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ANTH2024 – Mad, Bad, Sad: Anthropological Perspectives

2024 – Session 1, Online-flexible

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Jaap Timmer
jaap.timmer@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.
  • ULO2: Analyse comparative ethnographic perspectives on themes related to culture and madness, disorder, deviance, addictions, and mental health.
  • ULO3: Identify and analyse the social and cultural factors that make madness a powerful metaphor and site of surveillance within societies.
  • 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

 

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 non-timed written assessments (incl essays, reports, posters, portfolios, journals, recordings etc) is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical issue. Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams/quizzes, 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
Final Online Quiz 25% No 25 May
Midterm Quiz (online) 25% No 13 April
Take-home exam 30% No 17 May
Participation 20% No All weeks

Final Online Quiz

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: 25 May
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.

Midterm Quiz (online)

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: 13 April
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: 17 May
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.

Participation

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 24 hours
Due: All weeks
Weighting: 20%

 

Active engagement with unit content via the discussion forums in iLearn.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Analyse comparative ethnographic perspectives on themes related to culture and madness, disorder, deviance, addictions, and mental health.
  • Identify and analyse the social and cultural factors that make madness a powerful metaphor and site of surveillance within societies.
  • 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.

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

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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 connect.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.

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

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Unit information based on version 2024.02 of the Handbook