 level or above) or admission to GDipArts
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
In this unit a succession of lectures introduce you to India with a power/performance focus in mind. Many lectures will focus on religion as a field of power and performance. We will look at broad cultural themes such as experiences of divinity in different strands of Hinduism, caste and its performance as well as its forms of contestation in pre-modern India as well as in modern India, and the syncretic popular traditions of Islam which historically drew strength from local practices rather than simply seeking to displace them. A special lecture on food traces pleasure and performance of power. We examine Indian cinema in relation not only to 'Bollywood' but a hundred year old history through which we can trace phases of nation building and the workings of gender. The course emphasises bodily experience for students, through the use of visits to temples, to little India for a food experience, and basic lessons in dance moves.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • This course equips students with the kind of deep insight into a non-western culture that only a full course on a particular place and culture can afford. This is one of the pleasurable and central aspects of what the discipline of anthropology can provide. This course also places emphasis on multiple ways of knowing the world, a theme which is partly derived from the typically Indian emphasis on food, music, dance, poetry and bodily practices all being central ways of producing and experiencing power. Students are taken on field excursions to Indian neighbourhoods and temples. They are encouraged to undertake careful observation and written reports of the same. So at the end of this course, in addition to contributing to debates about contemporary India in a more knowledgeable fashion, you should be able to: - Understand an anthropological approach to geo-cultural regions - Have an applied understanding of a theoretical approach that gives primacy to embodied and sensory knowledge, and to human practice, as a form of research methodology. - Have some practice in learning how to research and write ethnography of Indian performance practices you observe in Sydney. Students are asked to learn to describe what they see, combine it with theory and reading, to produce well written work. Intimate and focused ethnographic knowledge of a key geo political region in contemporary world.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Participation and preparation 20% No Continuous
Field ethnography 20% No Week 6
Analysing power in case study 30% No Week 8 after recess
Performance film/music/dance 30% No Week 12

Participation and preparation

Due: Continuous
Weighting: 20%

  1. Participation/Preparation mark 20% .  This mark is to be earned by Discussion Preparation Guides prepared at home based on tutorial reading as preparation for discussion in class. Your Discussion Preparation Guide (DPG) is found on line in the ILearn. They will be collected by me during the course: last week before Semester break, to have a stronger sense of how people are preparing for the course and comprehending the readings. I will also have a brief overview of them in Week 12.

On successful completion you will be able to:
  • This course equips students with the kind of deep insight into a non-western culture that only a full course on a particular place and culture can afford. This is one of the pleasurable and central aspects of what the discipline of anthropology can provide. This course also places emphasis on multiple ways of knowing the world, a theme which is partly derived from the typically Indian emphasis on food, music, dance, poetry and bodily practices all being central ways of producing and experiencing power. Students are taken on field excursions to Indian neighbourhoods and temples. They are encouraged to undertake careful observation and written reports of the same. So at the end of this course, in addition to contributing to debates about contemporary India in a more knowledgeable fashion, you should be able to: - Understand an anthropological approach to geo-cultural regions - Have an applied understanding of a theoretical approach that gives primacy to embodied and sensory knowledge, and to human practice, as a form of research methodology. - Have some practice in learning how to research and write ethnography of Indian performance practices you observe in Sydney. Students are asked to learn to describe what they see, combine it with theory and reading, to produce well written work. Intimate and focused ethnographic knowledge of a key geo political region in contemporary world.

Field ethnography

Due: Week 6
Weighting: 20%

  1. Exercise 1: Worth 20%. Integrating Field excursion with notes and readings: An anthropologist brings together field excursion experience with one’s own notes, as well as relevant readings and reflection. Your visit to the temple provides an occasion to have a small taste of this integration. Do the readings for weeks 2 and 3. Take notes during temple visit. You will have questions to guide you. Now write an account that brings together what you have seen, smelt and experienced with your field notes and the readings for weeks 2 and 3. Due Week 6. Length 1500 words. 

