Anthropology is the study of human culture and behavior. It is an exciting and relevant discipline with great potential in Bangladesh and overseas. A bachelor's degree in anthropology can open up various career opportunities in fields such as research, development studies, education, healthcare, human rights and governance.
*Initiate regional and global links to key academic and research institutions
*Jointly address cutting-edge global concerns in the historical, political and economic spheres
*Construct Bangladesh’s identity and society, and thereby operate as a regional convening platform on these issues
*Provide southern perspectives furthering existing scholarship in social anthropology
*Ground its scholarship in the principles of freedom, tolerance, equality and social justice
*Rigorous coursework covering theoretical advances and practical experience
*Research opportunities for students to work with faculty members
*Internship opportunities with research organizations, NGOs and donors
*Expansion of frontiers of knowledge through national and international conferences on current academic debates and issues
*A global resource center on ethnographic research in Bangladesh
*Anthropological researcher: Conducting research on human cultures and societies, often in an academic or government setting
*Social services: Applying anthropological knowledge to work in community development, public health, or international development
*Museums and heritage: Working in museums, historic sites, or other cultural institutions, curating and interpreting collections, or developing educational programs
*Business and marketing: Using anthropological skills to understand consumer behavior and market trends, often for private companies or consulting firms
*Teaching: Teaching anthropology at the high school or tertiary level
It is worth noting that many anthropology graduates go on to pursue graduate degrees, which can open up even more career opportunities.
Here in the anthropology program, BRAC University offers collaborative courses with the Open Society University Network (OSUN). In addition, BRAC University collaborates with the OSUN in the OSUN student mobility exchange program to provide students with world-class education.
Courses taken in collaboration:
ANT350 Gender and Society
ANT355 Law, Human Rights and Justice: Anthropological Perspectives
ANT433 Environmental Anthropology
BRAC University will be working with OSUN to provide students with more collaborative courses in the future.
Course Categories
Category Minimum Credit Requirements
University Core (General Education) 39
● Writing
● Mathematics and Sciences
● Arts and Humanities
● Social Sciences
● Engaging Communities Seeking Transformation
Program Core 45
Program Elective 12
Internship/Thesis 3
Open Electives 21
Total Credits 120
Category |
Minimum Credit Requirements |
University Core (General Education) ● Writing ● Mathematics and Sciences ● Arts and Humanities ● Social Sciences ● Engaging Communities Seeking Transformation |
39 |
Program Core |
45 |
Program Elective |
12 |
Internship/Thesis |
3 |
Open Electives |
21 |
Total Credits |
120 |
Category |
Course Code and Title |
Credit Hours |
Contact Hours/Week |
|
||||||
UNIVERSITY CORE (General Education - GenEd) |
39 |
39 |
|
|||||||
|
Stream 1: Writing (2 courses - 6 credits) Students are required to take minimum two courses |
6 |
6 |
|
||||||
|
ENG 101 |
English Fundamentals |
3 |
3 |
|
|||||
ENG 102 |
Composition I |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
|
|
ENG 103 |
Advanced Writing Skills and Presentation |
3 |
3 |
|
||||
|
Stream 2: Math and Sciences (Minimum 2courese – 6 credits) Students are required to take minimum two courses |
6 |
6 |
|
||||||
|
|
MAT101 |
Fundamentals of Mathematics |
3 |
3 |
|
||||
MAT110 |
MATH I: Differential Calculus and Co-ordinate Geometry |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
STA101 |
Introduction to Statistics |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
STA201 |
Elements of Statistics and Probabilities |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
PHY101 |
Introduction to Physics |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
PHY111 |
Principles of Physics I |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
CHE101 |
Introduction to Chemistry |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
BIO 101 |
Introduction to Biology |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
ENV103 |
Elements of Environmental Science |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
CSE101 |
Introduction to Computer Science |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
|
Stream 3: Arts, Humanities (Minimum 3 courses – 9 credits) Student are required to take BNG 103, HUM 103 and HUM 10. |
9 |
9 |
|
||||||
|
|
BNG103 |
Bangla Language & Literature |
3 |
3 |
|
||||
HUM 103 |
Ethics and Culture |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
HUM101 |
World Civilization and Culture |
3 |
3 |
|
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Elective list: |
|
|
|
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ENG113 |
Introduction to English Poetry |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
ENG114 |
Introduction to English Drama |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
ENG115 |
Introduction to English Prose |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
ENG333 |
Globalization and the Media |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
HUM102 |
Introduction to Philosophy |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
HST102 |
The Modern World |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
HST103 |
History of Bangladesh |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
HST104 |
Global History Lab |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
|
Stream 4: Social Sciences (Minimum 2 courses - 6 credits) Students are required to take EMB 101and SOC101. |
6 |
6 |
|
||||||
|
|
EMB101 |
Emergence of Bangladesh |
3 |
3 |
|
||||
SOC101 |
Introduction to Sociology |
3 |
3 |
|
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Elective list: |
|
|
|
|||||||
BUS102 |
Business - Basics, Ethics and Environment |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
BUS201 |
