Students

ANTH3008 – Psychological Anthropology

2024 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Paul Mason
paul.mason@mq.edu.au
Greg Downey
greg.downey@mq.edu.au
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.

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
In-tutorial discussion questions 15% No Weekly
Research Essay 25% No 24/5/2024
Online Weekly quiz 20% No Weekly throughout Semester
Final exam 20% No 4/6/2024
Take-Home Midterm exam 20% No Thursday 11/4/2024

In-tutorial discussion questions

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

 

Each week, the tutorial 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.

Research Essay

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 24/5/2024
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.

Online Weekly quiz

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 6 hours
Due: Weekly 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.

Final exam

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: 4/6/2024
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.

Take-Home Midterm exam

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Thursday 11/4/2024
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.

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

Timetable All students are strongly encouraged to attend lectures and tutorials. Lectures are the primary vehicle of course content and tutorials involve facilitated discussion, guided group activities, and framed reflection exercises. Please refer to the university timetable for lecture and tutorial times and locations.  

Technology used and required:

Students will need to have access to the iLearn section, as handouts, FAQs, video links, and a host of other resources will be available through iLearn. 

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. 

Every effort will be made to make lecture recordings available for students who may need to accommodate any changing conditions or health concerns.

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 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.

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 the Service Connect Portal, 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
05/02/2024 Put in the language about late penalty as advised on their other unit guides. Greg

Unit information based on version 2024.02 of the Handbook