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • This course equips students with the kind of deep insight into a non-western culture that only a full course on a particular place and culture can afford. This is one of the pleasurable and central aspects of what the discipline of anthropology can provide. This course also places emphasis on multiple ways of knowing the world, a theme which is partly derived from the typically Indian emphasis on food, music, dance, poetry and bodily practices all being central ways of producing and experiencing power. Students are taken on field excursions to Indian neighbourhoods and temples. They are encouraged to undertake careful observation and written reports of the same. So at the end of this course, in addition to contributing to debates about contemporary India in a more knowledgeable fashion, you should be able to: - Understand an anthropological approach to geo-cultural regions - Have an applied understanding of a theoretical approach that gives primacy to embodied and sensory knowledge, and to human practice, as a form of research methodology. - Have some practice in learning how to research and write ethnography of Indian performance practices you observe in Sydney. Students are asked to learn to describe what they see, combine it with theory and reading, to produce well written work. Intimate and focused ethnographic knowledge of a key geo political region in contemporary world.

Analysing power in case study

Due: Week 8 after recess
Weighting: 30%

Essay question:

 

Based on the theories and concepts of power referred to by Dumont and Gramsci as covered in Weeks 2 and 3, examine any one ethnography of gender and caste/class in India (List provided in Detailed course guide, see ILearn).

. What I expect is for you to read carefully through the whole ethnography, describe the ways in which power (gender, caste, class) ‘works’, and bring in the key concepts in Gramsci and Dumont – eg. is there ‘hegemony’ at work? Or is it just sheer dominance, ie. force (economic, political, the threat of sheer violence)? Is there a distinct ‘subaltern’ culture of women? of Dalits? Do you find the concept of ‘encompassment’ useful in examining power in this book?

Remember that description is the essence of a good anthropology essay, so do elaborate descriptively from the ethnographies you choose.

READINGS by Dumont and Gramsci listed Week 2 and 3.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • This course equips students with the kind of deep insight into a non-western culture that only a full course on a particular place and culture can afford. This is one of the pleasurable and central aspects of what the discipline of anthropology can provide. This course also places emphasis on multiple ways of knowing the world, a theme which is partly derived from the typically Indian emphasis on food, music, dance, poetry and bodily practices all being central ways of producing and experiencing power. Students are taken on field excursions to Indian neighbourhoods and temples. They are encouraged to undertake careful observation and written reports of the same. So at the end of this course, in addition to contributing to debates about contemporary India in a more knowledgeable fashion, you should be able to: - Understand an anthropological approach to geo-cultural regions - Have an applied understanding of a theoretical approach that gives primacy to embodied and sensory knowledge, and to human practice, as a form of research methodology. - Have some practice in learning how to research and write ethnography of Indian performance practices you observe in Sydney. Students are asked to learn to describe what they see, combine it with theory and reading, to produce well written work. Intimate and focused ethnographic knowledge of a key geo political region in contemporary world.

Performance film/music/dance

Due: Week 12
Weighting: 30%

Essay: 30%  Word length 2500.. Due Week 12.

Use the theories of rasa and darshan to describe and analyse  performance and spectatorship in any one area of performance covered in this course: eg. you could attend a couple of music or dance concerts – I will put up options on Ilearn. Or you can set up a couple of informal groups to watch Indian cinema, follow up with focus group discussion. In all cases you need to read on the area of performance you are exploring, whether it is cinema, music or temples. Ie. this essay is based on a combination of reading and direct participation of some kind.

 

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • This course equips students with the kind of deep insight into a non-western culture that only a full course on a particular place and culture can afford. This is one of the pleasurable and central aspects of what the discipline of anthropology can provide. This course also places emphasis on multiple ways of knowing the world, a theme which is partly derived from the typically Indian emphasis on food, music, dance, poetry and bodily practices all being central ways of producing and experiencing power. Students are taken on field excursions to Indian neighbourhoods and temples. They are encouraged to undertake careful observation and written reports of the same. So at the end of this course, in addition to contributing to debates about contemporary India in a more knowledgeable fashion, you should be able to: - Understand an anthropological approach to geo-cultural regions - Have an applied understanding of a theoretical approach that gives primacy to embodied and sensory knowledge, and to human practice, as a form of research methodology. - Have some practice in learning how to research and write ethnography of Indian performance practices you observe in Sydney. Students are asked to learn to describe what they see, combine it with theory and reading, to produce well written work. Intimate and focused ethnographic knowledge of a key geo political region in contemporary world.

