Students

ANTH2007 – Psychological Anthropology

2020 – Session 2, Weekday attendance, North Ryde

Notice

As part of Phase 3 of our return to campus plan, most units will now run tutorials, seminars and other small group learning activities on campus for the second half-year, while keeping an online version available for those students unable to return or those who choose to continue their studies online.

To check the availability of face to face activities for your unit, please go to timetable viewer. To check detailed information on unit assessments visit your unit's iLearn space or consult your unit convenor.

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Kevin Groark
Head Tutor / Unit Contact Person
Siobhan Irving
Tutor
Daniel Tranter
Payel Ray
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
(ANTH150 or ANTH1050) or (40cp at 1000 level or above)
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

Around the world and across time, human cultural variation has extended into the depths of the human psyche, shaping different ways of being human. Are we all the same or do the ways we treat emotion, conflict, social interaction, cognition, and other dimensions of life result in differences among people? Psychological anthropology has traditionally focused on such themes, investigating the cultural dimensions of self, personality, cognition, emotion, normalcy and deviance, seeking to understand both the variant and universal features of human emotional, cognitive, and social life. In reading a wide range of historical and contemporary works that point toward a nuanced view of cultural actors and institutions that is neither psychologically reductionistic nor socially determined. Some of the core issues covered include: How does culture "build" people with highly-localised systems of meaning, feeling, and morality? Relationships between culture and subjective experience. How do shared cultural meanings become personalised or "subjectified" by individuals? In what ways does culture shape cognition and feeling? What is the role of language in conditioning cognition? Are there dimensions of subjectivity that exist before, or independent from, cultural shaping? And if so, how do we account for their function in the lifeworlds of social groups?

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:

  • ULO1: Demonstrate mastery of psychological anthropology, analysing and discussing the literature and central theories related to psychological anthropology and the broader study of cultural practices in their social and cultural contexts.
  • ULO2: Discover the variety of humanity, including the peculiarity of Western traits, ways we understand ourselves, and social roles.
  • ULO3: Interrogate ‘human nature’ to better understand the relationship between universal traits and variability.
  • ULO4: Explore the role of social setting and norms in shaping human development.
  • ULO5: Actively participate in collegial discussion of anthropological theory.
  • ULO6: Gain greater understanding of techniques for investigating experience, including ethnography, field research, and comparative approaches.
  • ULO8: Improve presentation and oral expression skills as well as writing and critical reading skills.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Final Test 40% No 11/11/20
Online Tutorial Participation 10% No Weekly
Midterm Test 40% No 13/9/20
Weekly Written Discussion Guide 10% No Weekly via Perusall

Final Test

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 16 hours
Due: 11/11/20
Weighting: 40%

 

Online final exam consisting of short answer "mini-essays" and/or multiple choice questions. Details on the specific question format will be provided via iLearn.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate mastery of psychological anthropology, analysing and discussing the literature and central theories related to psychological anthropology and the broader study of cultural practices in their social and cultural contexts.
  • Discover the variety of humanity, including the peculiarity of Western traits, ways we understand ourselves, and social roles.
  • Interrogate ‘human nature’ to better understand the relationship between universal traits and variability.
  • Explore the role of social setting and norms in shaping human development.
  • Gain greater understanding of techniques for investigating experience, including ethnography, field research, and comparative approaches.
  • Improve presentation and oral expression skills as well as writing and critical reading skills.

Online Tutorial Participation

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 0 hours
Due: Weekly
Weighting: 10%

 

Online Tutorial Participation (full details concerning the online delivery of, and participation in, tutorials will be provided on iLearn).

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate mastery of psychological anthropology, analysing and discussing the literature and central theories related to psychological anthropology and the broader study of cultural practices in their social and cultural contexts.
  • Actively participate in collegial discussion of anthropological theory.
  • Gain greater understanding of techniques for investigating experience, including ethnography, field research, and comparative approaches.
  • Improve presentation and oral expression skills as well as writing and critical reading skills.

Midterm Test

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 16 hours
Due: 13/9/20
Weighting: 40%

 

Online midterm exam consisting of short answer mini-essays and/or multiple choice questions (the specific exam format will be announced in lecture and on iLearn)

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate mastery of psychological anthropology, analysing and discussing the literature and central theories related to psychological anthropology and the broader study of cultural practices in their social and cultural contexts.
  • Discover the variety of humanity, including the peculiarity of Western traits, ways we understand ourselves, and social roles.
  • Interrogate ‘human nature’ to better understand the relationship between universal traits and variability.
  • Explore the role of social setting and norms in shaping human development.
  • Gain greater understanding of techniques for investigating experience, including ethnography, field research, and comparative approaches.
  • Improve presentation and oral expression skills as well as writing and critical reading skills.

Weekly Written Discussion Guide

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 12 hours
Due: Weekly via Perusall
Weighting: 10%

 

Weekly Written Discussion Guide for assigned readings (Detailed instructions for completion of the written discussion guide will be available in iLearn)

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate mastery of psychological anthropology, analysing and discussing the literature and central theories related to psychological anthropology and the broader study of cultural practices in their social and cultural contexts.
  • Gain greater understanding of techniques for investigating experience, including ethnography, field research, and comparative approaches.
  • Improve presentation and oral expression skills as well as writing and critical reading skills.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

For detailed delivery information, see the Unit Handbook

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/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/study/getting-started/student-conduct​

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) 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 or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Student Support

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

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

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

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

If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@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.