Students

ANTH2008 – Cults, ​Saints, Shamans: Religion and Society

2022 – Session 2, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Roberto Costa
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

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; shamanism; theocracy; 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.

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.

General Assessment Information

Late Assessment Submission Penalty  

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a mark of ‘0’ (zero) will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical issue.    

 

This late penalty will apply to non-timed sensitive assessment (incl essays, reports, posters, portfolios, journals, recordings etc)Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs etc) will only be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special consideration application. Special Consideration outcome may result in a new question or topic. 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Quiz 30% No 11:55 pm 24/08/2022; 11:55 pm 12/10/2022
Ethnographic Essay 30% No 11:55 pm, 30/09/2022
Take-home Exam 30% No 11:55 pm, 07/11/2022
Tutorial participation (internal students) 10% No ongoing

Quiz

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: 11:55 pm 24/08/2022; 11:55 pm 12/10/2022
Weighting: 30%

 

The 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.

Ethnographic Essay

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: 11:55 pm, 30/09/2022
Weighting: 30%

 

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.

Take-home Exam

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: 11:55 pm, 07/11/2022
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.

Tutorial participation (internal students)

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

 

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.

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

ANTH2008 operates with a two-hour lecture, and a one-hour tutorial each week. The lectures are recorded and made available via the ECHO platform. Tutorial readings are found on the unit iLearn page that containts all information about the unit and the assessments.

Attendance at both lectures and tutorials is strongly encouraged. 

Make sure to confirm the tutorial you are enrolled in before Week 1.

 

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.

Changes from Previous Offering

  This unit is updated every year and all lecture recordings for this year are new!


Unit information based on version 2022.03 of the Handbook