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ANTHRO 321, Equality and Inequality 

SEMESTER TWO, 2020

15 points

 

Teacher:  Dr Mark Busse

Class Representative: Minseok Kim (mkim212@aucklanduni.ac.nz)

Course delivery format:  3 hours of lectures per week

Summary of Course Description:   

Inequality affects all of us, both in the details of our everyday lives and in our general understandings of who we are and how we fit in the societies in which we live. We live in times of tremendous and increasing economic inequality, in which the wealthiest ten percent of the world’s population owns 84 percent of the wealth, and the world’s 42 wealthiest individuals own more than the combined assets of the poorest 50 percent of the world’s population (source: inequality.org). Understanding this massive economic inequality is critical since, as Thomas Piketty has recently observed, inequality and redistribution are central to political conflict.

In this course we will explore the causes, consequences and forms of equality and inequality from a comparative perspective. We will consider whether there are egalitarian societies or whether inequality is inevitable. The course will explore the intersection of economic inequality on the one hand with gender inequality and inequality based on ideas of race on the other. We will examine social hierarchies, peasant inequality and social class, as well as the complex relationship between capitalism and inequality cross-culturally.

  Course outcomes:

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

      • demonstrate an understanding of key concepts in anthropological studies of equality and inequality;
      • demonstrate a familiarity with anthropological case studies of equality and inequality;
      • demonstrate an understanding of what capitalism is and how capitalism is related to equality and inequality; and
      • demonstrate reading, writing and discussion skills at an appropriate level.

Coursework Assessment:

Short Essay                                  20%                   Due Friday, 21 August

Research Essay                         50%                   Due Friday, 9 October

Take Home Test                        30%                   Due Tuesday, 10 November

Weekly Topics and Readings

See the Course Outline under Modules

 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 given above and can also be found in the Course Outline under Modules. 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 – see the Course Outline (under Modules) for details.

Course summary:

Date Details Due