Module Code and Title:         ASC304 Contemporary Issues in Anthropology

Programme:                          BA in Anthropology

Credit:                                   12

Module Tutor:                      New Tutor #1

General objective: In this module students will be expected to build on their ability developed in previous module s, to engage analytically, anthropologically, and critically with current theoretical trends and findings across the various fields of Anthropology. The module, for example, covers the cultural effects and uses of ever-evolving forms of media and communication, recent studies of new developments in global capitalism, and research focused on religious violence. Theoretically the module addresses new debates and topics of discussion in anthropology such as the anthropology of ethics and the intersections between anthropology and disciplines like religious studies. This is a reading-intensive module and will be comprise of seminar style meetings and discussions. Due to the constantly evolving discussion within the discipline of anthropology, the readings and subject matter in this module may change year-to-year. However, the structure and intent of the module will remain the same and the quality and amount of work required of students should also remain the same.

Learning outcomes – On completion of this module, students will be able to:

1. Evaluate new scholarship in Anthropology in light of past scholarship.
2. Discuss emerging topics and case studies in anthropological scholarship.
3. Summarize recent theoretical developments in Anthropology.
4. Debate the strengths and weaknesses of key developments in anthropology.
5. Apply new scholarship in anthropology to Bhutan.
6. Communicate an anthropological perspective to the broader public.
7. Assess gaps in current anthropological scholarship that may be productive spaces for future research

Learning and Teaching Approach:

Assessment Approach:

A. Comparison essay: Portion of Final Marks: 25%

Students will individually write an essay comparing two research articles (published in the last five years) by different authors about the same contemporary issue in anthropology In the essay students must summarize the main arguments of the two articles, evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the two articles, take their own stance on the issue, and justify their stance. The essay is expected to be 750-1000 words in length.

2%       Proposal outline justifying which two articles the student plans to review and how the two articles are related (completeness, thoughtfulness)

6%       Summary of the articles’ main arguments (accuracy and completeness)

12%     Quality of analysis and justification of personal stance (includes well-stated and original evaluation of the articles’ arguments and thoughtful justification of the student’s own stance)

2%       Organization

2%       Language       

1%       Referencing

B. Anthropology opinion piece: Portion of Final Marks: 15%

Students will individually write an editorial for an imagined general audience about a topic of contemporary concern in Bhutan. The student must make an argument using at least one anthropological concept and one reading from the class. The piece will be 500-700 words in length.

1%       Proposal detailing concept and argument (feasibility, thoughtfulness completeness)

6%       Quality of content (including clarity of argument, accurate, relevant and thoughtful application of key anthropological concept, uses relevant and adequate support for all claims made, ties analysis to relevant module concepts)

1%       Organization

1%       Language       

1%       Referencing

C. Lead a class discussion: Portion of Final Marks: 10%

During the semester students will be responsible for working with one or two partners to lead class discussion about a relevant reading or text. The discussion will be expected to last most of a class period or at least 40 minutes. The tutor may take up the last ten minutes of class (or spend time in the next class) going over doubts, confusions or inaccuracies but will be a silent observer during the discussion. During the discussion students will be responsible for (1) summarizing the reading in their own words, including identifying and explaining key terms and concepts, (2) preparing discussion questions to stimulate class discussion (3) facilitating a clear and helpful discussion that will help them class as a whole to both understand the reading and engage more critically with its main arguments and ideas. Before the discussion, each pair will meet with the tutor to discuss the reading, clarify any doubts or questions they have about the reading.

2%       Pre-discussion meeting (attendance and preparedness)

2%       Quality and accuracy of summary (focus should be on arguments)

3%       Thoughtfulness and effectiveness of discussion questions  

2%       Quality and effectiveness of facilitation of discussion (including balance between facilitator and class participation)

1%       Teamwork (including meaningfulness of each member’s participation)

D. Class participation and preparedness: Portion of Final Mark: 10%

Students will be expected to participate substantially in class discussions, with contributions reflecting adequate preparation for topics under discussion. Since this is a seminar style module the expectations are much higher, both in terms of quantity and quality 5% of class participation and preparedness will be assessed before midterm and the remaining 5% post midterm.

E. Midterm Examination: Portion of Final Mark: 10%

Students will take a written exam of 1.5 hr duration covering topics up to the mid-point of the semester.