Business and Human Communication |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
ECO105 |
Fundamentals of Economics |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
POL101 |
Introduction to Political Science |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
POL102 |
Comparative Governance |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
POL201 |
Introduction to Civic Engagement |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
PSY 101 |
Introduction to Psychology |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
|
Stream 5: Communities Seeking Transformation (1 course - 3 credits) |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
|
|
Only one (1) course from the following: |
|
|
|
|||||
CST301 |
For the Love of Food |
3 |
3 |
|
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CST302 |
The Pursuit of Wellbeing |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
CST303 |
Law for Life, Peace and Justice |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
CST304 |
Demystifying Documentaries: Truth, Ethics and Storytelling in Non-Fiction Filmmaking |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
CST305 |
Borders and Beyond: Past and Future |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
CST306 |
Ethical Leadership |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
CST307 |
Art, Community and the Future |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
CST308 |
Social Dimensions of Faith: Development and Cohesion |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
CST309 |
Global Citizenship |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
|
|
GenEd Elective (3 courses – 9 credits) Three GenEd elective courses that students can take as per their desire from streams 3, 4 and 5. |
9 |
9 |
|
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PROGRAM CORE |
|
|
||||||||
|
Course Code |
Course Title |
Credit Hours |
Contact Hours/Week |
|
|||||
All core courses are compulsory for all students majoring in Anthropology. |
45 |
45 |
|
|||||||
ANT101 |
Introduction to Anthropology |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
ANT104 |
Biological Anthropology |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
ANT201 |
Language, Society and Culture |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
ANT202 /SOC201 |
Inequality and Power / Stratification, Inequality & Power |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
ANT203 /SOC301 |
Social Theory / Sociological Theory |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
ANT301 |
History of Anthropological Thought |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
ANT302 |
Contemporary Issues in Anthropological Theory |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
ANT320/ SOC 320 |
Politics, Domination and Society / Political Sociology |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
ANT321 |
Economy and Society |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
ANT 330 /SOC330 |
Anthropology of Development / Sociology of Development |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
ANT350 / SOC350 |
Gender and Society / Women and Society |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
ANT370 / SOC370 |
Kinship, Marriage and Family in Everyday Life / Sociology of Marriage and the Family |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
ANT375 |
Reading Ethnography: Understanding the Anthropological Method |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
ANT376 |
Research Methodology |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
ANT420 / SOC420 |
Religion and Society / Sociology of Religion |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
PROGRAM ELECTIVE |
|
|
||||||||
|
Course Code |
Course Title |
Credit Hours |
Contact Hours/Week |
|
|||||
|
Students are required to take a minimum of four (4) courses from the list |
12 |
12 |
|
||||||
|
ANT210 |
Anthropology of Corporate Culture |
3 |
3 |
|
|||||
ANT211 |
Anthropology of Social Media |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
ANT310/SOC310 |
Population and Society |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
ANT 311 |
Social Movements |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
ANT325/ SOC325 |
Theories and Problems of Nationalism |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
ANT331 |
Rural Society and Culture |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
ANT335 |
Urban Society |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
ANT340 |
Medical Anthropology |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
ANT342 |
Body and Society |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
ANT345 |
Social Networks and Social Capital |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
ANT351 |
Gender and Development |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
ANT355 |
Law, Human Rights and Justice: Anthropological Perspectives |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
|
ANT408 |
South Asian Society and Culture |
3 |
3 |
|
|||||
|
ANT410 |
Gender and Islam |
3 |
3 |
|
|||||
|
ANT415 |
Understanding Secularism |
3 |
3 |
|
|||||
|
ANT422 |
Globalization, Transnationalism and Migration |
3 |
3 |
|
|||||
|
ANT433 |
Environmental Anthropology |
3 |
3 |
|
|||||
INTERN/THESIS (as applicable for the discipline/ academic program) |
|
|
||||||||
|
Course Code |
Course Title |
Credit Hours |
Contact Hours/Week |
|
|||||
|
Students are required to take one of the two (2) courses from the list |
3 |
3 |
|
||||||
|
ANT401 |
Anthropological Thesis |
3 |
3 |
|
|||||
|
ANT402 |
Internship |
3 |
3 |
|
|||||
OPEN ELECTIVE |
|
|
|
|
||||||
|
Students are required to take 7 (seven) courses. There is no criteria to determine the courses to be chosen. |
|
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YEAR |
SEMESTER |
RECOMMENDED COURSES |
|||||
1st Year |
1st Semester |
ENG101/102 |
HUM101 |
ANT101 |
SOC101 |
ANT104 |
|
|
2nd Semester |
ENG101/ENG102/ENG103 |
BNG103 |
HUM103 |
EMB101 |
|
|
2nd Year |
3rd Semester |
Gen-Ed Stream 2: Math and Sciences |
Gen-Ed Steam(3,4 &5) Elective |
ANT203 |
ANT301 |
Gen-Ed Steam(3,4 &5) Elective |
ANT201 |
4th Semester |
ANT202 |
ANT302 |
ANT321 |
Gen-Ed Stream 2: Math and Sciences |
Gen-Ed Steam(3,4 &5) Elective |
