Course Details

CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY A

L0109

Course
CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY A
Code
L0109
Academic Year
2023/2024
Curriculum Year
2021/2022
Degree Programme
PHILOSOPHY AND COMMUNICATION
Curriculum
000 - CORSO GENERICO
Course coordinator
-
Lecturers
Credits
6
Lecture Hours
30
Scientific Disciplinary Sector (SSD)
M-DEA/01 - Population Studies, Ethnography and Anthropology
Course Type
Single-subject learning activity
Course Delivery
OPZ - Opzionale
Year
3
Teaching period
Primo Semestre
Campus
VERCELLI
Teaching language
Italian
Course Contents
Cultural anthropology
Reference Texts
A) Fabio DEI, Antropologia culturale, seconda edizione, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2016.
B) Marco AIME, Classificare, separare, escludere. Razzismi e identità, Torino, Einaudi, 2020.
C) For students participating in the seminars organized as part of the course, one book of your choice from the following:
Maria Teresa MILICIA, Lombroso e il brigante. Storia di un cranio conteso, Roma, Salerno, 2014;
Federico FALOPPA, Sbiancare un Etiope. La costruzione di un immaginario razzista, Milano, Utet, 2022.
Learning Outcomes
• Mission – knowledge and comprehension: deepening and understanding of theoretical concepts, methodologies, and research fields. Acquisition of the critical thinking skills required to deconstruct the most common stereotypes. Comprehension of world vision’s multiplicity through notions such as: body, family and kinship, globalization, race and racism.
• Mission – capacity to implement knowledge and comprehension: ability to identify, interpret and critically locate some of the anthropological culture characteristics, as well as the acquisition of the ability to read and critically review scientific texts and documents.
• Mission - issuance of opinions: acquisition of the ability to analyze and express judgements on the learned notions as well as to compare anthropological data.
• Mission – communication skills: ability to communicate orally or in writing the topics covered with an appropriate terminology.
• Mission – study skills: ability to conduct bibliographical investigations based on knowledge acquired in the course. Ability to combine the theoretical and methodological concepts through the observation of ethnographic data.
The course aims to let the student know the main theoretical and methodological concepts of the discipline and, in the most advanced cases, to use the acquired theoretical and methodological knowledge critically. The measurement of these goals will be possible when it is checked what the student has actually learned.

The objectives and contents take into account the theoretical and metodological directions requested by the regulation related to teachers training.
Prerequisites
Background knowledge are not required. The course provides basic and advanced knowledge.
Teaching Methods
Frontal and seminar lessons supported by slides and ethnographic videos. Students will be involved in moderated discussions on specific themes covered in the teaching module.
Seminar lessons will focus on the topics presented in the course; as an example: reading and discussion of
Milicia Maria Teresa, Lombroso e il brigante. Storia di un cranio conteso, Roma, Salerno, 2014;
Faloppa Federico, Sbiancare un Etiope. La costruzione di un immaginario razzista, Milano, Utet, 2022.
The course includes a study visit to the Museo di Antropologia Criminale Cesare Lombroso in Turin.
Additional Information
The slides used during the course, and other teaching materials will be provided on the DIR website.
Some lessons will be held by Professor Davide Porporato
Students are required to register on the DIR website (www.dir.uniupo.it).
Assessment Methods
The exam is aimed at verifying the achievement of the learning objectives. It consists of a oral test. The oral test lasts about 25 minutes. The mark is given based on 30 possible points. The exam will be considered successful with a minimum score of 18 points. The mark is assessed according to the following criteria:
- from 18 to 21/30: acceptable knowledge and comprehension of the basic concepts of the books indicated in the bibliography; sufficient critical reasoning skills and ability to make mental association; fair ability to organize and present the acquired knowledge clearly and effectively and to communicate the issues by using an appropriate terminology; fair ability to acquire new skills; - from 22 to 25/30: the same items with a satisfactory performance;
- from 26 to 28/30: the same items with a good performance;
- from 29 to 30/30 (with possible honors): the same items with an excellent performance.
Detailed Syllabus
In particular, the course will address the following topics:
The notion of culture;
The notion of ethnicity;
Ethnocentrism and cultural relativism;
Globalization;
Ethnographic methods;
Gift practices;
The body;
Family and kinship;
Race: the ethnic stereotypes – races invention;
Race: the classification of human-beings from anthropometry to the anthropology of deviance;
Race: from race to identity – new faces of racism;
Anthropology as a resource for a thoughtful teaching.
Expected Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and comprehension: knowledge of some of the essential theoretical concepts related to the subject. Knowledge of the anthropological investigation fields. Emergence and development of the concepts of race and racism.
Ability to apply knowledge and comprehension: skill to identify, interpret and critically locate some of the anthropological culture traits, with reference to the concepts of race and racism. Critical reading skills.
Autonomy of judgement: ability to critically communicate the acquired notions by means of an appropriate terminology. Ability to learn/study: ability to deepen the topics covered during the course approaching anthropological readings; ability to draw on bibliographical resources aimed at acquiring new competences.
In order to achieve an advanced level, students must prove as follows:
An organic vision of the themes covered during the course, summary and analysis ability;
Personal elaboration and review of the covered topics, with excellent expressive command;
Ability to independently deepen particular topics.
The mentioned results are consistent with the SUA of the Course of Study.
Last update:09-09-2026 00:14:31