Unit Guide

General Information

Unit convenor and teaching staff	Unit convenor and teaching staff Chris Vasantkumar chris.vasantkumar@mq.edu.au AHH North, W32 Tuesdays 11-1, Piccolo Me, AHH
Credit points	Credit points 4
Prerequisites	Prerequisites Admission to MDevStud or MGlobalHlthDevStud or GradCertGlobalHlthDevStud or MDevStudGlobalHlth or GradCertDevStudGlobalHlth or MAppAnth or MDevCult or MIntRel or MPASR or GradDipPASR or GradDipIntRel or MSocEntre or GradCertSocEntre or MPPPMDevStud or MPASRMDevStud or 4cp in ANTH units at 800 level
Corequisites	Corequisites
Co-badged status	Co-badged status ANTH731
Unit description	Unit description In the contemporary world, it is often assumed that the economic and the cultural are opposites, that notions of the market or the economy are natural facts rather than cultural constructs, that abstract economic models perfectly capture the messy realm of actual human exchanges, that money corrupts traditional culture. None of these claims, however, stands up on closer inspection. The goal of this class is to peel back the layers of myth and misapprehension surrounding human transactions and get at the complex nexus of economics and culture that shape exchange in particular historical and cultural contexts.

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:

Develop familiarity with anthropological approaches to economic institutions and transactions
Develop the ability to assess received understandings of economic discourses and practices using anthropologically informed holistic and relativistic descriptions of cultural practices
Question commonly held and taken for granted assumptions about what is ‘natural’ or ‘normal’ human economic experience.
Apply a critical, anthropologically informed understanding of economic transactions and institutions to real world situations and phenomena
Describe how global interconnectedness shapes contemporary practices of consumption and structures of inequality.
Analyze how cultural difference affects the interpretation and practice of economic transactions and institutions s in different societies.
Improve writing skills, especially structuring of argument, organization, and use of supporting evidence and data.
Prepare a presentation on independent research that effectively summarizes one's research project and conveys its content and importance effectively.

General Assessment Information

Submission and Citation

All essays must be submitted via the turnitin link on the unit iLearn page by 23:59 on the due date.

All words and ideas that are not your own must be cited correctly. See iLearn for further details.

University Late Assessment Penalty

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – two (2) marks out of 100 will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted more than seven (7) days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g. quizzes, online tests.

No consideration for lost work or technology issues

It is the student’s responsibility to keep a copy (electronic or otherwise) of all written work submitted for each unit. No consideration will be given to claims of ‘lost work’ or technology issues no matter what the circumstances. It is your responsibility to ensure that your computer is fully compatible with iLearn during exam periods.

Extensions and Special Consideration:

Please view the Special Consideration Policy at: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/my-study-program/special-consideration

All Special Consideration notifications are to be made online via the University’s Ask MQ system.

Remember, the University has determined that some circumstances routinely encountered by students are not acceptable grounds for claiming Disruption of Studies. These grounds include, but are not limited, to:

Routine demands of employment
Routine family problems such as tension with or between parents, spouses, and other people closely involved with the student
Difficulties adjusting to university life, to the self-discipline needed to study effectively, and the demands of academic work
Stress or anxiety associated with examinations, required assignments or any aspect of academic work
Routine need for financial support
Routine demands of sport, clubs and social or extra-curricular activities

Conditions existing prior to commencing a unit of study are not grounds for Special Consideration. The student is responsible for managing their workload in light of any known or anticipated problems. The student is responsible for contacting Student Support Services if they have a chronic condition.

Re-mark of Work During the Semester:

A re-mark will be considered only on the following grounds:

1. Administrative error

2. The feedback provided on the assessment does not justify the grade awarded

Grade Appeals

The Macquarie Grade Appeal Policy is available here: http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html

Assessment Tasks

Name	Weighting	Hurdle	Due
Class Preparation: DPG	20%	No	Weekly
Participation in Seminar	20%	No	Weekly
Short Paper #1	10%	No	End of Week 4
Short Paper II	10%	No	End of Week 9
Final Presentation	10%	No	Week 13 in Class
Research Essay	30%	No	End of Week 13

Class Preparation: DPG

Due: Weekly
Weighting: 20%

Each week, you must fill out a Discussion Preparation Guide and bring it to class. See iLearn for details and sample DPG.