APPLIES TO ACADEMIC YEAR 2016/2017 Norwegian version

MRK 3534 Economic Anthropology

Responsible for the course
Steffen Johannessen, Gillian Warner-Søderholm

Department
Department of Communication and Culture

Term
According to study plan

ECTS Credits
7,5

Language of instruction
Norwegian and english

Introduction

Ethnic and cultural diversity have become part of people’s everyday experience in most parts of the world. At the same time, transnational communication is increasing, and physical distance is becoming less important in many spheres of life. A globalized and constantly changing business world, increasingly affected China and other emerging economies outside the western world, brings about new social, cultural, economic, and political challenges. This demands a heightened sense of understanding anthropological issues of culture and identity-formation in a global economy.

The course will offer anthropological and sociological perspectives for understanding and analyzing culture, identity and social relations, with a focus on economic issues and international business. It will focus on how social practices of trade, reciprocity, tourism, consumerism and shopping contribute to form, confirm and re-shape identity, cultural meaning and social relationships in a globalized world. Through anthropological theory and practice, including fieldwork, students will gain an insight into how cultural values, norms and traditions in a society impact the way people interact and communicate, trade, and relate to one another. They will also gain insight into how people understand themselves and others in a consumer society much influenced by marketing, where successful marketing is much dependent on knowledge about target groups' cultural ideas.

Geographically, the course will include examples from many parts of the world, but has an empirical focus on studies of China and Scandinavia.

Learning outcome
Acquired knowledge
On completion of the course the students should:

• Be familiar with anthropological understandings of culture
• Be familiar with an anthropological understanding of identity
• Be familiar with anthropological theories of economic exchange
• Understand how we are affected by the region in which we live and how our cultural background influences our understanding of other groups and regions
• Be familiar with different approaches to understanding people from other cultures, such as cultural relativism and ethnocentrism.
• Understand qualitative anthropological research methods, and how cultural meanings and practices can be studied by means of participant observation.
• Be familiar with social and cultural differences between Scandinavia and China, and the importance of this with regard to politics and business behavior in modern China.

• Be able to explain central concepts and theories within anthropology and sociology, and to be able to apply these concepts and theories for understanding, discussing and analyzing cultures, sub-cultures, identity and different forms of social interaction within a contemporary world.
• Be able to use qualitative interview and observation techniques to gain knowledge about other peoples' cultural perspectives and understandings.
  

• Develop increased awareness and sensitivity in respect to ethical issues that concern inter-cultural encounters.
• Acquire modesty, understanding and respect in the approach of other groups’ cultural ideas and practices.

• Qualitative research methods and fieldwork
• Anthropology and ethics
• Cultural translation and context
• Globalization
• Trade and reciprocity
• Media and visual culture
• Tourism
• Identity, ethnicity and nationalism
• Consumption, shopping and meaning making
• Introduction to Scandinavian and Chinese cultures