Course syllabus

Subject and Catalogue Number: Course Name

SEMESTER 2, 2018

15 points

 
Course Convenor: 

 Mark Busse - m.busse@auckland.ac.nz

Teacher:

 Mark Busse - m.busse@auckland.ac.nz

Course delivery format:

(Timetable and room details can be viewed on Student Services Online)

Course Description       

This course examines selected aspects of production, exchange and consumption from a comparative perspective. Among the topics we will study are cultural understandings of land, technology and work; concepts of property; similarities and differences between gifts and commodities; forms of reciprocity and redistribution; money; spheres of exchange; markets; and connections between power and material conditions of life. The relation between gender and economy will be addressed throughout the course. The course will also consider cultural metaphors in terms of which people in different societies describe their economies and the implications of such metaphors for anthropological understanding of economic life, including the appropriateness of economic models developed in capitalist societies for the understanding of non-capitalist societies.

Although case studies and examples with be drawn from across the globe, particular focus will be placed on Papua New Guinea, where the lecturer has carried out extensive fieldwork.

Learning Outcomes

At the completion of the course, students are expected to:

• understand the relationship between culture and economy;
• recognise the cultural bases of economic concepts;
• understand the various ways in which people make a living;
• be able to identify various types of reciprocity and redistribution;
• understand the ways in which economic activities and concepts are embedded in social relations; and
• understand the significance of culturally-specific ideas of the person for economic activities.

Assessment Summary

10%     Class participation

20%     Short essay (1,000 words)

40%     Long essay (2,000 words)

30%     Final exam (2 hours)

Workload and deadlines for submission of coursework:           

The University of Auckland's expectation is that students spend 10 hours per week on a 15-point course, including time in class and personal study. Students should manage their academic workload and other commitments accordingly. Deadlines for coursework are set by course convenors and will be advertised in course material. You should submit your work on time. In extreme circumstances, such as illness, you may seek an extension but you may be required to provide supporting information before the assignment is due. Late assignments without a pre-approved extension may be penalised by loss of marks – check course information for details.