Delivery and Resources

lectures

tutorials

I Learn

E Reserve

Field excursions to temple and food areas of Harris Park

Performance based media: Cinema, dance, music, story telling

Learning and Teaching Activities

Ethnographic extras

In addition to tutorials and lectures, I organise field trips to a Hindu temple, a priest who takes them through the cosmology of Hinduism in images and architectural forms, a field trip to Harris Park that accompanies the food lecture, cinema clips to take them deeper into the world of modern India. This year in addition MQ offers a three weeks trip to India which I am encouraging.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html

Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy_2016.html

Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html

Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/complaint_management/procedure.html​

Disruption to Studies Policy (in effect until Dec 4th, 2017): http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html

Special Consideration Policy (in effect from Dec 4th, 2017): https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/special-consideration

In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/

Results

Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Graduate Capabilities

Creative and Innovative

Our graduates will also be capable of creative thinking and of creating knowledge. They will be imaginative and open to experience and capable of innovation at work and in the community. We want them to be engaged in applying their critical, creative thinking.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • This course equips students with the kind of deep insight into a non-western culture that only a full course on a particular place and culture can afford. This is one of the pleasurable and central aspects of what the discipline of anthropology can provide. This course also places emphasis on multiple ways of knowing the world, a theme which is partly derived from the typically Indian emphasis on food, music, dance, poetry and bodily practices all being central ways of producing and experiencing power. Students are taken on field excursions to Indian neighbourhoods and temples. They are encouraged to undertake careful observation and written reports of the same. So at the end of this course, in addition to contributing to debates about contemporary India in a more knowledgeable fashion, you should be able to: - Understand an anthropological approach to geo-cultural regions - Have an applied understanding of a theoretical approach that gives primacy to embodied and sensory knowledge, and to human practice, as a form of research methodology. - Have some practice in learning how to research and write ethnography of Indian performance practices you observe in Sydney. Students are asked to learn to describe what they see, combine it with theory and reading, to produce well written work. Intimate and focused ethnographic knowledge of a key geo political region in contemporary world.

Assessment tasks

  • Participation and preparation
  • Field ethnography
  • Analysing power in case study
  • Performance film/music/dance

Capable of Professional and Personal Judgement and Initiative

We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • This course equips students with the kind of deep insight into a non-western culture that only a full course on a particular place and culture can afford. This is one of the pleasurable and central aspects of what the discipline of anthropology can provide. This course also places emphasis on multiple ways of knowing the world, a theme which is partly derived from the typically Indian emphasis on food, music, dance, poetry and bodily practices all being central ways of producing and experiencing power. Students are taken on field excursions to Indian neighbourhoods and temples. They are encouraged to undertake careful observation and written reports of the same. So at the end of this course, in addition to contributing to debates about contemporary India in a more knowledgeable fashion, you should be able to: - Understand an anthropological approach to geo-cultural regions - Have an applied understanding of a theoretical approach that gives primacy to embodied and sensory knowledge, and to human practice, as a form of research methodology. - Have some practice in learning how to research and write ethnography of Indian performance practices you observe in Sydney. Students are asked to learn to describe what they see, combine it with theory and reading, to produce well written work. Intimate and focused ethnographic knowledge of a key geo political region in contemporary world.

Assessment tasks

  • Participation and preparation
  • Field ethnography
  • Analysing power in case study
  • Performance film/music/dance

Commitment to Continuous Learning

Our graduates will have enquiring minds and a literate curiosity which will lead them to pursue knowledge for its own sake. They will continue to pursue learning in their careers and as they participate in the world. They will be capable of reflecting on their experiences and relationships with others and the environment, learning from them, and growing - personally, professionally and socially.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • This course equips students with the kind of deep insight into a non-western culture that only a full course on a particular place and culture can afford. This is one of the pleasurable and central aspects of what the discipline of anthropology can provide. This course also places emphasis on multiple ways of knowing the world, a theme which is partly derived from the typically Indian emphasis on food, music, dance, poetry and bodily practices all being central ways of producing and experiencing power. Students are taken on field excursions to Indian neighbourhoods and temples. They are encouraged to undertake careful observation and written reports of the same. So at the end of this course, in addition to contributing to debates about contemporary India in a more knowledgeable fashion, you should be able to: - Understand an anthropological approach to geo-cultural regions - Have an applied understanding of a theoretical approach that gives primacy to embodied and sensory knowledge, and to human practice, as a form of research methodology. - Have some practice in learning how to research and write ethnography of Indian performance practices you observe in Sydney. Students are asked to learn to describe what they see, combine it with theory and reading, to produce well written work. Intimate and focused ethnographic knowledge of a key geo political region in contemporary world.

