We tend to think of economic matters as hard realities, they are after all the systems by which sustenance, production, and wealth are organised in our lives. Yet these material foundations of life have been, and are, radically differently organised in different cultural contexts from the deep past to contemporary times. How should we understand this diversity? What theories of value can illuminate these practices without reducing them to variants of Eurocentric models of exchange, production, consumption and distribution? How might such an expanded sense of economic life reframe the way we understand contemporary arrangements of money, markets, and financial systems in ways do not take their inevitability for granted? This course introduces students to foundational theories and key anthropological cases of human cultural economies. We explore classic ethnography of non-capitalist exchange systems as well as anthropological approaches to exotic financial arrangements spanning crypto to fintech to hedge funds. Through a series of applied projects, the course develops key skills for students to do economic anthropology themselves.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- critically explain key terms in economic anthropology, and deploy them to produce novel analyses in discussion and written form;
- use concepts in economic anthropology to analyse local economic situations;
- conduct engaged research on socioeconomic dynamics with community organizations;
- work collaboratively with peers on independent research projects; and
- translate research insights for diverse audiences including community stakeholders.
Indicative Assessment
- Lab Notebook (11 entries, 250 words per entry=2,750 words) entries can include self-assessments, reading notes, project workflows) (40) [LO 1,3,4]
- Design Crit (5 min presentation and 2- 300 word evaluations=600 words) draw a connection between class readings and the work you’ve been doing in your lab project. (20) [LO 1,2,3,4]
- Final Assessment: Option 1 research paper on lab project 1,500 words single authored and an additional 500 words for every co-author. Option 2 stakeholder report 1,500 words and an additional 500 words for every co-author. (40) [LO 1,2,3,4,5]
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Workload
130 hours of total student learning time made up from:
1) 36 contact hours over twelve weeks: 24 hours of lecture/tutorial work, 12 hours group research project (lab) work, and
2) 94 hours of independent student research, reading, and writing
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
There are no prescribed texts. Course readings will be made available as PDFs of articles and chapters through the ANU library.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you 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). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 14
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found 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 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
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