History of Anthropological Thought
Course code
HIA6322.HT
old course code
Course title in Estonian
Antropoloogilise mõtte ajalugu
Course title in English
History of Anthropological Thought
ECTS credits
6.0
Assessment form
Examination
lecturer of 2023/2024 Spring semester
Not opened for teaching. Click the study programme link below to see the nominal division schedule.
lecturer of 2024/2025 Autumn semester
Not opened for teaching. Click the study programme link below to see the nominal division schedule.
Course aims
To provide students with possibilities to gain knowledge how anthropology emerged as an academic discipline and how it developed till the beginning of the 20th century. The course also aims to develop students’ academic and critical thinking for analysing different theories of how to study human societies.
Brief description of the course
The course will introduce different topics and theories showing how anthropology as an academic discipline emerged and developed since 19th century. However, we will also briefly explore the antecedents of anthropology – thinkers from Renaissance, early travelogues, and social philosophers from the 17th and 18th century. In addition, we will look at the theories by sociologists who had a significant impact on the early development of anthropology. However, during most of the course, through lectures and reading seminars, we will discuss the main anthropological theories since 19th century till early 20th century, mainly in British, French and American anthropology. The main theories the course aims to explore are evolutionism, positivism, functionalism, structural functionalism, historicism cultural relativism, structuralism, neo-evolutionism, and cultural materialism.
Learning outcomes in the course
Upon completing the course the student:
- is aware of how anthropology as an academic discipline emerged and developed till the early 20th century;
- is able to critically analyse the early anthropological theories while taking into account the particular social and historical context of the anthropologists.
- is aware of how anthropology as an academic discipline emerged and developed till the early 20th century;
- is able to critically analyse the early anthropological theories while taking into account the particular social and historical context of the anthropologists.
Teacher
Marje Ermel
The course is a prerequisite
Study programmes containing that course