Postgraduate Anthropology 2017-2018

This course explores theoretical issues and key debates in contemporary anthropology. We begin with the questioning of the central concepts of culture and society in anthropology during the 1980s. Following this, we ask: how can anthropology proceed if the targets of its investigation can no longer be understood as objective entities? How can anthropology proceed if the anthropologist themselves is inevitably implicated in and part of those very targets? To look for possible answers, the course examines current anthropological interest in power and history, political economy and phenomenology, experience, embodiment and practice, ontology and things that speak.

The course comprises a programme of readings that will be devised in advance through consultation between student and supervisor, in light of the student’s intended research interests. The student will write a 3000 word essay on the readings.

Research in Social Anthropology 1 (30 credits, first semester) will provide a broad introduction to the discipline of social anthropology at postgraduate level. We will discuss the history of social anthropology, its position within the social sciences and the humanities, the nature of anthropological theory and further themes in contemporary anthropological research. Coursework will comprise of a 5000 essay on a topic to be decided in consultation with the student’s supervisors.

This course allows students to learn about and practice research skills in social anthropology through a series of workshops. It will encourage reflexive awareness of the role of research skill, technique and methodology in the discipline. Topics will include the history of methods in anthropology, participant observation, writing fieldnotes, interviews, analysis, and working with media technologies, historical resources and museums. Case studies of how these skills are combined in practical fieldwork will be held. Students will be expected to bring any previous experience of anthropological fieldwork to bear on the discussions, and to develop ideas for their future research practice.

This is a course in environmental anthropology, which explores theoretical ideas and major research areas in the field.  It is an excellent option for students taking an MRes in anthropology who have an interest in environmental themes.  It is also a great choice for students from other disciplines whose work is concerned with human-environment relations.

Lectures on current issues in anthropological and the main theoretical approaches in contemporary anthropology. Lectures address the concepts and themes of: culture, society, embodiment, biomedicine, technology, ontology, power, subjectivity.

Research and interpreting artefacts is core to many aspects of museum work. This course gives students experience of working directly with the collections of the University Museums. By preparing an in-depth study of one artefact, students will develop skills in close observation of artefacts and of sourcing archival and secondary information. They will also learn how to apply current approaches to working with material culture, drawn from anthropology, history and museum studies, to museum collections.

'Museum Practice' examines some of the key issues facing museums today and how they are responding. The course will consider critically professional practices of collections management, care and documentation, examining the social, political and ethical issues within which they operate. The course is taught by a team of academic and professional staff, with class meetings held in the University's museums, including display areas, conservation laboratory and reserve collections.

During the course students will visit museums in Aberdeen and elsewhere in Scotland, reviewing their exhibitions and discussing with their staff the social, political and ethical issues within which they operate. The course provides a foundation for learning about how museums communicate with visitors through exhibition planning and design and the variety of social and organisational contexts which affect them.

Why do human beings collect and what is the purpose of museums? ‘The Museum Idea’ examines these questions by focusing on the history and philosophy of museums and relating these to contemporary museum practice. The course will examine the role of museums in society through case studies of exhibitions and other museum projects in a variety of settings, including art, history and ethnographic museums.

The ‘Curating an Exhibition’ course leads to the creation and opening of the summer exhibition in King’s Museum. Working together as a team, each student also takes on a specific role, including research, writing, design, installation, events management and marketing, working closely with the relevant members of museum staff. The course makes extensive use of the University’s internationally-important museum collections and gives students an opportunity to reflect on an important aspect of museum practice.

This is a reading course with fortnightly meetings for students with an interest in how anthropologists write about environmental themes.

The aim of the course is to address the relevance of landscape to method and theory in anthropology. It will allow students to draw upon analytical skills and knowledge gained in previous courses, and develop an anthropological approach to landscape in ethnography and human-environment relations. The course will creatively explore the tensions and overlaps between landscape as physical landform, as scenery, and as the site of human activities and journeys. Developing advanced themes in environmental anthropology, we will discuss the central place of landscape in ethnography. Topics covered include movement, memory and time, phenomenology and aesthetics.

This course is an opportunity for students studying for the MSc People and Environment to gain valuable work experience by doing a project-based placement with an environmental organisation.

The course comprises a programme of readings that will be devised in advance through consultation between student and supervisor, in light of the student’s intended research interests. The student will write a 3000 word essay on the readings.

