Major Overview

Description

Anthropology is understanding cultural diversity in a globalised world. It examines behaviour, relationships and meaning within and between different societies and cultures. This major incorporates the study of key anthropological theories, and the history of the discipline, and introduces students to anthropological perspectives on: religion and ritual, politics, kinship and land rights, and ecology and environment . Using anticolonial frameworks, the major introduces students to anthropological perspectives on land rights, social politics, migration, material culture practices, ecology and the environment. Students are provided with a comprehensive overview of Anthropology's research methodologies. These include real world experiences at the undergraduate level including critical thinking, ethnographic writing, participant observation, record-keeping, oral and multi-media interviewing, and material culture and archival research. Anthropologists work with societies and cultures all over the world, making the possibilities for employment richly diverse. They pursue careers in sectors such as community and international development, policy and analysis, and cultural institutions.

Outcomes

Students are able to:

  1. demonstrate an understanding of key concepts in social and cultural anthropology. Understand anthropological perspectives on: religion and ritual, politics, kinship and land rights, and ecology and environment.
  2. acquire knowledge of anthropology as an academic discipline in historical context, including principal concepts and theories, and key thinkers
  3. develop the skills necessary to critically review, analyse, summarize and synthesize anthropological research and theory
  4. learn how to formulate, investigate and discuss anthropologically informed research questions and develop arguments based on a critical evaluation of written evidence, and of material culture
  5. explore how to communicate anthropological ideas, principles and knowledge to specialist and non-specialist audiences using a range of multi-modal formats (written, oral, visual etc.)
  6. understand and practice how to conduct ethical, self-aware, and efficient research, using ethnographic and associated methods, including object-based learning..
Broadening guidelines

All students studying towards a Bachelor's Degree at UWA are required to Broaden their studies by completing a minimum of four units (24 points) of study outside their degree specific major. Broadening is your opportunity to explore other areas of interest, investigate new disciplines and knowledge paradigms and to shape your degree to suit your own aspirations and interests. Many of you will be able to undertake more than this minimum amount of broadening study and we encourage you to do so and to pursue as many areas of interest as you can during your course of study. At the same time, we k now that many of you value the University's guidance and assistance in planning your enrolment throughout your course, so we offer the following suggestions for your consideration as possible avenues to broaden your degree. Do always remember, however, that there is no wrong way to broaden your studies as long as you complete at least four units not associated with your Degree Specific Major.

Courses

Anthropology can be taken as a degree-specific major in the following degree courses:

Example Study Plan

See study plans for more information.

Units

Key to availability of units:
S1
Semester 1
S2
Semester 2

Level 1

Degree-specific major units

Take all units (12 points):

Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
S1 ANTH1001 Being Human: Culture, Identity and Society
Incompatibility
ANTH1101 Being Human: Culture, Identity and Society
S2 GEOG1104 Disasters! None

Level 2

Degree-specific major units

Take all units (18 points):

Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
S1 ANTH2225 Human Futures: Energy, Food and Sustainable Environments
Prerequisites
Successful completion of
level 1 24 points Unit(s)
S2 ANTH2406 Society, Law and Politics
Prerequisites
Successful completion of
level 1 24 points Unit(s)
S2 ANTH2902 Entangled Objects
Prerequisites
Successful completion of
level 1 24 points Unit(s)
Incompatibility
ANTH2224 Aboriginal Art: Production of Meaning

Level 3

Degree-specific major units

Take all units (18 points):

Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
S1 ANTH3001 Ethnography
Prerequisites
Successful completion of
level 2 24 points Unit(s)
S2 ANTH3401 Engaged Practices
Prerequisites
Successful completion of
level 2 24 points Unit(s)
Incompatibility
ANTH2209 Applied Anthropology
S1 ANTH3601 Indigenous Australia
Prerequisites
Successful completion of
level 2 24 points