| Unit name | Kin, Friends, Lovers and Others |
|---|---|
| Unit code | ARCH10019 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | C/4 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Carrier |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Department of Anthropology and Archaeology |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important?
This unit will introduce students to some key ideas and debates around human kinship and relationality; in other words, how humans relate to one another and how relationships are formed, maintained, severed and conceptualised. In this way, the unit will explore what constitutes kin, friends, lovers and others. The study of relationality forms the foundation of anthropology, but also offers fascinating insights into what it means to be human in a range of historical and global contexts. Drawing on both classic and contemporary material from the study of kinship and beyond, the unit will traverse themes of marriage, reproduction, love, parenting, friendship, sexuality, reproductive technologies, and relations with non-humans.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
Students will learn the wider significance of the topics to the interpretation and analysis of human societies more broadly. Lectures will be delivered by staff from the department to offer a diverse range of approaches and expertise within the study of kinship and relationality.
This unit therefore aims to:
An overview of content
This unit will introduce students to some key ideas and debates about how humans relate to one another and how relationships are formed, maintained, severed and conceptualised. In this way, the unit will explore what constitutes kin, friends, lovers and others. The study of relationality forms the foundation of anthropology, but also offers fascinating insights into what it means to be human in a range of historical and global contexts. Drawing on both classic and contemporary material from the study of kinship and beyond, the unit will traverse such themes as marriage, reproduction, love, parenting, friendship, sexuality, reproductive technologies, and relations with non-humans. Students will learn the wider significance of the topics to the interpretation and analysis of human societies more broadly. Lectures will be delivered by staff from the department to offer a diverse range of approaches and expertise within the study of kinship and relationality.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
At the end of this unit, students will understand how core the study of relationality is for anthropology, and grasp key concepts in the study of kinship and other forms of how humans relate to each other. Students will be familiar with how anthropologists approach topics such as marriage, personhood and friendship, and will be able to apply such an approach to their own lives. The unit will also help students learn to write anthropologically, and to read anthropological and ethnographic texts critically.
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this unit, a successful student will be able to:
Weekly lectures, and fortnightly seminars, supported by self-directed activities
Tasks which do not count towards your unit mark but are required for credit (zero-weighted):
Essay, 1000 words (0%, required for credit) [ILOs 1-6]
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Essay, 2000 words (100%) [ILOs 1-6]
When assessment does not go to plan
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the form or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are normally confirmed by the School shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the academic year.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. ARCH10019).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
