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ANTH3008 – Psychological Anthropology

2022 – Session 1, Online-flexible

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Greg Downey
Paul Mason
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

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. Students will have the opportunity to explore an area of personal interest in psychological anthropology.

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.
  • ULO7: Improve writing and critical reading skills.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Final exam 20% No Monday, 20 June 2022
In-tutorial discussion questions 15% No Throughout semester
Take-Home Midterm exam 20% No Tuesday, 12 April 2022
Online Weekly quiz 20% No Throughout semester
Research Essay 25% No Friday, 20 May 2022

Final exam

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Monday, 20 June 2022
Weighting: 20%

 

Final Exam after the last lecture of the session.

 


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.
  • Interrogate ‘human nature’ to better understand the relationship between universal traits and variability.
  • Gain greater understanding of techniques for investigating experience, including ethnography, field research, and comparative approaches.
  • Improve writing and critical reading skills.

In-tutorial discussion questions

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 12 hours
Due: Throughout semester
Weighting: 15%

 

Each week, the tutorial (online and on campus) sets the students a series of tasks, including a participatory task depending upon the material for that week.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • 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.
  • Actively participate in collegial discussion of anthropological theory.
  • Improve writing and critical reading skills.

Take-Home Midterm exam

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Tuesday, 12 April 2022
Weighting: 20%

 

Take-Home Midterm exam

 


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.
  • Interrogate ‘human nature’ to better understand the relationship between universal traits and variability.
  • Gain greater understanding of techniques for investigating experience, including ethnography, field research, and comparative approaches.
  • Improve writing and critical reading skills.

Online Weekly quiz

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 6 hours
Due: Throughout semester
Weighting: 20%

 

Students will be expected to take a weekly quiz online based on the readings, lecture and tutorial activity. The quiz will close prior to the lecture in the following week.

 


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.
  • Gain greater understanding of techniques for investigating experience, including ethnography, field research, and comparative approaches.

Research Essay

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Friday, 20 May 2022
Weighting: 25%

 

Research Essay (2000 word maximum)

 


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 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

ANTH3008 offers a Tuesday 4pm lecture, which students are encouraged to attend in person. Every effort will be made to make lecture recordings available for students who require flexible need to accommodate any changing conditions or health concerns.

Technology used and required:

Students will need to have access to the iLearn section, as handouts, discussions, FAQs, video links, and a host of other resources will be available through iLearn. Participation in iLearn class discussions is necessary for students undertaking ANTH3008 through online/flexible delivery.

Readings

Information about readings for the unit will be available through the iLearn space for the units. Students will not be able to complete the unit without these materials. 

 

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

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

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

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

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

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.

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.


Unit information based on version 2022.02 of the Handbook