Students

ANTH3021 – Globalisation, Conflict, and Religion

2021 – Session 1, Fully online/virtual

Notice

As part of Phase 3 of our return to campus plan, most units will now run tutorials, seminars and other small group activities on campus, and most will keep an online version available to those students unable to return or those who choose to continue their studies online.

To check the availability of face-to-face and online 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 Course Coordinator
Chris Houston
chris.houston@mq.edu.au
Contact via chris.houston@mq.edu.au
B513
Wednesday 11.00-12.00pm
Course Coordinator
Max Harwood
max.harwood@mq.edu.au
Contact via max.harwood@mq.edu.au
B516
Tuesday 12.00-1.00
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
130cp at 1000 level or above
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

Mass communications, technological advances, and the transnational mobility of individuals are powerful forces for cultural change in the contemporary world. For anthropology, the globalisation thesis raises important questions about culture, religion and about the question of how violence and its control has changed in a global world. How are we to understand cultures, religious movements and ideologies, previously understood as bounded entities? How might we theorise the relationship between local and global events, such as conflicts, terrorism and violence? This course will introduce students to the field of anthropology and its sub-disciplines through the discussion of these questions that anthropologists investigate in contemporary and past societies. Some of the issues explored in this course include; religion and worldview, religion in relation to globalisation, power and inequality, violence and conflict, and the formation of new religious movements. We will look at the 'speeding-up' of the world in terms of our experience of time and space, and we will consider the possibility of alternative or parallel modernities.

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: Critically analyse and debate complex social-political issues.
  • ULO3: Actively reflect on debates about anthropology of religion and globalisation.
  • ULO2: Conduct comparative research on the role of social settings and norms in shaping culture and politics in a globalised context.
  • ULO4: Investigate from an anthropological viewpoint the complex dynamics that affect religious conflicts and violence within global contexts.
  • ULO5: Improve writing and critical reading skills.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Take-home exam 30% No Available 28 May-4 June
Participation 20% No Weekly
Final Essay 40% No 21 May
Essay Plan 10% No 23 April

Take-home exam

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Available 28 May-4 June
Weighting: 30%

Take-home exam testing understanding of the unit material. Students will be given 4-6 questions and asked to provide 200-250 word responses to each question.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Conduct comparative research on the role of social settings and norms in shaping culture and politics in a globalised context.
  • Investigate from an anthropological viewpoint the complex dynamics that affect religious conflicts and violence within global contexts.

Participation

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Weekly
Weighting: 20%

Student’s participation in the tutorial discussions
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Critically analyse and debate complex social-political issues.
  • Actively reflect on debates about anthropology of religion and globalisation.
  • Improve writing and critical reading skills.

Final Essay

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: 21 May
Weighting: 40%

Students will write an essay of approximately 2000 words on a self-select topic.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Critically analyse and debate complex social-political issues.
  • Actively reflect on debates about anthropology of religion and globalisation.
  • Conduct comparative research on the role of social settings and norms in shaping culture and politics in a globalised context.
  • Investigate from an anthropological viewpoint the complex dynamics that affect religious conflicts and violence within global contexts.
  • Improve writing and critical reading skills.

Essay Plan

Assessment Type 1: Plan
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: 23 April
Weighting: 10%

Essay plan sketching out the themes of the Final essay
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Investigate from an anthropological viewpoint the complex dynamics that affect religious conflicts and violence within global contexts.
  • Improve 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

All required readings will be available electronically on iLearn or via other online sources. See unit iLearn page for further details.

For lecture and tutorial times and classrooms please consult the MQ Timetable website: http://www.timetables.mq.edu.au.  This website will display up-to-date information on your classes and classroom locations.  Tutorial locations sometimes change in the days before class. Be sure to check. This session unless COVID requires changes we will have a mix of face-to-face and zoom tutes; make sure you sign up for the right kind of tute. Tutorials start the first week of class.

The lectures will be one of your primary sources of material for this unit. We bring together a range of concepts from a variety of sources, present the central theories and ideas, model anthropological thinking, adapt the material to your background, integrate contemporary events, and provide a framework to help make sense of the readings. It is unlikely that you will pass this class if you focus on the readings and tutorials alone.

The lectures cover essentia and interesting unit material  and you really should listen to them to get the most out of the unit. The take-home final will be largely based on material covered in lecture (and tutorials). Lectures will be uploaded to the unit iLearn page each week by the conclusion of the scheduled lecture time via zoom, echo360 or other similar program. You must listen to each week's lecture (and complete any required reading) prior to attending your tutorial.

Unit Schedule

Week

Date

Lecture 

Assessment

1

23 Feb

Introduction to Course Themes (Chris Houston)

 

2

2 Mar

 Intro to Globalization (Chris Houston)

 

3

9 Mar

 Global Pentacostalism (Guest: Kathleen Openshaw)

 

4

16 Mar

Trans-Nationalism and Religion (Guest: Banu Senay)

 

5

 23 Mar

Governing Religion: Secularism, Laicism, and Theocracy (Chris Houston)

 

6

30 Mar

 The Practice of Sacrifice: Masculinity, Religion, and Militarism (Max Harwwod)

 

 

   Mid-semester Recess: 5 Apr-16 Apr

 

7

20 Apr

Religion, Sexuality, and Conflict (Guest: Siobhan Irving)

 

 

23 Apr

 

Essay Plan Due

 

8

27 Apr

 

Religion and Nationalism (Max Harwood)

 

 

9

4 May

 

Internationalisation and the Israeli Nation-State: from Aliyah to Occupation (Max Harwood)

 

 

10

 11 May

 

Case Study: Digital Globalisation1: ISIL and Islamism (Max Harwood)

 

 

11

 18 May

 

Case Study: Digital Globalisation 2: The New White Nationalism (Max Harwood)

 

 

 

21 May

 

 Major Essay Due

12

25 May

 Orientalism and Islamophobia (Christopher Houston) 

 

 

28 May

 

Take Home Final Opens

13

1 Jun

Course Review

 

 

4 Jun

 

Take Home Final Closes

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

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

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/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/

Learning Skills

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.

Changes since First Published

Date Description
17/02/2021 Different order of lecture topics.