Course information

This introductory module offers the tools to think anthropologically about the world they find themselves in, and about their lives, families, communities and travels. The history of anthropology, and its core concepts, values and theories will be introduced not chronologically, but rather thematically. In this module, we will explore how anthropologists through time have given us tools to think through various aspects of cultural difference and cultural expression; including death ritual, kinship, human-animal relations, gift giving, social hierarchy, and magic. We will also interrogate the power and politics of the anthropological encounter and explore the contours of what it means to write about culture from different positions of power and place. Skills gained on this module will help graduates to act ethically in the world, especially around issues of cultural expression and cultural difference, to enhance relationships at work or in organisations, and to engage in the valuable skill of cultural communication across supposed barriers of cultural difference. The top-level animating questions of the module are:

• What does it mean to think like an anthropologist?
• What value to anthropological ideas have in the contemporary world?
• How can I apply anthropology’s ideas and values to my own life, work, and culture?