Students
ANTH1007 – Saints, Shamans, Cults and Demons: The Anthropology of Contemporary Religions
2020 – Session 2, Special circumstance
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
Banu Senay
Payel Ray
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|---|---|
| Credit points |
Credit points
10
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| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
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| Corequisites |
Corequisites
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| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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| Unit description |
Unit description
This unit introduces students to anthropological approaches of studying religion and to some of the core themes of the anthropology of religion. We will explore multiple religious beliefs, meanings, experiences, expressions and practices across diverse sociocultural environments both in the past and within the contemporary moment. Topics to be examined include religious myths, symbols and rituals; material religion; religion and art practices; magic, witchcraft and spirit possession; shamanism and healing; religion and gender; secularism; and interplay between religion and politics. Special attention will be paid to how anthropologists conduct ethnographic fieldwork, the central method for anthropologists, on the religious. Students will gain a sense of the range of challenges and issues that professional anthropologists engage with when doing extended field research on religious worlds and lives. Through studying these topics, students will gain new theoretical knowledge and analytical tools that will enable them to critically examine sociocultural dimensions of religion.
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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 knowledge on key themes in the anthropology of religion.
- ULO2: Evaluate anthropological theories of religion.
- ULO3: Examine ethnographic texts on religious experiences, practices, and lives.
- ULO4: Evaluate methodological dimensions of ethnographic research and data collection.
- ULO5: Write cogently about the sociocultural dimensions of religion.
- ULO6: Critically evaluate commonly held assumptions about other cultures and socio-religious differences and adopt an open-mindedness about other’s practices.
Assessment Tasks
| Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Take-home Exam | 30% | No | 16 November |
| Online Midterm Quiz | 30% | No | 31 August / 19 October |
| Tutorial participation | 20% | No | Weekly |
| Essay | 20% | No | 25 September |
Take-home Exam
Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: 16 November
Weighting: 30%
An open-note, short-answer final exam will assess cumulative knowledge of the unit material from the entire semester.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Demonstrate mastery of knowledge on key themes in the anthropology of religion.
- Evaluate anthropological theories of religion.
- Examine ethnographic texts on religious experiences, practices, and lives.
- Write cogently about the sociocultural dimensions of religion.
- Critically evaluate commonly held assumptions about other cultures and socio-religious differences and adopt an open-mindedness about other’s practices.
Online Midterm Quiz
Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: 31 August / 19 October
Weighting: 30%
The midterm quiz is cumulative and multiple choice, conducted online via iLearn page.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Demonstrate mastery of knowledge on key themes in the anthropology of religion.
- Evaluate anthropological theories of religion.
- Critically evaluate commonly held assumptions about other cultures and socio-religious differences and adopt an open-mindedness about other’s practices.
Tutorial participation
Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 12 hours
Due: Weekly
Weighting: 20%
Active participation in tutorial discussion of topics related to weekly readings and lecture topic.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Evaluate anthropological theories of religion.
- Examine ethnographic texts on religious experiences, practices, and lives.
- Write cogently about the sociocultural dimensions of religion.
- Critically evaluate commonly held assumptions about other cultures and socio-religious differences and adopt an open-mindedness about other’s practices.
Essay
Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 25 September
Weighting: 20%
Essay on Anthropology-related topic
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Evaluate anthropological theories of religion.
- Evaluate methodological dimensions of ethnographic research and data collection.
- Write cogently about the sociocultural dimensions of religion.
- Critically evaluate commonly held assumptions about other cultures and socio-religious differences and adopt an open-mindedness about other’s practices.
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
The lectures for this unit are available via the ECHO platform and can be accessed via the iLearn page.
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:
- Academic Appeals Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progression Policy
- Assessment Policy
- Fitness to Practice Procedure
- Grade Appeal Policy
- Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public
- Special Consideration Policy (Note: The Special Consideration Policy is effective from 4 December 2017 and replaces the Disruption to Studies Policy.)
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
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Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
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If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
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