Sociology and Anthropology of the Contemporary Worlds

Teacher(s)

Amougou Joseph (compensates de Nanteuil Matthieu); Amougou Joseph; Charles Julien (compensates de Nanteuil Matthieu); De Munck Jean; de Nanteuil Matthieu; Draelants Hugues; SOMEBODY;

Language

French

Main themes

Part I - Sociology and Anthropology will be used as instruments for analyzing society and discourse in the human sciences: students will be given a brief overview of the historical development of sociological and anthropological approaches, showing the types of questions they have raised over the course of time and their relation to social change. The course also shows how anthropological and sociological methods have developed and illustrates research techniques. - This introduction will be based on the analysis of social realities and changes in contemporary society. Various specific topics will be covered within the following broad topic areas: Individual and society (individual/genre and sexuality); Social institutions (Family, marriage, kinship / Education / Media / Science and Technology / Religion); spaces and territories (City / Mobility / Globalisation); Social structures and power (Stratification and social inequalities /Exchange and negotiation /ethnic relations / states and political parties / Groups and organizations / War, the Army); social change: production and reproduction (Education and training/ Work and organization /Consumption). - This approach places contemporary society within a historical perspective, linking it with pre-modern societies and the anthropological bases of society. - Students should also acquire key elements of sociological and anthropological theory: this will include the basic elements of a sociological and anthropological vocabulary and some major conceptual notions. For example: the idea of society as a complex whole of social forms produced by the culture; the theory of man as an actor within society; culture and the creation of the individual; social powers and relationships; stratification and social mobility. Part II The texts covered may come either from a book on Sociology and Anthropology or be a collection of disparate texts from the two fields.

Aims

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	Part I The course is intended to enable students on a range of degree courses to become familiar with the perspective and theoretical and conceptual framework adopted within Sociology and Anthropology. The point of departure for this introduction to the topics covered in Sociology and Anthropology will be to examine some of the key issues of modern society. This course aims to: introduce students to the perspective taken in Sociology and Anthropology; teach students about contemporary social realities; help students acquire the principal concepts and discover the main interpretative theories of social reality; place modern society within its historical perspective. Part II This course builds on the introductory Sociology and Anthropology course. The main focus of the course is on learning to interpret anthropological and sociological texts, the aim being to teach students to read scientific texts in these two fields, involving: - understanding the key concepts in the text; - identifying the explicit and implicit arguments; - summarizing the content; - positioning the text in relation to the rest of the writer's work; - positioning the text in relation to other texts in the same field (intertextuality); - situating the text within its socio-historical context; - locating the issues dealt with in the text within the contemporary socio-historical context; - producing a critical analysis of the text

The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.

Content

The course will comprise: - lectures given by the course teacher; - active student participation through reading and production of summaries and critical analyses
Only for LESPO1113M:
Two objectives :
(1) to draw the outlines of the basic modernization processes in contemporary societies
(2) to propose the student first steps in sociology an anthropology.
The course will deal with the difference between modern, tribal and traditional societies; the secularization processes and transformations of religion; the transformations in the modern culture; the effects of capitalism on work, consumption, inequalities; the transformations of the Western family and sexuality; the mutation of the Nation-State, and the development/change in imperialism.

Bibliography

• Pour LESPO1113M: Syllabus en version papier et on-line (site Moodle)

Teaching materials

• Pour LESPO1113M: Syllabus en version papier et on-line (site Moodle)

Faculty or entity

ESPO