Durham University
Programme and Module Handbook

Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2017-2018 (archived)

Module ANTH3401: POWER AND GOVERNANCE

Department: Anthropology

ANTH3401: POWER AND GOVERNANCE

Type Open Level 3 Credits 20 Availability Available in 2017/18 Module Cap Location Durham

Prerequisites

  • Completion of Cultures and Classifications (ANTH2091) OR Political & Economic Organization (ANTH2051) OR Kinship (ANTH2041) OR Democracy and Democratic Theory (SGIA2321) OR Foundations of Western Political Thought (SGIA2171) OR Crime Deviance and Society (SOCI1371) OR The Individual and the State (LAW1081)

Corequisites

  • None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

  • None.

Aims

  • Students should acquire a thorough grounding in the history and development of anthropological studies of law and politics
  • Students should understand the potential application of anthropological studies in governance and policy development

Content

  • Legal anthropology
  • Conflict resolution mechanisms
  • Political anthropology

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:
  • By the end of the module students will have an anthropological understanding of ways in which people negotiate conflict and regulate behaviours
  • Be familiar with a broad range of social science research that contributes to understanding of politics and law
  • Be familiar with relevant ethnographic research from one or more regions of the world that provides useful illustrative material to apply to the understanding of more general theory.
Subject-specific Skills:
  • Critically and comparatively analyse and evaluate anthropological literature on politics and law through the selection and application of appropriate explanatory theory.
  • Apply subject related knowledge from the course to the evaluation of current local and world affairs
  • Develop the ability to pursue independent research in anthropology and related fields
Key Skills:
  • Communicate complex abstract ideas through written work.
  • Plan organise and manage time to meet deadlines.
  • Show initiative to independently find resources on their chosen assessment topics to independantly apply to the evaluation of theory
  • Be computer literate to produce word processed material and access data.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

  • This module is taught through lectures, small group seminar discussions and written feedback on practice essays. Students learn through engaged reading, critical discussion and writing of their readings and through formative group activities (debates and presentations) that take place in formal teaching sessions. The modes of teaching and learning are integral to the forms of assessment through overlapping topics and mechanisms for communication (writing and speaking to specific audiences).

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity Number Frequency Duration Total/Hours
Lectures 14 Distributed throughout Michaelmas Epiphany and Easter terms 1 hour 14
Seminars 12 Distributed throughout Michaelmas, Epiphany and Easter terms 1 hour 12
Preparation and Reading 174
Total 200

Summative Assessment

Component: Coursework Component Weighting: 100%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
Essay 1 2000 words 50%
Essay 2 3000 words 50%

Formative Assessment:

2 X Draft essay (1000 words) in preparation for each of the 2 summative essays.


Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University