ANT320 |
|
3rd Year |
5th Semester |
ANT350 |
Gen-Ed Stream 5: CST |
ANT370 |
ANT420 |
Elective |
Elective |
6th Semester |
Elective |
ANT330 |
ANT375 |
Elective |
Elective |
Elective |
|
4th Year |
7th Semester |
ANT376 |
Elective |
Elective |
Elective |
Elective |
|
8th Semester |
ANT401 |
Elective |
|
|
|
|
Semester |
Total Credit Hours |
Contact Hours/ Week |
Course Code and Title |
Prerequisite |
1st Sem. |
210 |
15 |
ENG 101: English Fundamentals/ENG 102: English Composition |
|
HUM 101: World Civilisation and Culture |
||||
ANT 101: Introduction to Anthropology |
||||
SOC 101: Introduction to Sociology |
||||
ANT 104: Biological Anthropology |
ANT101/SOC101 |
|||
2nd Sem. |
168 |
12 |
ENG 101: English Fundamentals/ENG 102: English Composition/ENG 103: |
|
|
|
|
Advanced Writing Skills and Presentation |
|
BNG 103: Bangla Language and Literature |
||||
HUM 103: Ethics and Culture |
||||
|
|
|
EMB 101: Emergence of Bangladesh |
|
3rd Sem. |
252 |
18 |
Gen-Ed Stream 2: Math and Sciences |
|
Gen-Ed Stream 4: Social Sciences |
SOC101 |
|||
ANT 203: Social Theory |
ANT101/SOC101 |
|||
ANT 301: History of Anthropological Thought |
ANT101/SOC101 |
|||
4th Sem. |
252 |
18 |
ANT 202: Inequality and Power |
ANT101/SOC101 |
ANT 302: Contemporary Issues in Anthropological Thought |
ANT101/SOC101, ANT301 |
|||
ANT 321: Economy and Society |
ANT101/SOC101 |
|||
|
|
|
Gen-Ed Stream 2: Math and Sciences |
|
Gen-Ed Stream 3: Arts, Humanities OR Gen-Ed Stream 4: Social Sciences |
||||
ANT 320: Politics, Domination and Society |
ANT101/SOC101 |
|||
5th Sem. |
252 |
18 |
ANT 350: Gender and Society |
ANT101/SOC101 |
Gen-Ed Stream 5: Communities Seeking Transformation |
|
|||
|
|
|
ANT 370: Kinship, Marriage and Family in Everyday Life |
ANT101/SOC101 |
ANT 420: Religion and Society |
ANT101/SOC101 |
|||
Open Elective |
|
|||
Open Elective |
||||
6th Sem. |
252 |
18 |
Program Elective |
ANT101/SOC101 |
ANT 330: Anthropology of Development |
ANT101/SOC101 |
|||
|
|
|
ANT 375: Reading Ethnography: Understanding the Anthropological Method |
ANT101/SOC101 |
Program Elective |
ANT101/SOC101 |
|||
Open Elective |
|
|||
|
|
|
Open Elective |
|
7th Sem. |
210 |
15 |
ANT 376: Research Methodology: Quantitative Methods |
ANT101/SOC101 |
Program Elective |
ANT101/SOC101 |
|||
Program Elective |
ANT101/SOC101 |
|||
Open Elective |
|
|||
Open Elective |
||||
8th Sem. |
84 |
6 |
ANT 401: Anthropological Thesis ANT402: Internship |
ANT101/SOC101, ANT301, ANT302 |
Open Elective |
|
Course Description: This course gives an introduction to anthropology, its various approaches and methods to understanding cultures and people who live within them. People within cultures live in connected ways through meanings, practices and relationships that are cooperative and divisive. Various cultural institutions that generate norms and ideals play an important role in giving rise to tensions, conflicts, cooperation and support, thereby producing a variety of meanings for different people. This course foregrounds the understanding that cultures, in all their complexity, must be understood for their own internal logic and through the eyes of people who adhere to them. In order to elucidate this point, the course discusses various institutions/elements of culture to explain how people marry and form families, exchange goods and services with one another, and how form collectivities and divisions on the basis of ethnic, racial, national and religious solidarities. By critically examining various cultures’ internal mechanisms and the ways in which they get absorbed into colonial, modern and global orders, the course urges students to think forward towards how to better care for people, their livelihoods, priorities and the cultural, environmental and societal elements that could sustain them.
Course Objective: The aim of this course is to help students develop an anthropological perspective on the human condition – an understanding and appreciation of how biology, ecology, economy, politics, social norms, and cultural practices condition human life. In doing so, the course expects students to become more accepting of differences and to understand themselves in more connected and less ethnocentric ways.
Course Outcomes (COs): Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to
Sl. |
CO Description |
CO1 |
Explain the importance of culture, enculturation and cultural transmission, and the fundamentals of anthropological theory in historical context. |
CO2 |
Use the basic principles and methodologies of anthropological research to formulate, justify and answer interesting and relevant questions about social life. |
CO3 |
Analyse kinship systems and religious, political and economic institutions in terms of how they are understood through systems of meaning, how they structure and regulate social life, and how they are created, used, manipulated, resisted and transformed by human agency. |
CO4 |
Identify and examine issues of power and inequality in the contemporary world (including those involving gender, class, race and ethnicity, caste, nationality, religion, sexual orientation etc.) and the significance of the colonial encounter and global configurations of power in terms of how people know, feel and live across the world today. |
CO5 |
Interpret real, everyday life in Bangladesh and elsewhere in terms of the ideas and concepts introduced and discussed in class. |
Course Description: This course introduces the field of biological anthropology, previously known as physical anthropology, which focuses on the study of humans from biological and evolutionary perspectives, with special attention to the biological underpinnings of the uniquely human capacities of language and culture. The course will introduce the main areas of study, key concepts, theoretical perspectives and methodologies of biological anthropology and present how insights from this field of study can shed light on contemporary issues affecting humanity as a whole. Topics covered will include the principles of evolution and genetics, population variation among modern humans, understanding Homo sapiens as a mammalian species and the similarities and differences between humans and other primates, human biological diversity and patterns of adaptation.
