Participation (20%)

Due: Weekly

Note: ANTH3002 has both face-to-face tutorials and an external, online only enrolment, in which participation will be graded via iLearn discussion boards only. Please see below for instructions on participation depending on your enrolment. You only need to fulfil the requirements of your enrolment mode - not both. 

1) Face-to-Face Tutorial Participation (On Campus):

You are expected to complete the weekly readings before class and come to class prepared to discuss the material. Class attendance is required. 

Active participation entails contributing thoughtful comments regarding readings, films, and group discussions during each tutorial meeting. Students who regularly make positive contributions to class discussions and display serious engagement with required readings will receive extra credit towards their final grades.

2) External/Online Only Student Participation (iLearn Discussion Board):

Each week, external students will be required to contribute weekly to the discussion thread found within each week's iLearn section.

1. Preparation for posting requires reading of the tutorial material for that week. Each student should post one (1) unique question related to the unit material for the rest of the class to consider.  Posted material should be inspired by the tutprial reading and the lecture directly, but may also be tangentially related. It doesn’t have to be a spectacular insight by any means. In short, bring something intellectually stimulating to the table that came to your mind during the week as a result of your covering of unit material. Feel free to share external links, readings, audio/visual material - whatever you like, as long as it is related to the week in question. Each student’s response should be around 350 words. This is obviously not going to be rigidly enforced, but we all know what 350 words looks like, as opposed to a few lines of text. 

How in-person tutorial participation is assessed (On Campus):

In your verbal contributions to class discussions, what we will be looking for is remarks that engage thoughtfully with the readings. It is also important that you engage respectfully with your peers. If you don’t understand or agree with something someone says, ask them to clarify, or explain respectfully why you disagree. Everyone should feel free to speak up in class. Please do not drown out quieter voices, interrupt, or otherwise dominate class discussion. 

If you are having trouble speaking up in class discussion, please come to speak with the tutor privately and together we can strategise ways to facilitate your contribution to the tutorials.

Participation in class discussion and overall engagement in the course will be assessed based upon the following considerations:

• How regularly student participates in discussions;
• Whether or not student exhibits that he/she has done the readings;
• Whether or not student is respectful toward tutor and classmates;
• Whether or not student speaks excessively, keeping other students from speaking or interrupting others.

Each week, try to make a few notes about the lecture and reading to bring to class - questions are very much encouraged! Not understanding an aspect of the week will often provoke a rich discussion. 

Internal/On Campus Students: Those students who attend at least 80% of the weekly tutorials and actively participate in class discussions often can expect a high attendance mark (HD).

External/Online Only Students: Those students who contribute fully to at least 80% of the weekly forum threads can expect a high attendance mark (HD).

Essay Plan (10%) 

Details: You will use your essay plan as the basis for writing your research essay from one of the given essay questions. You may also write your own question but please run it by Roberto Costa before proceeding. 

Please read the available information carefully before your start working on your essay plan.

The two-page essay plan should include the following:

• Essay title: provide a short descriptive title of no more than 20 words.
• Essay question: introduce the focus and aim of your essay. i.e. What is the case study you are looking at? What is your research question?  
• Significance: What is the significance of this topic?  What motivates you to explore this research question?
• References: You must conduct some background research and provide at least 5 references of scholarly sources (published/peer-reviewed books, book chapters, journal articles etc.) that you will use in your final essay. Use Harvard-style referencing only.

Formatting: Use 1.5 line spacing and 12 Times New Roman font.

Submit your essay plan via the Turnitin link available on iLearn.

The following criteria will be taken into account in assessing essay plans:

-       Does the essay plan have an appropriate case study?

-       Is there a clear research question?

-       Is the significance of the research project clear?

-       Is there sufficient evidence of literature search?

-       Are the references cited correctly?

-       Is the writing concise?  Is there “fluff” that could be pared down?

Essay (40%)

Students are asked to write an essay engaging with the work of political anthropologists and their varied accounts of political processes and events. The essay task is to engage with both ethnographic and theoretical dimensions of political anthropology. Please select an essay question from the set questions. However, it is possible for students to construct their own question in consultation with the lecturer. Any discussion about individual essay topics needs to be aired with the lecturer when students are preparing their essay plan.

Essay: The essay will count for 40% of the total mark. It should be approximately 2000 words (+/-10% = maximum 2200), including the final reference list.

Proofreading and editing:  Do you read your work aloud? Have you organised with a classmate to proofread each other's work? Both of these activities will improve your essay and guarantee a better mark.

Take Home Test (30%)

A take-home exam will be available on Friday 25th October and is due in by Friday 1st November at 11.59pm. That is, you have a week to complete the exam. The exam will consist of a combination of short answers to questions that link together topics and themes covered in lectures, tutorials, and practical activities throughout the course. 

Assessment Information:

• Type all essays and submit them through the Turnitin link.
• Extensions: any extensions must be requested in writing with valid documentation of their necessity (e.g. medical certificate). Any work that is submitted after the due date without an extension will be penalized at the standard rate.
• It is a requirement that all students keep a copy of their written work. In the event of work being lost, or if you have handed it in but it is not in our records, you must be able to present a second copy.

Penalties, Late Submissions, Word Limit.

Late 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 11.59pm. 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.  

Exceeding the word limit

Please take the word limit very seriously and try to make your argument concisely and clearly. It is unfair to fellow students if one person has much more space to argue their case while another student sticks firmly to the length guidelines. The word limit is designed to level the essay-writing field, so to speak. You should provide a word count on the cover page when you submit your work.

Written submissions

Students are required to keep copies of all the written work that they submit.  If there is no record of your work being submitted and you cannot produce a second copy, it will be impossible for the convenor to give you credit for the assignment.  

Last modified: Thursday, 19 January 2023, 3:36 PM

Week One: Introduction to Political Anthropology and its Key Concepts

Week Two: Anthropology, Colonialism, & Science

Week Three: World Systems Theory, Global Cultural History, & Anthropology

Week Four: The Secret of Order

Week Five: The Secret of Change

Week Six: The Secret of Action

Week Seven: Project Modernity 1: Nationalism, Republicanism, and Language Reform in Turkey

Week Eight: Project Modernity 2: Soviet Collectivism

Week Nine: Project Modernity 3: Indonesian Pancilla 

Week Ten: Domination & Resistance 1: Theoretical Problems

Week Eleven: Domination & Resistance 2: Islam and Gender

Week Twelve: Violence and Terror

Week Thirteen: The Politics of Truth and Reconciliation