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Unit of study_
ANTH4700: New Directions in Anthropology
2025 unit information
In this unit, students consider the ways anthropologists have continually reinvented their inquiry into the human condition and its diverse expressions. Because anthropology insists on the partial and situated nature of knowledge, its form of ethnography enjoys a productive tension with social theory. Students examine how work in new empirical settings and on new problems of ethnographic interpretation give rise to new conceptual perspectives and theoretical paradigms. Of particular emphasis is the dialogue and mutual influence between anthropology and critical social thought. The unit examines several emerging debates within contemporary anthropology over its scope, methods, and purpose.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Arts and Social Sciences
| Study level | Undergraduate |
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| Academic unit | Anthropology |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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144 credit points including FASS3999 or equivalent |
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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None |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. identify and describe one’s own position on major issues of controversy in contemporary anthropology and its relationship to other competing positions.
- LO2. critically explain the contributions of ethnographic cases and ethnographic interpretation to critical perspectives in anthropology and the social sciences generally.
- LO3. critically explain the contributions of theoretical debates in social sciences to formulating new approaches to ethnographic investigation.
- LO4. explain the relevance of debates in contemporary anthropology to the student’s own thesis topic.
- LO5. build a learning community of honours students
Unit availability
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The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
There are no availabilities for this year.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Semester 1 2025
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Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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There are no availabilities for previous years.
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.
