Anthropological Perspectives on Kinship - YBLS003

• Anglický název: Anthropological Perspectives on Kinship
• Podoba výuky: přednáška
• Zajišťuje: Program Liberal Arts and Humanities (24-SHVAJ)
• Fakulta: Fakulta humanitních studií
• Platnost: od 2025
• Počet semestrů výuky: 1
• Semestr: letní
• E-Kredity: 4
• Způsob provedení zkoušky: letní s.:
• Rozsah, examinace: letní s.:2/0, KZ [HT]
• Počet míst: neomezen / neurčen (30)
• Maximální kapacita předmětu: 30
• Minimální obsazenost: 5
• 4EU+: ne
• Virtuální mobilita / počet míst pro virtuální mobilitu: ne
• Stav předmětu: vyučován
• Jazyk výuky: angličtina
• Forma uskutečňování: prezenční
• Staré označení: YBAJ245
• Možnost opakovaného zápisu: 1 (2) / 1 / 1 / 1
• Poznámka: předmět je možno zapsat mimo plán; povolen pro zápis po webu
• Garant: doc. Mgr. Lenka Jakoubková Budilová, Ph.D.
• Vyučující: doc. Mgr. Lenka Jakoubková Budilová, Ph.D.
• Třída: Courses available to incoming students
• Prerekvizity : {Pomocná skupina prerekvizit pro LAH a Exchange studující - ANTR}
• Neslučitelnost : YBAJ245

Anotace

čeština

This course introduces students to key anthropological approaches to kinship and relatedness across cultures. It examines how kinship has been conceptualized in social anthropology, from classic debates on descent, alliance, marriage, family and household organization to more recent discussions of relatedness, personhood, kinning, and reproductive technologies. Particular attention is paid to the cultural variability of kinship beyond Western biogenetic models, including such forms as milk kinship, godparenthood, blood brotherhood, and chosen kinship. Through the reading of foundational and contemporary texts, students will become familiar with major concepts, methods, and theoretical debates in kinship studies and will learn to analyse kinship systems in comparative ethnographic perspective

Poslední úprava: Horáčková Karolína, Mgr. (17.08.2026)

angličtina

This course introduces students to key anthropological approaches to kinship and relatedness across cultures. It examines how kinship has been conceptualized in social anthropology, from classic debates on descent, alliance, marriage, family and household organization to more recent discussions of relatedness, personhood, kinning, and reproductive technologies. Particular attention is paid to the cultural variability of kinship beyond Western biogenetic models, including such forms as milk kinship, godparenthood, blood brotherhood, and chosen kinship. Through the reading of foundational and contemporary texts, students will become familiar with major concepts, methods, and theoretical debates in kinship studies and will learn to analyse kinship systems in comparative ethnographic perspective.

Poslední úprava: Horáčková Karolína, Mgr. (01.09.2026)

Podmínky zakončení předmětu

Regular attendance: students are expected to attend classes regularly. Regular attendance will be a part of the final grading (two absences during the term will be tolerated).

Active participation: Students are expected to actively participate in classes, read the assigned texts in advance, and engage in class discussions.

Mini tests: Starting in Week 2, we will have a 10–15-minute mini test at the end of each class (except for the guest lectures), based on the assigned reading for particular weeks and on the ideas from the classes.

Reflexive essay (600 – 1500 words): on the current kinship debates. Essay should be submitted at least one week before the exam. Detailed instructions will be provided at the beginning of the term. – 20 points (20%)

Final exam: The final oral exam (during the exam period) will be based on the discussion of the previously submitted essay.

Evaluation and grading

The final grade for the course is based on 100 points (100%), distributed across the following components:

1. Regular attendance and active participation – 20 points (20%)

2. Mini tests – 30 points (30%). There will be a total of 10 mini tests during the term.

3. Reflexive essay – 20 points (20%)

4. Final oral exam will be based on the discussion of the submitted reflexive essay – 30 points (30%)

Grading scale (points)

100 – 88 (1)

87 – 76 (2)

75 – 64 (3)

63 and less (4)

Use of AI (generative tools)

You may use generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT) to support your personal learning process, especially for brainstorming, testing ideas, clarifying terminology, or searching for relevant academic literature. AI outputs can be incorrect or biased; you are responsible for verifying claims and sources. Overreliance will negatively affect performance in mini tests, discussions, and the oral exam.

Not permitted:

• Submitting AI-generated text (or AI-rewritten text) as your own in the reflexive essay.
• Using AI to produce summaries/arguments instead of reading the assigned texts.
• Using AI during mini tests.
• Inventing, fabricating, or citing sources that you have not verified.

Required disclosure (for the essay):

If you used AI in any way beyond spelling/grammar checks (e.g., outlining, idea generation, literature suggestions), include an “AI use note” at the end of your essay (3–6 sentences): what tool you used, for what purpose, what prompts/inputs were used in general terms, and what you accepted/rejected.

Data privacy:
Do not upload sensitive or personal data into public AI tools (e.g., interview transcripts, identifiable information about classmates/participants).

Poslední úprava: Horáčková Karolína, Mgr. (01.09.2026)

Metody výuky

Course is taught in the form of lectures and discussions of the texts. Students are expected to read the assigned texts and actively participate in discussions in the classes. A part of the course is also an essay and the final oral exam based on the discussion of the essay.

Poslední úprava: Horáčková Karolína, Mgr. (01.09.2026)

Sylabus

1) Kinship in anthropology.

2) Kinship: consanguine, affine, fictive kinship. Relatedness.

3) Genealogy, genealogical method, genealogical grid.

4) Kinship and relationship terminologies.

5) Family and household: structure, typologies, developmental cycles.

6) From rules to strategies. The choice of a marriage partner.

7) Marriage: types of marriage, marriage prestations, postmarital residence.

8) Kinship and descent. Unilineal descent and segmentary systems.

9) Cognatic and matrilineal kinship.

10) Marriage as alliance. Reciprocity and exchange.

11) Kinship and the concept of personality. Created kinship, chosen kinship. Kinning of foreigners.

12) Kinship and new reproductive technologies. Kinship with non-human. 

Poslední úprava: Horáčková Karolína, Mgr. (05.09.2026)

Studijní opory

Moodle: https://dl1.cuni.cz/course/view.php?id=16097

Poslední úprava: Horáčková Karolína, Mgr. (01.09.2026)

Výsledky učení

By the end of the course, students will be able to: 

• Critically assess culturally diverse notions of relatedness (e.g., milk kinship, godparenthood, chosen kin) and recognize Western/biological biases in classic kinship approaches. 

• Discuss and evaluate contemporary debates in kinship (personhood, kinning, non-human relatedness, assisted reproduction/new reproductive technologies) and formulate a coherent argument. 

• Define and correctly use key concepts in anthropological kinship studies (e.g., relatedness, consanguinity/affinity, descent, alliance, household). 

• Analyse marriage, household, descent and alliance models (including “rules vs. strategies”) using ethnographic cases discussed in class.

Poslední úprava: Horáčková Karolína, Mgr. (01.09.2026)