Assessment tasks

  • Participation and preparation
  • Field ethnography
  • Analysing power in case study
  • Performance film/music/dance

Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills

Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • This course equips students with the kind of deep insight into a non-western culture that only a full course on a particular place and culture can afford. This is one of the pleasurable and central aspects of what the discipline of anthropology can provide. This course also places emphasis on multiple ways of knowing the world, a theme which is partly derived from the typically Indian emphasis on food, music, dance, poetry and bodily practices all being central ways of producing and experiencing power. Students are taken on field excursions to Indian neighbourhoods and temples. They are encouraged to undertake careful observation and written reports of the same. So at the end of this course, in addition to contributing to debates about contemporary India in a more knowledgeable fashion, you should be able to: - Understand an anthropological approach to geo-cultural regions - Have an applied understanding of a theoretical approach that gives primacy to embodied and sensory knowledge, and to human practice, as a form of research methodology. - Have some practice in learning how to research and write ethnography of Indian performance practices you observe in Sydney. Students are asked to learn to describe what they see, combine it with theory and reading, to produce well written work. Intimate and focused ethnographic knowledge of a key geo political region in contemporary world.

Assessment tasks

  • Participation and preparation
  • Field ethnography
  • Analysing power in case study
  • Performance film/music/dance

Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking

We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • This course equips students with the kind of deep insight into a non-western culture that only a full course on a particular place and culture can afford. This is one of the pleasurable and central aspects of what the discipline of anthropology can provide. This course also places emphasis on multiple ways of knowing the world, a theme which is partly derived from the typically Indian emphasis on food, music, dance, poetry and bodily practices all being central ways of producing and experiencing power. Students are taken on field excursions to Indian neighbourhoods and temples. They are encouraged to undertake careful observation and written reports of the same. So at the end of this course, in addition to contributing to debates about contemporary India in a more knowledgeable fashion, you should be able to: - Understand an anthropological approach to geo-cultural regions - Have an applied understanding of a theoretical approach that gives primacy to embodied and sensory knowledge, and to human practice, as a form of research methodology. - Have some practice in learning how to research and write ethnography of Indian performance practices you observe in Sydney. Students are asked to learn to describe what they see, combine it with theory and reading, to produce well written work. Intimate and focused ethnographic knowledge of a key geo political region in contemporary world.

Assessment tasks

  • Participation and preparation
  • Field ethnography
  • Analysing power in case study
  • Performance film/music/dance

Problem Solving and Research Capability

Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • This course equips students with the kind of deep insight into a non-western culture that only a full course on a particular place and culture can afford. This is one of the pleasurable and central aspects of what the discipline of anthropology can provide. This course also places emphasis on multiple ways of knowing the world, a theme which is partly derived from the typically Indian emphasis on food, music, dance, poetry and bodily practices all being central ways of producing and experiencing power. Students are taken on field excursions to Indian neighbourhoods and temples. They are encouraged to undertake careful observation and written reports of the same. So at the end of this course, in addition to contributing to debates about contemporary India in a more knowledgeable fashion, you should be able to: - Understand an anthropological approach to geo-cultural regions - Have an applied understanding of a theoretical approach that gives primacy to embodied and sensory knowledge, and to human practice, as a form of research methodology. - Have some practice in learning how to research and write ethnography of Indian performance practices you observe in Sydney. Students are asked to learn to describe what they see, combine it with theory and reading, to produce well written work. Intimate and focused ethnographic knowledge of a key geo political region in contemporary world.