Course Objective: The aim of this course is to help students develop an anthropological understanding of the anthropological perspective of the biological and evolutionary discourse.
Course Outcomes (COs): Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to
Sl. |
CO Description |
CO1 |
Explore the foundations and subfields of biological anthropology. |
CO2 |
Analyze changes in human physiology and culture using evolutionary perspectives. |
CO3 |
Evaluate the interaction of human species with nature and its impact. |
CO4 |
Recognize how technology affects the evolutionary path of human species. |
CO5 |
Apply the concepts and case studies discussed in class to identify and address issues affecting humanity as a whole through case analysis |
Course Description: Language is an important object of study in anthropology as in several other disciplines. Within anthropology, the focus on language has been associated with its sub-field known as linguistic anthropology. This course will provide an introduction to anthropological perspectives on language, and some of the ways in which the relationships between language and different aspects of culture or social life have been studied. Students will learn about the main approaches, analytical tools, methods and theories involved in the study of language within an interdisciplinary context involving anthropology, linguistics and related disciplines. While the course will draw on materials relating to diverse settings, students will be encouraged to relate various concepts and theories to their own linguistic environments and experiences, and the context of Bangladesh more generally.
Course Objective: The aim of this course is to help students develop a anthropological perspective on the linguistic behavior of people which will familiarizes students with key concepts of linguistic anthropology, sociolinguistics, theories, and different theoretical perspectives within the discipline
Course Outcomes (COs): Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to
SL. |
CO Description |
CO1 |
Explain critically language as a special human attribute through readings and interpreting the theories |
CO2 |
Differentiate descriptive vs. prescriptive linguistics |
CO3 |
Explain language change, historical linguistics and some problems of linguistic classification through writing. |
CO4 |
Develop global thinking abilities on key concepts and theories relating to language. |
CO5 |
Identify language and society, with special reference to class, gender, ethnicity and nationalism, education etc and be able to coherently present it through team presentations |
CO6 |
Explore anthropological approaches to the study of language, society and culture through analyzing the role it plays in society. |
Course Description: This course examines the different dimensions of social inequality and power. It focuses on income inequality, status inequality, racial, gender inequalities and so on both from historical and theoretical perspectives. A wealth of information and empirical evidence are used to explain the different definitions, dimensions and approaches to the study of social inequality and stratification. In addition, it critically looks at different theoretical explanations for causes and persistence of inequality and implications of inequality for society.
Course Objective: This course aims to educate students on the stratification, income inequality, status inequality, racial, gender inequalities and so on by observing different dimensions of social inequality and power. It also intends to enhance global thinking on inequality, by critically stating the significance of living in a divided society. With that, by explaining theories relevant to caused and consequences of inequality the course will interpret real life situation of social inequality by using concepts and theories taught in the classroom. Ultimately, students will learn how to identify those factors in society which contribute to social movement and social change.
Course Outcomes (COs): Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to
Sl. |
CO Description |
CO1 |
Develop global thinking on inequality |
CO2 |
Critically state the significance of living in a divided society |
CO3 |
Explain theories relevant to caused and consequences of inequality |
CO4 |
Interpret real life situation of social inequality by using concepts and theories taught in the classroom |
CO5 |
Identify those factors in society which contribute to social movement and social change. |
Course Description: In this course, we will examine one of the vexing issues of the world today: Nationalism. The course begins with a discussion of nationalism, including topics such as nation, nationalism, nation-state, racism, different types of nationalism, and nationalism as political practice. From there, we will spend several weeks discussing the intersection between nationalism and other important topics like identity, multiculturalism, citizenship, diversity, gender etc. We will also discuss nationalism and nationalist politics in Bangladesh. Finally we will consider the possibilities of post-nationalism.
Course Objective: The aim of this course is to give the student a clear understanding of the concept of nationalism, and the understanding how to use it by itself or in comparison with other political science concepts. The course will discuss in detail about the major contemporary theories of nationalism and key concepts such as 'nation', 'nationalism', 'ethnicity' and 'identity'. Students will also have the opportunity to examine how contemporary social and political changes are affecting the future of nationalism. Also, they will understand how globalization affects sovereignty, national identity, democracy and the nation state. Furthermore, once they pass this course, students will be able to use their knowledge in debates, theory and practical assessment of existing political problems.
Course Outcomes (COs): Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to
Sl. |
CO Description |
CO1 |
Identify and explain the relationships and differences among the approaches taken by anthropologists to understanding cultural phenomena, especially regarding how culture, thought, action and social structure condition each other. |
CO2 |
Analyse the fundamental questions and problems of cultural difference, historicity and comparison, and critically assess the methods and approaches used to address such questions. |
CO3 |
Interpret ideas as situated products of specific material, historical and political circumstances, and examine the power relations that allow certain kinds of knowledge about the lives of others to become possible and dominant. |
Course Description: This course picks up where ANT301 ends, with the multiple ‘crises’ of origin and representation that engulfed anthropology as a discipline around the 1960s, as it engaged with internal and external critiques from feminism, Marxism, post colonialism and post structuralism.
Course Objective: We will pay careful attention to the historical contexts, material conditions and philosophical foundations of the ideas and approaches discussed, asking to what extent they are truly ‘new,’ what they might actually mean and require ethnographically, and how well they can help us understand human socio-cultural life across time and space.
