Students

ANTH2024 – Mad, Bad, Sad: Anthropological Perspectives

2026 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

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 different cultures define and interpret madness, deviance, and sorrow? Concepts such as madness, badness, sadness, and other forms of social difference are not universal but are instead shaped by cultural and historical contexts. These ideas carry significant moral weight and deeply affect individuals' lived experiences, intersecting with broader socio-political structures. This unit examines how cultures define and construct ideas of normality, and what occurs when individuals deviate from those established norms. Key themes will include crime, political othering, mental illness, sexual diversity, self-alteration, marginality, white supremacy, and deviant religion. We will also focus on the processes of labelling, representation, medicalisation, and stigmatisation associated with these experiences. By the end of the unit, students will gain an understanding of how difference is culturally constructed and embodied, and how deviance is monitored, managed, and controlled across various societies. 

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 theories and concepts related to normality, abnormality, and the construction and management of social difference within specific social, cultural, political, and environmental contexts. 
  • ULO2: Critically use anthropological perspectives for comparing how different societies approach normality and deviance. 
  • ULO3: Identify and examine the social and cultural forces that reinforce normality as a dominant standard for regulating behaviour in various societies. 
  • ULO4: Critically analyse how deviance transcends individual bodies and is provoked, monitored, and regulated within social systems. 
  • ULO5: Analyse and interpret the significance of deviance, including processes of labelling and stigmatisation. 
  • ULO6: Communicate the cultural construction of deviance as presented in public representations of culture and normality. 

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 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-time 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 Groupwork/Individual Short Extension AI Approach
Ethnographic observation 30% No 01/06/2026 Individual No Observed
Roleplay and reflection 30% No 17/04/2026 Individual No Open
Visual representation of deviance 40% No 09/05/2026 Individual No Open

Ethnographic observation

Assessment Type 1: Experiential task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 01/06/2026
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Observed

Fieldnotes and reflective commentary based on ethnographic observation of norms
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Critically use anthropological perspectives for comparing how different societies approach normality and deviance. 
  • Identify and examine the social and cultural forces that reinforce normality as a dominant standard for regulating behaviour in various societies. 
  • Critically analyse how deviance transcends individual bodies and is provoked, monitored, and regulated within social systems. 

Roleplay and reflection

Assessment Type 1: Presentation task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 17/04/2026
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Open

A roleplay exercise simulating cultural responses to deviance. 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate command of anthropological theories and concepts related to normality, abnormality, and the construction and management of social difference within specific social, cultural, political, and environmental contexts. 
  • Critically use anthropological perspectives for comparing how different societies approach normality and deviance. 
  • Identify and examine the social and cultural forces that reinforce normality as a dominant standard for regulating behaviour in various societies. 
  • Critically analyse how deviance transcends individual bodies and is provoked, monitored, and regulated within social systems. 

Visual representation of deviance

Assessment Type 1: Presentation task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: 09/05/2026
Weighting: 40%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Open

Infographic or concept map (digital visual + 500 word explanation) showing how different cultures define madness, crime, or sorrow.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Critically use anthropological perspectives for comparing how different societies approach normality and deviance. 
  • Critically analyse how deviance transcends individual bodies and is provoked, monitored, and regulated within social systems. 
  • Analyse and interpret the significance of deviance, including processes of labelling and stigmatisation. 
  • Communicate the cultural construction of deviance as presented in public representations of culture and normality. 

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
  • Academic Success 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.

3 An automatic short extension is available for some assessments. Apply through the Service Connect Portal.

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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 2026.04 of the Handbook