Assessment tasks

  • Participation and preparation
  • Field ethnography
  • Analysing power in case study
  • Performance film/music/dance

Effective Communication

We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • This course equips students with the kind of deep insight into a non-western culture that only a full course on a particular place and culture can afford. This is one of the pleasurable and central aspects of what the discipline of anthropology can provide. This course also places emphasis on multiple ways of knowing the world, a theme which is partly derived from the typically Indian emphasis on food, music, dance, poetry and bodily practices all being central ways of producing and experiencing power. Students are taken on field excursions to Indian neighbourhoods and temples. They are encouraged to undertake careful observation and written reports of the same. So at the end of this course, in addition to contributing to debates about contemporary India in a more knowledgeable fashion, you should be able to: - Understand an anthropological approach to geo-cultural regions - Have an applied understanding of a theoretical approach that gives primacy to embodied and sensory knowledge, and to human practice, as a form of research methodology. - Have some practice in learning how to research and write ethnography of Indian performance practices you observe in Sydney. Students are asked to learn to describe what they see, combine it with theory and reading, to produce well written work. Intimate and focused ethnographic knowledge of a key geo political region in contemporary world.

Assessment tasks

  • Participation and preparation
  • Field ethnography
  • Analysing power in case study
  • Performance film/music/dance

Engaged and Ethical Local and Global citizens

As local citizens our graduates will be aware of indigenous perspectives and of the nation's historical context. They will be engaged with the challenges of contemporary society and with knowledge and ideas. We want our graduates to have respect for diversity, to be open-minded, sensitive to others and inclusive, and to be open to other cultures and perspectives: they should have a level of cultural literacy. Our graduates should be aware of disadvantage and social justice, and be willing to participate to help create a wiser and better society.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • This course equips students with the kind of deep insight into a non-western culture that only a full course on a particular place and culture can afford. This is one of the pleasurable and central aspects of what the discipline of anthropology can provide. This course also places emphasis on multiple ways of knowing the world, a theme which is partly derived from the typically Indian emphasis on food, music, dance, poetry and bodily practices all being central ways of producing and experiencing power. Students are taken on field excursions to Indian neighbourhoods and temples. They are encouraged to undertake careful observation and written reports of the same. So at the end of this course, in addition to contributing to debates about contemporary India in a more knowledgeable fashion, you should be able to: - Understand an anthropological approach to geo-cultural regions - Have an applied understanding of a theoretical approach that gives primacy to embodied and sensory knowledge, and to human practice, as a form of research methodology. - Have some practice in learning how to research and write ethnography of Indian performance practices you observe in Sydney. Students are asked to learn to describe what they see, combine it with theory and reading, to produce well written work. Intimate and focused ethnographic knowledge of a key geo political region in contemporary world.

Assessment tasks

  • Participation and preparation
  • Field ethnography
  • Analysing power in case study
  • Performance film/music/dance

Socially and Environmentally Active and Responsible

We want our graduates to be aware of and have respect for self and others; to be able to work with others as a leader and a team player; to have a sense of connectedness with others and country; and to have a sense of mutual obligation. Our graduates should be informed and active participants in moving society towards sustainability.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • This course equips students with the kind of deep insight into a non-western culture that only a full course on a particular place and culture can afford. This is one of the pleasurable and central aspects of what the discipline of anthropology can provide. This course also places emphasis on multiple ways of knowing the world, a theme which is partly derived from the typically Indian emphasis on food, music, dance, poetry and bodily practices all being central ways of producing and experiencing power. Students are taken on field excursions to Indian neighbourhoods and temples. They are encouraged to undertake careful observation and written reports of the same. So at the end of this course, in addition to contributing to debates about contemporary India in a more knowledgeable fashion, you should be able to: - Understand an anthropological approach to geo-cultural regions - Have an applied understanding of a theoretical approach that gives primacy to embodied and sensory knowledge, and to human practice, as a form of research methodology. - Have some practice in learning how to research and write ethnography of Indian performance practices you observe in Sydney. Students are asked to learn to describe what they see, combine it with theory and reading, to produce well written work. Intimate and focused ethnographic knowledge of a key geo political region in contemporary world.

Assessment tasks

  • Participation and preparation
  • Field ethnography
  • Analysing power in case study
  • Performance film/music/dance