Course Outcomes (COs): Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to
Sl. |
CO Description |
CO1 |
Identify and explain the relationships and differences among the approaches taken by contemporary anthropologists to understanding cultural phenomena, especially regarding how culture, thought, action and social structure condition each other. |
CO2 |
Analyse the fundamental questions and problems of cultural difference, historicity and comparison, meaning and interpretation, power and subjectivity, gender, sexuality, colonialism, modernity, globalization and social change, and critically assess the methods and approaches used to address such questions. |
CO3 |
Interpret ideas as situated products of specific material, historical and political circumstances, and examine the power relations that allow certain kinds of knowledge about the lives of others to become possible and dominant. |
CO4 |
Applying theoretical understanding through writing reflection paper based on contemporary cases |
Course Description: This course investigates rural society and culture from a sociological perspective. This study is mainly concerned with the study of the social and cultural factors affecting the lives of those in rural and agrarian society. It emphasizes field experiences more than theories.
Course Objective:
Course Outcomes (COs): Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to
SL. |
CO Description |
CO1 |
Identify rural society, its issues in regional and global contexts; |
CO2 |
Blend information from different sources by applying theoretical insights and methods of inquiry in logical and coherent manner of empirical research; |
CO3 |
Present theoretical as well as empirical orientation to social world with enhanced compare and contrast capability; |
CO4 |
Evaluate social policies and planning following methodological approaches of sociology |
4. Course Description: All over the world, social media is changing many aspects of our lives, our selves, and our society. Social media, like any other technology or form of communication, never exists in isolation from social life as an independent agent of change, but it does so through accidental narratives, material realities, discourse constellations, and It arises from the unequal distribution of power. The digital activities, debate and discussion in the online space are translating into physical activities and actions in offline spaces, local issues spreading across the globe and engaging other people from a diverse background. At the same time, events and issues from the offline space affecting the online spaces in a congregation of ways. The advent of social media challenged the traditional idea of the public and private sphere, communication and socialization. It creates a hyper sociality and need attention of Anthropological understanding.
Course Objective: The objective of this course is to compare and juxtapose beyond and present principles and practices and the usage of social media. So that we can examine the position of anthropological understanding of digital reality, it will also probe the development of dominant discourses and techniques of representation; speak the results of information messages on political, cultural, and monetary terrain on the countrywide and international scales.
.
Course Outcomes (COs): Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to
SL. |
CO Description |
CO1 |
Explore and elaborate key terms crucial to the anthropological understanding of social media |
CO2 |
Identify and apply ethnographic techniques used in anthropological research on social media. |
CO3 |
Consider the social and political implications of different forms and uses of social media. |
CO4 |
Compare and contrast how social media is used in different contexts around the world. |
CO5 |
Create a blog/social media post to practice your skills in presenting anthropologically informed analysis to a general audience. |
Course Description: This course aims to contextualize and situate economic practices across time and space, paying careful attention to the embeddedness of such practices within larger systems of meaning and power. It is motivated by and organized around the question of reconfiguration – of ways of seeing and being, of conceptions of rights and mutual obligation, and of how we decide what kinds of life and action are socially valuable. Such reconfigurations are fundamental to transitions to industrial capitalism and the birth of ‘the market’ as the dominant organizing principle in the lives of people across the world.
Course Objective: The aim of this course is to help students develop an anthropological perspective on larger systems of meaning and power that is embedded within economic and societal foundations.
Course Outcomes (COs): Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to
Sl. |
CO Description |
CO1 |
Identify the contingent and shifting cultural logics and systems of meaning and value within which economic relations, institutions, practices and aspirations exist, and without which no economic ‘system’ would be intelligible or possible. |
CO2 |
Assess the power relations that are inhered within ‘the economy,’ that produce and sustain economic relations and practices, that are perpetually obfuscated through discourses of individualism and ‘freedom,’ and that is legitimized using narratives of rationality, efficiency, scarcity, progress and ‘development.’ |
CO3 |
Analyse the ontological and epistemological reconfigurations – of ways of seeing, knowing and being, and of conceptions of ‘nature,’ right, obligation and value – that historically underpin transitions to ‘free market’ (post-)industrial capitalism, that are purposefully forgotten or legitimized as natural improvements. |
Course Description: This course will begin by providing an introduction to the key theories of development as well as a profile of the developing world, as much of it emerged out of its colonial history. It will then focus on development practices favored by different political regimes and mandates, critically examining the extent to which promises have been delivered, and why certain visions of development along with particular initiatives failed. To this end, the course will look at different approaches to development and assess the degree to which they have addressed inequities- economic, social and that of justice. The course will then be a critical exploration of theories, practices, leading to the ultimate question of: what is its development? Which voices authorize the development process and what happens to power structures and relations as a result?
Course Objective: The course will look at different approaches to development and assess the degree to which they have addressed inequities- economic, social and that of justice. The course will then be a critical exploration of theories, practices, leading to the ultimate question of sociological development and try and seek plausible answers.