Pre-requisites: ATH203 History and Theory of Anthropology, AFD101 Introduction to Anthropology

Subject matter:

1. Unit I: Living under Global Capitalism
   • The history and definitions of fair trade
   • Anthropological studies of global finance and financialization
   • Debt as a feature of capitalism
   • Anthropological studies of artisanal and creative work
   • Studies of remittances in Bhutan and elsewhere
2. Unit II: Media and ICT
   • How communication technology influences social and cultural life
   • Anthropology of virtual worlds and gaming
   • Anthropology of hacking culture
   • Examples of preserving culture through new media
   • Hip-hop and other global genres across cultures
3. Unit III: Democracy
   • Definitions of democracy
   • How anthropological approaches to democracy differ from other disciplines
   • Anthropological studies of voting
   • Anthropological studies and critiques of liberalism
4. Unit IV: Religious Movements and Religious Life
   • Studies of religious violence
   • Studies of Buddhist lay meditation movements
   • Studies of secularism and the headscarf debate in France
   • Examples of transnational religious practice
   • Studies of material religion and religious media
5. Unit V: New Research on Bhutan and Himalayan Cultures
   • New approaches to cultural preservation in Bhutan
   • Food in contemporary Bhutanese culture
   • Contemporary social issues in Bhutan

Reading List:

1. Essential Reading
   • Bowie, K. A. (2008). Vote buying and village outrage in an election in Northern Thailand: Recent legal reforms in historical context. The Journal of Asian Studies, 67(2), 469-511.
   • Coleman, E. G. (2013). Coding freedom: The ethics and aesthetics of hacking. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
   • Upper One Games. (2014). Never alone [Computer Game]. Anchorage, AK: E-Line Media.
   • Paley, J. (2002). Toward an anthropology of democracy. Annual Review of Anthropology, 31, 469-496.
   • Ueda, A., & Samdup, T. (2010). Chilli transactions in Bhutan: An economic, social, and cultural perspective. Bulletin of Tibetology, 45(2) & 46(1), 103-118.
2. Additional Reading
   • Besky, S. (2013). The Darjeeling distinction: Labor and justice on fair-trade tea plantations in India (Vol. 47). Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
   • Boellstorff, T. (2006). A ludicrous discipline? Ethnography and game studies. Games and Culture, 1(1), 29-35.
   • Bernstein, A. (2012). More alive than all the living: Sovereign bodies and cosmic politics in Buddhist Siberia. Cultural Anthropology,27(2), 261-285.
   • Calabrese, J. D., & Dorji, C. (2013). Traditional and modern understandings of mental illness in Bhutan: Preserving the benefits of each to support Gross National Happiness. Journal of Bhutan Studies, 30 issue and pages.
   • Cannell, F. (2010). The anthropology of secularism. Annual Review of Anthropology,39, 85-100.
   • Cohen, J. H. (2011). Migration, remittances, and household strategies. Annual Review of Anthropology, 40, 103-114.
   • Cook, J. (2010). Meditation in modern Buddhism: Renunciation and change in Thai monastic life. New York: Cambridge University Press.
   • Das, V. (2008). Violence, gender, and subjectivity. Annual Review of Anthropology, 37, 283-299.
   • Garriott, W., & Raikhel, E. (2015). Addiction in the making. Annual Review of Anthropology, 44, 477-491.
   • Graeber, D. (2014). Debt-updated and expanded: The first 5,000 years. Brooklyn, NY: Melville House.
   • Hallam, E. & Ingold, T. (Eds.). (2007). Creativity and cultural improvisation. New York: Berg.
   • Nadasdy, P. (2007). The gift in the animal: The ontology of hunting and human–animal sociality. American Ethnologist, 34(1), 25-43.
   • Namgay, K., Millar, J., Black, R., & Samdup, T. (2013). Transhumant agro-pastoralism in Bhutan: Exploring contemporary practices and socio-cultural traditions.Pastoralism: Research, Policy and Practice, 3(13), 1-26.
   • Olivieri, L. M. (2016). Guru Padmasambhava in context: Archaeological and historical evidence from Swat/Uddiyana (c. 8th century CE). Journal for Bhutan Studies, 34(Summer), 20-42.
   • Paxson, H. (2008). Post-Pasteurian cultures: The microbiopolitics of raw-milk cheese in the United States. Cultural Anthropology, 23(1), 15-47.
   • Plate, S. B. (2015). A history of religion in 5 ½ objects: Bringing the spiritual to its senses. Boston: Beacon Press.
   • Standage, T. (1998). The Victorian internet: The remarkable story of the telegraph and the nineteenth century's on-line pioneers. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson.
   • Tsing, A. L. (2015). The mushroom at the end of the world: On the possibility of life in capitalist ruins. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
   • Verdery, K. (2013).The political lives of dead bodies: Reburial and postsocialist change. New York: Columbia University Press.
   • Wendland, C. L. (2010).A heart for the work: Journeys through an African medical school. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Date: March 15, 2018