Research in Social Anthropology 2 (Extended) (30 credits, second semester) will discuss key topics within social anthropology. These may include religion, politics and the state, environmental anthropology, the anthropology of the north, creativity and knowledge, medical anthropology, linguistic anthropology, oral traditions, media, or museums, amongst others. Following the class each week a student-led seminar will be held to discuss the issues raised. Coursework will comprise of a 5000 essay on a topic to be decided in consultation with the student’s supervisors.

This course will introduce students to a range of conceptual and philosophical issues that are relevant to research design in anthropology, and will enable them to write their own research proposal. Taking its lead from critiques of knowledge production in anthropology, it will describe how the contemporary discipline has been shaped by the interplay of objectivity and subjectivity, the representation of the anthropologist and their informants, and new forms of ethical practice. Students will be enabled to respond to these trends by designing research in ways that are both theoretically informed and politically aware.

Culture and Society in Latin America focuses on topical issues emerging from that geographical region. The exact topics covered vary from year to year, and recent presentations have included sessions on indigenous movements and identity politics; the Amazon region and its contribution to anthropological scholarship; mestizaje and hybridity;  Latin American perspectives on gender; and museums and display in Latin America. It is an interdisciplinary course taught jointly by staff from anthropology and Hispanic studies and is available to taught postgraduate students in anthropology and from other disciplines (on approval of the course coordinator). 

This course provides a more in-depth coverage of issues of culture and society in Latin America than the MSc core course Themes in Latin American Studies, although the course will also be available for students of other MSc and MRes programmes, pending approval of the course coordinator. The course will cover a range of topics from the anthropology of indigenous and non-indigenous societies to colonial and modern history and contemporary literature and film. This will also introduce students to a wide range of approaches to Latin American Studies, especially those of anthropology, of history, and of literary and cultural studies.

Six half-day or full-day field trips in northeast Scotland. Possible sites that we will visit include Bennachie, RSPB Loch of Strathbeg, Forvie NNR, Crathes Castle, Doonies Farm, Cairngorms National Park and Tyrebagger Forest. Sites will be selected to explore a range of themes that are taught on other courses within the programme, such as conservation, landscape perception, environmental art and human-animal relations. If possible, staff from organisations will be available to guide the students and to answer their questions.

The course explores concepts related to notions of movement and mobility, topical themes in contemporary anthropology. Students will be introduced to the following themes: roads, automobility, car cultures, migration, road narratives, and roads in film and literature. The course will rely on ethnographic material from the North, including Scotland.  Students will conduct original research on the theme of road. Course assessments include an essay and short submissions on topical issues related to roads and mobility. This course offers five documentary film screenings. 

The course explores concepts related to notions of movement and mobility, topical themes in contemporary anthropology. Students will be introduced to the following themes: roads, automobility, car cultures, migration, road narratives, and roads in film and literature. The course will rely on ethnographic material from the North, including Scotland.  Students will conduct original research on the theme of road. Course assessments include an essay and short submissions on topical issues related to roads and mobility. This course offers five documentary film screenings. 

Research and interpreting artefacts is core to many aspects of museum work. This course gives students experience of working directly with the collections of the University Museums. By preparing an in-depth study of one artefact, students will develop skills in close observation of artefacts and of sourcing archival and secondary information. They will also learn how to apply current approaches to working with material culture, drawn from anthropology, history and museum studies, to museum collections.

The Dissertation for the MSc People and Environment is a substantial piece of independent research and writing within the field of environmental anthropology. The topic is agreed with the programme coordinator, and it is generally completed during the summer months.

Scottish Training in Anthropological Research (STAR) is a week-long residential course undertaken in partnership with the Universities of St Andrews, Edinburgh and Glasgow. MRes and pre-fieldwork PhD students in Social Anthropology are normally required to attend. Students will take part in a series of lectures, seminars and workshops related anthropological methods and disciplinary practice. Specific topics will vary from year to year but may include participant observation, fieldnotes, documentary research and the ethics and politics of anthropological research.  There are additional costs of approximately £36 per student for undertaking this course.

As a practice-based alternative to a dissertation, students take part in a 20 day placement in a museum or gallery followed by writing an 8,000 word Museum Studies Project. Some students opt for a four-week placement in the early summer, while others choose to make a regular arrangement to volunteer in a local museum during term-time. Placements are offered in a range of museums in Scotland, but students can also identify other possibilities themselves.

This is a compulsory element on the MRes Social Anthropology programme.