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Course, academic year 2024/2025
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Social and Cultural Anthropology - YDIA001
Title: Social and Cultural Anthropology
Guaranteed by: PhD General Anthropology (24-DIC)
Faculty: Faculty of Humanities
Actual: from 2022
Semester: both
E-Credits: 0
Examination process: combined
Hours per week, examination: 0/8, Ex [HS]
Capacity: winter:unknown / unknown (unknown)
summer:unknown / unknown (unknown)
Min. number of students: unlimited
4EU+: no
Virtual mobility / capacity: no
Key competences:  
State of the course: taught
Language: English
Teaching methods: combined
Level:  
Note: course is intended for doctoral students only
can be fulfilled in the future
you can enroll for the course in winter and in summer semester
Guarantor: prof. PhDr. Zdeněk Nešpor, Ph.D.
doc. Mgr. Lenka Jakoubková Budilová, Ph.D.
Annotation -
The subject aims to supplement and deepen the knowledge of doctoral students in the field of theories and methods of social and cultural anthropology; emphasis is given to orientation in historical and contemporary paradigms of the field, their epistemology and limits. A thorough knowledge of the history and the current state of the discipline is assumed, especially in relation to the topic of candidate’s thesis.
Last update: Nešpor Zdeněk, prof. PhDr., Ph.D. (20.09.2023)
Requirements to the exam

The exam is held twice year, once in the winter exam period, and once in the summer exam period. Students register for the exam through the SIS, and no later than a week before the actual exam they are required to consult the topics and literature with one of the exam guarantors (Assoc. Prof. Jakoubková Budilová, Prof. Nešpor) – personally or via e-mail.

In the academic year 2023/24, it is possible to take the exam according to the previously valid rules (see below), too.

Course of the exam: The candidate comes to the exam with a list of his/her readings and selected topics, which also includes the name of the supervisor and the topic of the thesis. The reading should include both 5 titles of compulsory literature and 2-5 other titles for each of the (2) optional topics.

1. The candidate presents the topic of his/her dissertation to the committee (max. 3 mins.).

2. Question 1: Theoretical and methodological background of the thesis and its connections with the approaches of cultural/social anthropology.

3. Question 2 and 3: The candidate presents each of the chosen topics (for about 5 mins.), each presentation is followed by a deeper discussion based on the studied literature.

The approximate duration of the exam is 30-45 minutes.

Exam topics: The (2) topics are chosen by the candidates themselves, and they are obliged to consult them and the relevant literature with the exam guarantors no later than a week before the exam takes place.

1. Methods of field research in anthropology

2. Social behaviour and the possibilities of its anthropological study

3. Anthropological research on migration processes

4. Multiculturalism, plurality, assimilation

5. Folklore and folklorism

6. Traditional folk culture, cultural heritage

7. Anthropological research on gender

8. Urban anthropology – research of the city

9. Anthropological concepts of body, person, kinship

10. Family, household, kinship units in a cross-cultural perspective

11. Anthropological work with historical material

12. Exploring Europe from the perspective of sociocultural anthropology and ethnology

13. Ethnicity and identity

14. Nation and nationalism

15. Anthropological research of minorities and marginalized groups

16. Political anthropology – types of societies

17. Economic anthropology – exchange, barter, redistribution 1

8. Religion and ritual

19. Religiosity of modern societies

20. Rites of passage

 

Required reading:

Barnard, A. History and Theory in Anthropology. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2000.

Eriksen, T. H. What is Anthropology? Prague: Dokořán, 2023.

Hammersley, M. - Atkinson, P. Ethnography. Principles in Practice. London - New York: Routledge, 1996.

Murphy, R.F.: An Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology. Prague: Sociologické nakladatelství, 2008.

Soukup, V. History of social and cultural anthropology. Prague: Karolinum, 1996.

+ another 2-5 titles for each of the selected two optional topics.

****************************************************** **********

In the academic year 2023-24, if students wish, it is possible to take the exam according to the previously valid rules:

The exam takes the form of a discussion on 3 topics:
1. subject, theory and methods of processed PhD thesis;
2. + 3. general presentation and discussion on two topics selected by examiners from the list below. The student should prepare all topics, submit the topic of the dissertation and the list of literature for the exam (compulsory and optional).

List of the topics:

1. Identity and its conceptualization in anthropological literature.
2. Multiculturalism, plurality and assimilation - concepts of interethnic coexistence.
3. Festivities - their social meaning and functions in the perspective of social and cultural anthropology.
4. Folklorism - a way of transmitting cultural continuity.
5. Society according to sociology and social anthropology.
6. Types of societies, relations between civilization and culture.
7. Modern organization of social life.
8. Nation and nationalism.
9. Conceptualization of place and time in cultural / social anthropology.
10. Religion according to cultural / social anthropology.
11. Gender according to of cultural / social anthropology.
12. Social behavior and possibilities of its anthropological studying.
13. Transition rituals.
14. Anthropological research of migration processes.
15. Europe as a cultural area.
16. Urban anthropology.
17. Religiosity of modern societies.
18. Mutual relations between ethnology and social and cultural anthropology.
19. Methods of anthropological research.
20. Anthropological work with historical material.

 

Literature:

The student should prepare a list of 10 relevant titles to the exam. Five titles are compulsory, another 5 titles can be based on recommended literature or their choice is up to the student (usually in connection with his/her thesis).

 

Compulsory books:

Augé, M. Non-Places: Introduction to an Anthropology of Supermodernity. 1995.

Barnard, A. History and Theory in Anthropology. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2000.

Bowie, F. Anthropology of Religion. Malden - Oxford: Blackwell, 2003.

Rapport, N. - Overing, J. Social and Cultural Anthropology. The Key Concepts. London - New York: Routledge, 2005.

Murphy, R. F. Cultural and Social Anthropology. An Overture. 1989.

 

Recommended literature:

1. DRESSEL, G. Historische Anthropologie, Wien - Köln - Wiemar: Böhlau, 1996.

2. HAMMERSLEY, M. - ATKINSON, P. Ethnography. Principles in Practice, London - New York: Routledge, 1996. ISBN 0415086647.

3. HAVELKA, M.: Ideje - dějiny - společnost, Brno: CDK, 2011. ISBN 978-80-7325-220-5.

4. KUPER, A. Anthropology and Anthropologist. The Modern British School, London: Routledge, 1996. ISBN 0415118956.

5. LATOUR, B. Nikdy sme neboli moderní: esej o symetrickej antropológii. 1. vyd. Bratislava: Kalligram, 2003. 197 s. ISBN 80-7149-595-6.

6. NEŠPOR, Z. R. - VÁCLAVÍK, D. Příručka sociologie náboženství, Praha: Sociologické nakladatelství (SLON), 2008. ISBN 808642992X.

7. SKUPNIK, Jaroslav. Antropologie příbuzenství: příbuzenství, manželství a rodina v kulturně antropologické perspektivě. Vyd. 1. Praha: Sociologické nakladatelství, 2010, 402 s. ISBN 978-80-7419-019-3.

8. TILLEY, Christopher Y. Handbook of material culture. London: Sage, 2013, xvii, 556 s. ISBN 978-1-4462-7056-1.

 

 

Last update: Nešpor Zdeněk, prof. PhDr., Ph.D. (20.09.2023)
 
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