Teaching code

4S007523

Teacher

Fabio Vicini

Coordinator

Fabio Vicini

Credits

6

Language

Italian

Scientific Disciplinary Sector (SSD)

M-DEA/01 - DEMOLOGY, ETHNOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY

Period

Sem. 2A dal Feb 17, 2025 al Mar 29, 2025.

Courses Single

Authorized

Lessons timetable Moodle Seminars 0

Learning objectives

Knowledge and capacity to understand:
- knowledge of the problems related to cultural differences;
- knowledge of the main schools and theories of socio-cultural anthropological thought.
Capacity to apply knowledge:
- ability to comprehend cultural diversity.
Independent judgment:
- ability to assess autonomously the origin, main traits, and meaning of the topics discussed in the course;
- ability to assess autonomously specific socio-cultural issues.
Communication skills:
- ability to talk about cultural differences in the appropriate language.
Capacity to learn:
- acquiring the skills needed to continue studying at a Master's degree level.

Prerequisites and basic notions

The course is introductory. Therefore no previous knowledge of the topic is required.

Program

Content:
The main contents of the course are as follows:
- definition of the field of cultural anthropology with respect to other fields of the humanities and the social sciences;
- introduction to the methods and conceptual tools of the cultural anthropologist: the idea of culture, the concept of ethnocentrism, and ethnographic fieldwork;
- the main insights of anthropology regarding worldviews: myth, rituals, religion;
- the anthropological perspective on the social dimensions of human life, such as kinship, marriage, politics, and forms of human organization in non-Western societies;
- an in-depth study of magic and witchcraft in African and European contexts.

Bibliography

Didactic methods

The course is based on frontal lessons supported by multimedia content (slides, videos, and photos) and the exploration of ethnographic cases.
Note: In the cases provided by the law and/or of particular measures adopted by the University, the teaching activities might be conducted from remote.
Main texts for the final exam:
Textbook:
1. E. A. Schultz e R. H. Lavenda, 2021, Antropologia culturale, Zanichelli, Bologna (4th Italian edition only). Study only chapters 1, 2, 3, 7, 10, and 11 (of ch. 11, study only p. 295 to p. 310 and pp. 320 and 332).
The two following texts:
- Edward E. Evans Pritchard, 2002, Stregoneria, oracoli e magia tra gli Azande, Raffaello Cortina, Milano (study only from p. 1 to p. 190).
- De Martino, Ernesto, 2024, Sud e magia, Einaudi, Torino (study only from p. 1 to p. 170).
Textbook for Erasmus students:
Lavenda, Robert H., Emily A. Schultz. 2020. Core Concepts in Cultural Anthropology. 7th edition. New York, Oxford: Oxford University Press. Chapters 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, and 11.

Learning assessment procedures

The examination consists of a single oral examination. There are no differences in the program between attending and non-attending students.
The oral examination is based on open questions to the students.
Note: In the cases provided by the law and/or of particular measures adopted by the University, the examination might be conducted from remote.

Evaluation criteria

Students will have to demonstrate to:
- have understood the main currents of anthropological thought from the origins to the present day;
- know how to place the key notions and basic principles of the discipline within these currents;
- be able to synthesize and present their arguments rigorously and by demonstrating the ability to use appropriate anthropological language;
- know how to associate one or more ethnographic examples (among those treated in class and/or found in the monograph) to each argument and theory.

Criteria for the composition of the final grade

The evaluation of the oral examination will take place in thirtieths.

Exam language

italiano, English

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