Course info

This is a module that introduces MRes students to key methodological and philosophical concerns in Social Anthropology. This module will enable students who are new to social anthropology to build an anthropological knowledge base. The module will discuss the methods, theories, and paradigms which underpin the work of contemporary social anthropologists. It will also cover key debates and developments and links to cognate bodies of social science literature outwith social anthropology. The module will introduce students to the historical development of social anthropology as a discipline, and familiarise them with a range of anthropological sub-disciplines.

This module is team-taught and consists of a weekly lecture followed by a seminar. The key readings for each seminar are detailed in this reading list, and students are expected to have read each of the key readings before the seminars.

Students will notice that there are only two readings listed each week. This is because one of the key peer-led activities on this module is the creation of an extended class reading list. This is an ongoing, online activity. We will discuss in Week 1 how students can add and annotate readings on this list.