2009 Course Handbook
ANTH150: Identity and Difference: Introduction to Anthropology
Anthropology explores culture as that which gives human beings their identity, and at the same time, as that which differentiates them. The course introduces anthropology by showcasing two central facets of what anthropology does extremely well.
First, anthropology highlights the cultural work that goes into the making of human identity: language, childhood socialisation, gender, the body. We examine everyday aspects of our experience, such as food and meals, which are so basic that we take them for granted, and show that they are not natural by using a critical and comparative perspective. Illustrations are taken from a wide range of societies.
The second central feature of anthropology which is highlighted in this course is in the analysis of contemporary globalisation and the complex identities of race, post?colonialism and nationalism. Here anthropology makes a distinctive contribution based on its attention to experience, and on doing ethnography, the fine grained analysis of how human beings make meaning in ways that are local even in the context of the global. Throughout the course, the analysis of power and inequality links the theme of identity to difference.
| Credit Points: | 3 |
| Contact Hours: | 3 |
| When Offered: |
D2 - Day; Offered in the second half-year
E2 - Evening; Offered in the second half-year |
| Staff Contact: | Dr Chris Houston |
| Prerequisites: | |
| Corequisites: | |
| NCCWs: | |
| Unit Designations: | -- |
| Assessed As: | Graded |
| Offered By: |
Department of Anthropology |
Timetable Information
For unit timetable information please visit the Timetables@Macquarie Website.