Course Outcomes (COs): Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to
Sl. |
CO Description |
CO1 |
Introduce key approaches and debates in social theory in historical perspective and examine how they have influenced development thought. |
CO2 |
Communicate with questions concerning knowledge, power and difference are key themes in social analyses |
CO3 |
Analyse the application of these questions to selected areas in development studies such as gender, identity, health, technology, economy, power and participation. |
CO4 |
Understand selected cases so that the approaches and topics can be understood in terms of concepts and ideas specific to social-anthropological analyses. |
Course Description: The cultural examination of gender will take into consideration both social factors and the representations that inform gender relations. The course is divided into five sections; the first section will introduce students to the cultural processes contouring gender identities. The second section will unpack the continuum of gender identity by challenging the sex-gender dichotomy. The third section will explore the relationships between gender-culture-ideology. The fourth section will enable students to relate theory with the practices of everyday life by illustrating the gendered representations in various institutions as well as in popular media. Finally, section five will examine how gender positions were determined historically and the feminist critique of the same in South Asia.
Course Objective: The objective of this course is to explore the factors, processes, and representation in relation to histories of colonialism and post colonialism and theories of nationalism and globalization.
Course Outcomes (COs): Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to
SL. |
CO Description |
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CO1 |
Examine how ideas about gender shape and are shaped by culture, sexual relationships, modes of production, and reproduction as well as how these are played out in contemporary societies. |
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CO2 |
Assess local and global contexts, teasing out the interplay of social formations and cultural representations in a transnational frame. |
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CO3 |
Outline the historical trajectory and significance of the women’s movement in Bangladesh |
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CO4 |
Communicate in a gender-sensitive language |
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Course Description: The study of kinship, marriage, and the family has been at the core of social and cultural anthropology since the foundation of the discipline. Early anthropologists tended to categorize various ‘natives’ according to their kinship terminology, marriage patterns, and organization of families. Because of its narrow focus, the study of kinship, marriage, and the family became passé by the 1970s. Yet kinship has always provided a context for finding connections ‘among variably situated actors engaged in the practice of social reproduction’ (Peletz 1995:366). Critiques by post-colonial anthropologists, feminists, and queer anthropologists and their relentless efforts provided a much-needed political angle to this field. Finally, this course will move beyond the contemporary accounts of kinship, marriage, and family and explore the politics of reproduction and state intervention in sexualized social control.
Course Objective: This course will familiarize students with both classical texts as well as current debates and will equip students to study alliances, (re-)organizations, and transactions taking place within the kin networks.
Course Outcomes (COs): Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to
SL. |
CO Description |
CO1 |
Explain the classical text on Kinship, Marriage, and Family |
CO2 |
Respond to the current debates in this field |
CO3 |
Analyze kinship systems and the various configurations and functions of marriage and the family in South Asia in general and Bangladesh in Particular. |
CO4 |
Formulate how kinship, marriage, and families are socially constructed |
CO5 |
Generate one’s own family genealogy |
Course Description: ‘Ethnography’ reveals the nuanced social and cultural experiences of individuals and collectives. This focussed analysis usually refers either to the process of conducting fieldwork and undertaking participant observation or the product of such research, in a written or a visual form. Ethnography is not only central to Anthropology anymore but has also gained popularity in qualitative research in social sciences. ‘Reading ethnography’ encourages students to engage with the classics and contemporary ethnography critically and use them in doing their fieldwork and writing their ethnography. By navigating through the rich tradition of ethnography students are supposed to develop an awareness of the ways in which that research was undertaken and documented as well as the ethical implications of those researches.
Course Objective: Equip students to develop their own research project, conduct the fieldwork using participant observation, and finally analyze the data and present them in the form of ethnography.
Course Outcomes (COs): Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to
SL. |
CO Description |
CO1 |
Outline the historic development of ‘ethnographic’ methods |
CO2 |
Compare classical and contemporary ethnographies. |
CO3 |
Critically understand the complex relationship between the ethnographer and the ethnographer’s interlocutors |
CO4 |
Implement ethics of the ethnographic study |
CO5 |
Formulate a research proposal for an ethnography |
CO6 |
Execute research using various anthropological methods to collect various types of data and analyze them to understand historical/contemporary social issues. |
Course Description: This course will examine the logic of inquiry and the necessity for an empirical approach to a rigorous investigation in Anthropology in particular and the social sciences in general. The process of formulating appropriate research questions and hypotheses, techniques for testing relationships and patterns among variables, methods of data collection, methods to assess and improve the validity and reliability of data and measures, and the ethics of scientific inquiry will be addressed. This course will help students understand practice through the critical examination of methods associated with decision-making, critical thinking, and ethical judgment. Upon completion of the course, students will be able to: (a) frame research questions and develop problem statements that reflect assessment, implementation, monitoring, and outcome issues; (b) select research designs, methodologies, and measurement strategies used in social science research; (c)apply research concepts and principles in the development and use of quantitative methodologies and analytical approaches.
Course Objective: This course intends to educate students with the knowledge of research methodology, structuring, analysis, application, and the method of constructing a research report. Through this course students will be able to narrow down their topic of interest, develop research designs, and learn how to prepare questions to conduct primary survey, sampling and the method of collecting data. The students will also learn how to conduct data analysis using a software and ultimately put their thoughts together in a research report with a fruitful and mention worthy research output.
