Anthropology Applied



Overview

As pandemics sweep across the globe, as climate change threatens our vision of the future, and as population growth accelerates amidst diminishing natural resources and rapidly emerging technologies, it seems clear that most of the global challenges and opportunities we face are fundamentally human in nature. While the pervasive influence and consequences of culture, identity and power are woven vividly into the fabric of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, our world is becoming increasingly complex, contested and unpredictable.

In this course we will explore the unique and vital contribution of applied anthropology in helping to examine and address some of the major global challenges of our time. Drawing from real-world case studies we will investigate a range of critical issues, from sustainable development and population displacement to public health and natural disasters. We will learn how an integrated understanding of underlying social and cultural dynamics can dramatically influence the success or failure of interventions and outcomes, tipping a delicate balance between preservation or loss, prosperity or poverty, peace or conflict, life or death.

Programme details

Course starts: 15 Jan 2025

First live webinar:  22 Jan 2025, 3:00-4:00pm (UK time)

Week 1: Applied anthropology: methods, ethics and collaborating for change

Week 2: Organisational cultures: truth, power and leadership

Week 3: Aid and Agencies: development politics and crisis culture

Week 4: Sustainable development and environmental justice

Week 5: Refugees and dilemmas of displacement

Week 6: Public health and the social dynamics of disease

Week 7: COVID-19: risk and rebellion in a global pandemic

Week 8: Disaster! Cultural responses to catastrophe

Week 9: Hurricane Katrina: truth, tragedy and the Wrath of God

Week 10: International security: peace, conflict and contested worlds

Certification

Credit Application Transfer Scheme (CATS) points 

To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee for each course you enrol on. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. If you do not register when you enrol, you have up until the course start date to register and pay the £30 fee. 

See more information on CATS point

Coursework is an integral part of all online courses and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework, but only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work at the required standard. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education, you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee. 

 

Digital credentials

All students who pass their final assignment, whether registered for credit or not, will be eligible for a digital Certificate of Completion. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so. 

Please note that assignments are not graded but are marked either pass or fail. 

Fees

Description Costs
Course Fee £285.00
Take this course for CATS points £30.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:

Concessionary fees for short courses

Tutor

Dr Mark Anderson

Mark specialises in African archaeology, the anthropology of ritual, and applied educational anthropology. He is a Teaching Fellow at Imperial College London, a Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute, and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries.

Course aims

  • To explore the role and practice of applied anthropology as an approach to understanding and addressing the social and cultural dynamics that underpin complex global challenges.
  • To deepen our understanding of anthropological principles, perspectives and methods, and how they are being applied to address a wide range of contemporary social issues.
  • To nurture anthropologically-informed approaches to exploring human values, behaviours, lived experiences, and perceptions of danger and need.
  • To encourage ethical, reflexive, evidence-based and culturally-sensitive engagement with current and future wicked problems and global challenges. 

Teaching methods

Learning takes place on a weekly schedule. At the start of each weekly unit, students are provided with learning materials on our online platform, including one hour of pre-recorded video, often supplemented by guided readings and educational resources. These learning materials prepare students for a one-hour live webinar with an expert tutor at the end of each weekly unit which they attend in small groups. Webinars are held on Microsoft Teams, and provide the opportunity for students to respond to discussion prompts and ask questions. The blend of weekly learning materials that can be worked through flexibly, together with a live meeting with a tutor and their peers, maximise learning and engagement through interaction in a friendly, supportive environment.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will be better able to:

  • define and explain key principles and practices of applied anthropology, and discuss them in relation to real-world issues and challenges;
  • critically evaluate a range of examples and case studies of anthropology in practice;
  • apply ethnographic methods to explore human values, behaviours, lived experiences and perceptions of danger and need;
  • develop a set of ethnographically-informed recommendations for addressing a contemporary issue or challenge, and justify your rationale.

Assessment methods

Formal assessment will follow Option A, and will involve two summative written assignments – one of 500 words (or equivalent if presentation format is chosen) and one of 1000 written words. These will be preceded by a formative written assignment of 500 words. Each assignment will give learners an opportunity to demonstrate one or a combination of the specified learning outcomes, and will generate detailed feedback. Informal assessment and feedback will also occur through group discussions and learning activities during the online classes.

Coursework is an integral part of all weekly classes and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework in order to benefit fully from the course. Only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work the required standard.

Students must submit a completed Declaration of Authorship form at the end of term when submitting your final piece of work. CATS points cannot be awarded without the aforementioned form - Declaration of Authorship form

Application

We will close for enrolments 7 days prior to the first live webinar to allow us to complete the course set up. We will email you at that time (7 days before the first live webinar) with further information and joining instructions. As always, students will want to check spam and junk folders during this period to ensure that these emails are received.

To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.

Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an Enrolment Form (Word) or Enrolment Form (Pdf)

Level and demands

This course is designed to offer an introduction to the topic of applied anthropology and no prior knowledge or experience is necessary. Those who do have some prior knowledge of social or cultural anthropology (or related subjects) may find this useful.

The Department's Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, i.e. first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.

Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS)

To earn credit (CATS points) you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. Students who register for CATS points will receive a Record of CATS points on successful completion of their course assessment.

Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process can either register for CATS points prior to the start of their course or retrospectively from the January 1st after the current full academic year has been completed. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support