This is an archived handbook for a previous year. The current undergraduate and postgraduate handbooks can be viewed using the links above.
Postgraduate Handbook 2010-2011 (archived)
Module ANTH41930: Advanced Anthropological Perspectives on Science and Biotechnology
Department: Anthropology
ANTH41930: Advanced Anthropological Perspectives on Science and Biotechnology
| Type | Level | Credits | Availability | Module Cap | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tied | 4 | 30 | Available in 2010/2011 | None. | Durham |
Tied To
Pre-requisites
- None.
Corequisites
- None.
Excluded Combinations
- None.
Aims
- To provide an overview of significant changes in science and biotechnology in contemporary society
- To understand the causes and consequences of these changes
- To develop analytical skills which can be used to interpret and make sense of changing patterns of understandings of science and biotechnologies
Content
- The module will draw closely on the research interests of the tutor and will provide students with an opportunity to explore the contribution that anthropologists have made to understanding recent changes in kinship and family life
- The making of the modern family
- The unmaking of the modern family
- The changing nature of familial obligation (seminar)
- Friendship and kinship (seminar)
- Changing Families I - Divorce and separation (seminar)
- Changing Families II - Parenting and children (seminar)
- Changing Families III - Adoption and fostering (seminar)
- New reproductive technologies I - AI (seminar)
- New reproductive technologies II - IVF (seminar)
- New reproductive technologies III - surrogacy (seminar)
- Kinship: temporality and commoditisation (seminar)
- The changing significance of blood ties in contemporary kinship (seminar)
- Genetics and kinship (seminar)
- The future of kinship? (seminar)
Learning Outcomes
Subject-specific Knowledge
- Acquaintance with the way that patterns of family life in the western world have changed
- Familiarity with the anthropological and sociological research literature which documents and analyses these changes
- Understanding of some of the consequences of these changes for social and cultural life in more general terms
- Ability to apply the knowledge acquired on the course to specific instances of change in kinship and family life
Subject-specific Skills
- Evaluate critically the social issues arising from the changing place of kinship and family in contemporary society
- Carry out an in-depth analysis of a particular issue or theme relating to contemporary family and kinship arrangements
- Review literature relevant to a particular issue
Key Skills
- Communicate through written work
- Show initiative
Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module
- Lectures
- Seminars
- Essay
Teaching Methods and Learning Hours
| Activity | Number | Frequency | Duration | Total Hours | Attendance Monitored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 22 | weekly | 1 hour | 22 | |
| Seminars | 6 | fortnightly | 1 hour | 6 | |
| Tutorials | 3 | 1 per term | 1 hour | 3 | |
| Preparation and reading | 269 | ||||
| Total | 300 | ||||
| 0 |
Summative Assessment
| Component | Component Weighting | Element | Length/Duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 100% | Essay | 5,000 words | 100% |
Formative Assessment
Two assignments of 1500 words each
Students who do not attend monitored activities shown under Teaching Methods
and Learning Hours, or who fail to complete the summative or formative
assessment(s) specified above, may be subject to the Academic Progress
procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be
required to leave the University.