ANTHROPL09 Anthropology

Anthropology is the comparative study of different ways of life. It seeks an 'insider' perspective on alternative ways of being in the world. To interpret human behaviour, anthropologists ask questions not just about what people do, but also about why they do it, what they mean by it, what motivates them, and what values guide them.

In the past, anthropologists were invariably Westerners making observations of societies that visibly differed from their own. This image is no longer adequate for understanding anthropology. It is true that contemporary anthropologists are still interested in studying difference and the generation of difference, but they are playing an increasingly complex and important role in the modern world: wherever human diversity is an issue, anthropologists are called upon to provide their expertise. In fields including peace-building and dispute resolution, health and medicine, resource exploitation, social policy, indigenous issues, corporate management, mediatisation, religious radicalisation, development aid and policy, and curating/museum practice, anthropologists are called upon to contribute their specialised knowledge and understanding.

Students will explore anthropological issues across a range of areas and societies, and will be challenged to reflect on their own cultural world from perspectives that may differ radically from their own. In the process, they will gain skills in research methods distinctive to anthropology, and be given the opportunity to study and apply these methods in Malaysia (optional). Students will have the opportunity to develop an understanding of the key concepts and debates in anthropology via detailed examination of topics including drugs and culture; human mobility; international development; human rights; religion/magic and indigenous matters.

Availability

Anthropology is listed in A2000 Bachelor of Arts at Clayton as a major and a minor, and in A0502 Diploma of Liberal Arts at Clayton as a major.