Course Outcomes (COs): Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to
Sl. |
CO Description |
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CO1 |
Learn the process of selecting a research topic and understanding basic concepts |
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CO2 |
Prepare a research design, questionnaire, sampling and collect data |
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CO3 |
Critically review literature and follow the logics behind developing appropriate research design |
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CO4 |
Analyse qualitative data |
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CO5 |
Write a research report |
Course Description: Questions of religion have interested anthropologists since the early days of the discipline. While the ambivalence of the early as well as later anthropologists have led to an “explaining away” of religion, recent scholarship and debates have brought issues of faith, identity and embodiment etc. to the fore. The course will explore the debates and contestations that go into the ‘universal’ dimension of the human experience called ‘religion.’ It is structured around major themes that have shaped theoretical debates and core analytical categories in both the study of religion and anthropology in general, including magic, belief, symbols, tradition and transmission, ritual, morality, healing, spirit possession, proselytizing, conversion and secularism. These themes will be examined with respect to a wide range of ethnographic accounts from regions ranging from South Asia to Papua New Guinea, Africa, Middle East and Europe and North America. Such examination will allow us to discover a wide array of religious phenomena and understand how key concepts emerged and have been applied to specific cultural settings. In addition to classical studies of local cults and small-scale societies, the course will also focus on world religions, their historical emergence and the tensions between religious orthodoxies and charismatic authority that frame the contemporary manifestations of many of these world religions. The course will also look at the shift from local processes to global movements, observing the religious-secular dynamic in concrete contexts.
Course Objective:
Course Outcomes (COs): Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to
Sl. |
CO Description |
CO1 |
Identify and explain the various histories and dimensions of religion’s practice and politics in the contemporary world. Importance of history and politics in the interpretive traditions of Islam. Explain what is meant by discourse and the socially constructed nature of religion and its various aspirations in the modern world |
CO2 |
Apply historical, cultural and political insights to formulate, justify and answer interesting and relevant questions about the place of religion in the lives of men and women cross culturally. |
CO3 |
Analyse dimensions of religious practice such as rituals, sacrifice, acquisition of special powers, leading groups, magic, witchcraft and death and their impact on identity formation, socio-political movements and the ethics of the state and the public sphere in a global world |
CO4 |
Identify and examine issues of power and inequality in the contemporary world, the significance of the colonial encounter and global configurations of power in terms of how people experience religion and frame aspirations through it. |
CO5 |
Interpret religion’s personal and collective appeal in the everyday life of Bangladesh and elsewhere in terms of the ideas and concepts introduced and discussed in class |
Course Description: This course focuses on the anthropological study of organizations and the use of 'Organizational Culture' at the corporate level. Due to the massive expansion of global conglomerates around the world each organization became a living entity connecting local-global spaces and people from various backgrounds. It also generates corporate culture, this course designed in such a way so that students can easily apply anthropological insights and methodology to navigate this corporate culture and solve various problems using anthropological techniques.
Course Objective: This course will empower students to organize information, symbols, and people in ways that influence planning, evaluation, policies, and resource allocations in a corporate world.
Course Outcomes (COs): Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to
Sl. |
CO Description |
CO1 |
Explore different political processes and how they influence the life of individuals. Also, understand fundamental political theory and schools of thought |
CO2 |
Demonstrate an understanding of different political phenomenon from a critical perspective. |
CO3 |
Examine the different geo-political context of several regions through case studies. Analyze how socio-economic institutions are shaped through policymaking. |
CO4 |
Recognize issues of power and inequality in the contemporary world within political processes. Comprehend the significance of the global connections within politics and how international relations shape local affairs. |
CO5 |
Illustrate how to use the ideas and concepts discussed in class to interpret their lives and the Bangladeshi context in general. |
Course Description: Nearly everything is connected to the study of population. Population characteristics like age, sex structure and population growth or change have huge implications for economic, social and political lives and the environment. Similarly, economic, social and cultural forces and environmental factors may influence population dynamics. This course examines this complex interaction with reference to the developed and developing countries. In doing so, it traces early population thoughts and provides an overview of the major theoretical perspectives on population and society. This course builds on some of the basic concepts and scholarships in demography and uses them to explore variety of important population topics including age-sex structure, fertility, mortality, migration, population, and development. Using historical and practical examples, the course will assess the implications of population characteristics and population growth or change for social change and policy and vice versa.
Course Objective:
Course Outcomes (COs): Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to
SL. |
CO Description |
CO1 |
Identify the main trend in population change in the world from historical perspectives. |
CO2 |
Apply the basic concepts and the theories of demography to explain population structures and processes in global, regional and national contexts. |
CO3 |
Engage in a critical discussion of the main theoretical debates around population, society and development and thus develop their own demographic perspectives. |
CO4 |
Engage in the contemporary debates around the relationship between population and development, population and environment, immigration, and reproductive health and rights. |
CO5 |
Assesses the social, political, environmental and economic implications of population growth and change and vice versa. |
Course Description: This course will examine movements – collective efforts to change the social, economic, political and ideological structure of society – across time and space and through a variety of conceptual and methodological approaches. The fundamental premise of the course is that movements are not ‘exceptions’ to the norm, but constitutive of social reality. We will study the trajectories of a wide (but still limited) range of movements across the world, from the 18th century to contemporary mobilizations, paying careful attention to historical context, global power relations, material conditions, lived experiences and aspirations, internal tensions, entangled histories, the politics of memory, and the ways that such movements continue to create the world of today.
Course Objective: We will use the analysis of movements to explore questions of power, agency and structure, exploring centuries-old themes like the ‘tradeoff’ between spontaneity and organization, the question of the Party, the necessity of ‘taking power,’ the possibility of unity, the necessity of violence, and perhaps most importantly – the desire for collective action and the possibility of radical social transformation.
