SAN101 Introduction to Social Anthropology

Faculty of Social Studies
Autumn 2018
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 6 credit(s). Recommended Type of Completion: zk (examination). Other types of completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
Irena Kašparová, M.A., Ph.D. (lecturer), doc. PhDr. Csaba Szaló, Ph.D. (deputy)
Mgr. Marie Láníková (assistant)
Guaranteed by
doc. PhDr. Csaba Szaló, Ph.D.
Department of Sociology – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Irena Kašparová, M.A., Ph.D.
Supplier department: Department of Sociology – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
Thu 10:00–11:40 P21
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The main objective of the course is to introduce to the student main topics in the field of social anthropology.At the end of this course, students should be able to understand and from the social anthropological perspective to discuss topics such as kinship, cosmology, kula, potlatsch, nationalism and others. At the same time they should be able to master the basic technique of writing a social anthropology paper.
Syllabus
  • 1.Culture, difference and early theories of social anthropology. History of social anthropology and its current place in contemporary social science. Possible definitions of culture, from Frazer to Geertz. 2. Kinship: What is kinship in various world societies? How does this link to the concepts of personality, gender, choices of partners for marriage or incest? 3. Religion: cosmology, ritual, soul and spirit, death - such are the concepts which will be used to examine various forms of religions life and feelings. Special lecture will be dedicated to shamanism and death concepct accross the world. 4. Economic systems: What is the role of developing, economic and conservational activities of the western world in the lives of the local people? Special attention will be dedicated to functionalist theories of Bronislaw Malinowski and his Kula ritual and/or ecological theories of M. Sahlisn. 5. Politics, power and the state: The last two lectures will focus on topics essential for the antrhopology of law and order, power, state, time, history and national identity.
Literature
  • Thomas Hylland Eriksen. 1995, 2001. Small Places Large Issues. London: Pluto Press
  • Soukup, V.: 1996, Dějiny sociální a kulturní antropologie, UK Praha
  • Benedictová, Ruth. 1999. Kulturní vzorce. Praha: Argo
  • Murhhy, R.F.: 1999, Úvod do kulturní a sociální antropologie, Praha: Slon
  • Lévi-Strauss, C.2000. Štrukturálna antropologia . Bratislava: Kalligram
Teaching methods
Lectures, class discussion
Assessment methods
Teaching method: lectures Examination: essay (50%) and oral/written exam (50%)
Language of instruction
Czech
Follow-Up Courses
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
Listed among pre-requisites of other courses
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2004, Autumn 2005, Autumn 2006, Autumn 2007, Autumn 2008, Autumn 2009, Autumn 2010, Autumn 2011, Autumn 2012, Autumn 2013, Autumn 2014, Autumn 2015, Autumn 2016, Autumn 2017, Autumn 2019.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2018, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/autumn2018/SAN101