Study-unit FUNDAMENTALS OF ANTHROPOLOGY
| Course name | Foreign languages and cultures |
|---|---|
| Study-unit Code | A000908 |
| Curriculum | Comune a tutti i curricula |
| Lecturer | Pietro Meloni |
| Lecturers |
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| Hours |
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| CFU | 6 |
| Course Regulation | Coorte 2021 |
| Supplied | 2022/23 |
| Supplied other course regulation | |
| Learning activities | Base |
| Area | Discipline storiche, geografiche e socio-antropologiche |
| Sector | M-DEA/01 |
| Type of study-unit | Opzionale (Optional) |
| Type of learning activities | Attività formativa monodisciplinare |
| Language of instruction | italian |
| Contents | In the first part of the course, the theoretical foundations and the main concepts of the discipline, with brief notes on the history of Anthropology – as well as classic and contemporary ethnographic cases – will be illustrated. In the second part, referring to the key concepts of the scientific debate, we will try to reflect – opening the discussion in the classroom – on complex issues such as: culture, economy, religion, family, gender, tradition, transmission of knowledge, heritage. In the third part attention will be paid to studies on everyday life and material culture. |
| Reference texts | 1. Fabietti U. 2015. Elementi di antropologia culturale. Milano: Mondadori. Terza edizione. 2. Meloni P., 2018. Antropologia del consumo. Doni, merci, simboli. Roma: Carocci. |
| Educational objectives | The main knowledge that students will acquire will be: - Critical analysis of social and cultural phenomena - The “view from afar” and the “view from near” - Methodologies of anthropological research - Knowledge of the cultural and political uses of heritage, time and identities The main skills that allow to apply the acquired knowledge will be: - Ability to deconstruct common sense - ability in data analysis and reporting research results - ethnographic writing |
| Prerequisites | none |
| Teaching methods | The course is organized as follows: - Frontal lesson - Discussion groups - Meetings with scholars |
| Other information | . |
| Learning verification modality | oral verification and/or test |
| Extended program | In the first part of the course, the theoretical foundations and the main concepts of the discipline, with brief notes on the history of Anthropology – as well as classic and contemporary ethnographic cases – will be illustrated. Specifically we will address the following topics: - Introduction to the anthropological perspective - cultural anthropology in the frame of human sciences - Origins of Anthropology - The anthropological definition of the “concept of culture”. In the second part, referring to the key concepts of the scientific debate, we will try to reflect – opening the discussion in the classroom – on complex issues such as: culture, economy, religion, family, gender, tradition, transmission of knowledge, heritage. Specifically we will address the following topics: - The construction of “race” concept. - The deconstruction of the concept of “race”. - The notion of relativity: questions of method and ethics. - The concept of culture: definitions and etymology. Essentialist conceptions and processual conceptions. Some anthropological definitions of the concept of culture. - The relational notion of “identity”: “us” and “them”. - New forms of separation. Forms of racism. Institutional racisms. Cultural relativism and ethnocentrism. Critical ethnocentrism. - “Biological” and “socio-cultural”: gender, gender and sexuality. Family-families. Contextualization of the family concept. In the third part attention will be paid to studies on everyday life and material culture. Specifically we will address the following topics: - home cultures - theory of gift - material culture - memory |