This course explores some of anthropology's perspectives on personhood and related concepts (self, subject, individual). It presents a body of relevant ideas and cross-cultural in-depth case studies from Melanesia, and other parts of the Pacific, Aboriginal Australia, and contemporary Western socio-cultural settings.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:- Recognise the cultural and historical specificity of different models of personhood found throughout the world.
- Interrogate and denaturalise assumptions about personhood found in contemporary western societies (including Australia).
- Identify the ethnocentric character of many assumptions about personhood made by anthropologists and other social scientists.
- Analyse the place and meaning, in their own cultural contexts, of a range of (often unfamiliar) knowledges and practices pertaining to personhood.
Indicative Assessment
Tutorial Participation (5%) [Learning Outcomes 1-4]Tutorial presentation, 5 mins (10%) [Learning Outcomes 1-4]
Essay, 2000 words (40%) [Learning outcomes 1–4]
Take-home examination, 2000 words (45%) [Learning Outcomes 1-4]
In response to COVID-19: Please note that Semester 2 Class Summary information (available under the classes tab) is as up to date as possible. Changes to Class Summaries not captured by this publication will be available to enrolled students via Wattle.
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Workload
130 hours of total student learning time made up from:a) 36 hours of contact over 12 weeks: 24 hours of lectures and 12 hours of tutorials; and
b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing.
Requisite and Incompatibility
Majors
Minors
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 1
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2020 | $3120 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2020 | $4800 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.