Students

ANTH2024 – Mad, Bad, Sad: Cross Cultural Perspectives

2022 – Session 1, Online-flexible

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Siobhan Irving
siobhan.irving@mq.edu.au
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
How do cultures in different parts of the world determine and understand who is mad, bad or sad? Madness, deviance and other forms of social difference are cultural constructs that vary considerably across both historical period and cultural context. Moreover, these ideas have profound moral implications that become dramatically entwined with people's lived experience, as well as broader socio-political structures. We examine the cultural and social construction of normality, with a focus on what happens when people find themselves outside these bounds. We will explore comparative perspectives on social structures and individual experiences and meaning, examining themes such as 'sanity', mental illness and culture, melancholy and depression, emotions, sexuality, gender norms, and their transgressions. Throughout, we will focus on the social processes of labeling, representation, medicalisation, and stigmatisation associated with these experiences. Ultimately, students will come to understand how difference is constructed and embodied, and become aware of how deviance is surveilled, managed, and constrained in a variety of cultural contexts.

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 command of anthropological knowledge and theories related to normality, abnormality, and how social difference is constructed and managed within particular social, cultural, political, and environmental contexts.
  • ULO3: Identify and analyse the social and cultural factors that make madness a powerful metaphor and site of surveillance within societies.
  • ULO2: Analyse comparative ethnographic perspectives on themes related to culture and madness, disorder, deviance, addictions, and mental health.
  • ULO4: Apply critical analytic skills to discover how desire and deviance transcend individual bodies and are incited, monitored and regulated within the social body and the body politic.
  • ULO5: Demonstrate an ability to analyse and interpret the significance and impact of medicalisation, labelling and stigmatisation.
  • ULO6: Analyse and interpret assumptions about other cultures and cultural differences and what is considered ‘natural’ or ‘normal’ human experience.
  • ULO7: Demonstrate an ability to analyse the cultural construction of abnormality and difference within public representations of culture, madness and deviance.

General Assessment Information

All assignments are to be submitted through iLearn.  

Late submissions: An essay may be submitted up to 7 days late with late penalty.   Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – 10 marks out of 100 credit will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted more than seven (7) days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g. quizzes, online tests.

Missed quizzes: Quizzes will not be re-opened without an approved special consideration request.

Special consideration requests:  For information about how to apply for special consideration, please click here.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Tutorial Participation 20% No Weekly from Week 2
Midterm Quiz (online) 25% No 8-11/4/22 (Week 7)
Take-home exam 30% No midnight, 13/5/22 (Week 10)
Final Online Quiz 25% No 3-5/6/22 (Week 13)

Tutorial Participation

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 24 hours
Due: Weekly from Week 2
Weighting: 20%

 

Active attendance and engagement with lecture and tutorial materials for on campus students in class. Active attendance and engagement with lecture and tutorial materials via the discussion forums in iLearn for online students.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify and analyse the social and cultural factors that make madness a powerful metaphor and site of surveillance within societies.
  • Analyse comparative ethnographic perspectives on themes related to culture and madness, disorder, deviance, addictions, and mental health.
  • Demonstrate an ability to analyse and interpret the significance and impact of medicalisation, labelling and stigmatisation.
  • Analyse and interpret assumptions about other cultures and cultural differences and what is considered ‘natural’ or ‘normal’ human experience.
  • Demonstrate an ability to analyse the cultural construction of abnormality and difference within public representations of culture, madness and deviance.

Midterm Quiz (online)

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: 8-11/4/22 (Week 7)
Weighting: 25%

 

A quiz (multiple choice and/or short answer) that will be completed online.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate command of anthropological knowledge and theories related to normality, abnormality, and how social difference is constructed and managed within particular social, cultural, political, and environmental contexts.
  • Identify and analyse the social and cultural factors that make madness a powerful metaphor and site of surveillance within societies.
  • Apply critical analytic skills to discover how desire and deviance transcend individual bodies and are incited, monitored and regulated within the social body and the body politic.
  • Demonstrate an ability to analyse and interpret the significance and impact of medicalisation, labelling and stigmatisation.

Take-home exam

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 21 hours
Due: midnight, 13/5/22 (Week 10)
Weighting: 30%

 

Take-home written exam

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate command of anthropological knowledge and theories related to normality, abnormality, and how social difference is constructed and managed within particular social, cultural, political, and environmental contexts.
  • Identify and analyse the social and cultural factors that make madness a powerful metaphor and site of surveillance within societies.
  • Apply critical analytic skills to discover how desire and deviance transcend individual bodies and are incited, monitored and regulated within the social body and the body politic.
  • Demonstrate an ability to analyse and interpret the significance and impact of medicalisation, labelling and stigmatisation.
  • Analyse and interpret assumptions about other cultures and cultural differences and what is considered ‘natural’ or ‘normal’ human experience.
  • Demonstrate an ability to analyse the cultural construction of abnormality and difference within public representations of culture, madness and deviance.

Final Online Quiz

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: 3-5/6/22 (Week 13)
Weighting: 25%

 

A final quiz (multiple choice and/or short answer) that will be completed online.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate command of anthropological knowledge and theories related to normality, abnormality, and how social difference is constructed and managed within particular social, cultural, political, and environmental contexts.
  • Identify and analyse the social and cultural factors that make madness a powerful metaphor and site of surveillance within societies.
  • Apply critical analytic skills to discover how desire and deviance transcend individual bodies and are incited, monitored and regulated within the social body and the body politic.
  • Demonstrate an ability to analyse and interpret the significance and impact of medicalisation, labelling and stigmatisation.

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 resources required to complete this course are available through the iLearn page.  Required readings can be found through Leganto and instructions for completing assignments are under the 'Assignments' topic tab on iLearn. Access to a stable internet connection is required for completion of assignments and quizzes in this unit.

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 since First Published

Date Description
31/01/2022 Specific details about late penalty added to revision.

Unit information based on version 2022.02 of the Handbook