Anthropology has always concerned itself with forms of relationship that structure people's lives and the social systems they inhabit. Understanding family, blood, and relatedness are vital to understanding both our personal, intimate dilemmas and the relations that structure the global political economy. The study of kinship is foundational to anthropology, and is being revitalized in anthropology as new work on gender, family and advanced reproductive technologies provide novel perspectives on classic questions of how relatedness is practiced, and on the theories we use to understand these practices. In this course students will investigate the place of kinship in anthropological theory and in ethnographic case studies.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
Upon Successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Discuss the influence that the study of kinship has had
on the discipline of anthropology at an advanced level;
- Analyse the distinctiveness of the different schools of
thought surrounding the study of kinship;
- Describe how the study of kinship has been revitalized in
the discipline, and discuss its contemporary worth to anthropology;
- Explain how the ethnographic materials discussed in the
course illuminate the enduring relevance of kinship in the discipline;
- Demonstrate advanced skills in methods used to source
data on kinship;
- Develop an argument utilizing key ideas and theories pertaining to kinship and relatedness.
Indicative Assessment
Participation 10% Learning Outcomes 1 - 4
2 Response papers, 1500 words (20% each) Learning Outcomes 1,2,3,4,6
Genealogical diagram with analysis (20%) Learning Outcome 5
Final essay, 3000 words (30%) Learning Outcome 6
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Workload
One 3 hour seminar (comprising of a two hour lecture and one hour discussion/workshop) per week for 13 weeks. Students are expected to undertake a further 7 hours of study per week outside of scheduled class time to complete course reading and assessment requirements (total 130 hours).
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
Prescribed texts will be listed on the course Wattle site.Preliminary Reading
Parkin, R. 1997. Kinship: An Introduction to Basic Concepts. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell
Parkin, R. and L. Stone. 2004. Kinship and family: an anthropological reader. Oxford : Blackwell.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 1
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2015 | $2610 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2015 | $4146 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
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