Course Outcomes (COs): Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to
Sl. |
CO Description |
CO1 |
Identify the ways in which movements have fundamentally shaped contemporary social reality, and critically analyse ‘common sense’ ideas about the apparent ‘effectiveness’ or ‘failure’ of movements. |
CO2 |
Assess the histories of movements in terms of their material and political conditions, collective aspirations, affective infrastructures, strategic mobilizations within inherited political and cultural fields, internal and external entanglements and conflicts, and legacies, memories and the politics of forgetting. |
CO3 |
Case analysis of contemporary movements |
Course Description: In this course, we will examine one of the vexing issues of the world today: Nationalism. The course begins with a discussion of nationalism, including topics such as nation, nationalism, nation-state, racism, different types of nationalism, and nationalism as political practice. From there, we will spend several weeks discussing the intersection between nationalism and other important topics like identity, multiculturalism, citizenship, diversity, gender etc. We will also discuss nationalism and nationalist politics in Bangladesh. Finally we will consider the possibilities of post-nationalism
Course Objective: The aim of this course is to give the student a clear understanding of the concept of nationalism, and the understanding how to use it by itself or in comparison with other political science concepts. The course will discuss in detail about the major contemporary theories of nationalism and key concepts such as 'nation', 'nationalism', 'ethnicity' and 'identity'. Students will also have the opportunity to examine how contemporary social and political changes are affecting the future of nationalism. Also, they will understand how globalization affects sovereignty, national identity, democracy and the nation state. Furthermore, once they pass this course, students will be able to use their knowledge in debates, theory and practical assessment of existing political problems.
Course Outcomes (COs): Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to
Sl. |
CO Description |
CO1 |
Understand basic concepts related with the discourse of nationalism |
CO2 |
Develop a theoretically and empirically informed understanding of nationalism within the context of post-colonial nation-state |
CO3 |
Learn about the historical articulation of nationalism as a discourse of resistance in the colonial and post-colonial settings |
CO4 |
Examine the dialectical interfacing of nationalism with other narratives, such as peasant resistance, Marxism, anarchism, Gender and Ethnicity |
CO5 |
Analyse the ethical perplexities in maintaining the nationalist discourses in the political settings |
Course Description: This course studies the nature of urban society particularly emphasizing on the rise and changes of city from academic point of view. Why the social scientists have showed their interests on studying city, any changes of their concern from past to present, why such changes have occurred and how the city has been shaped due to this shift of concentration are the subject matter of SOC/ANT 335. This course also gives an idea on the success stories of some global cities that helps understanding the rise and fall of city from a global perspective. A major focus of this course is the history of Dhaka city and the forces of the social formation of the capital city of Bangladesh. This deals with issues of growth and development of urban communities with reference to evolution of cities, urban social institutions and problems, changes and emerging challenges in city life.
Course Objective: This course deals with issues of growth and development of urban communities with reference to evolution of cities, urban social institutions and problems, changes and emerging challenges in city life. Upon successful completion of this course, the students will be able to understand the transformation to urban society, differences between pre-industrial and industrial cities and the effects of class, gender and race on urban communities. The course will also focus on patterns of family, use of power, exercise of economic activity in city life. The students will be able to apply sociological concepts and methods to social problems in contemporary urban society and to social policy analysis.
Course Outcomes (COs): Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to
Sl. |
CO Description |
CO1 |
Understand the transformation to urban society |
CO2 |
Differentiate pre-industrial, industrial cities and post-industrial cities |
CO3 |
Develop a global thinking on cities |
CO4 |
Critically analyse the effects of class, gender and inequality on urban community |
CO5 |
Evaluate patters of power, exercise of economic activity in city life and political economy of city |
Course Description: This course introduces students to the key concepts and practices in Medical Anthropology. The aim is to examine the notions and practices of health, illness, disease, well-being and healing within and across cultures, and, to discuss how these notions and practices represent as well as shape human societies.
Medical Anthropology had been one of the pillars of modern Anthropology. Especially after major health crisis such as Covid-19 pandemic Medical Anthropology and its major theoretical approaches can provide case specific insights about health, hygiene and politics. This course will enable students to be better prepared for the challenges of public health crisis.
Course Objective: The course focuses on particular themes, including the medicalization of modern life, medical pluralism, biomedicine, traditional healing, and political economy of health, doctor-patient relationships, and self-care. Students are introduced to the key figures in Medical Anthropology and the major theoretical approaches in the field. The strengths and weaknesses in each approach are analyzed to demonstrate the ideologies and practices of each system of thinking and doing Medical Anthropology.
Course Outcomes (COs): Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to
Sl. |
CO Description |
CO1 |
Recognise the notions and practices of health, illness, disease, well-being and healing within and across cultures |
CO2 |
Comprehend the notions and practices of medical anthropology represent as well as shape human societies |
CO3 |
Examine the theoretical approaches in thinking and doing Medical Anthropology |
CO4 |
Examine the notion of the medicalization of modern life, medical pluralism, biomedicine, traditional healing, and political economy of health, doctor-patient relationships, and self-care. |
CO5 |
Analyze the methods, theories and insights of anthropology to understand current local and global health problems, politics and concerns through investigating contemporary cases. |
Course Description: This course will concentrate on the relationships between the body and the contemporary society. We will consider the various forces, including religion, politics, science, media, the market, and medicine, that shape policies and practices of the body. Increasingly the body is a site of contestation where multiple, competing forces attempt to control, measure, legislate, and discipline it. In this course, we will examine the ways in which the market shapes how we think about the body and body parts (like prostitution, or the buying and selling of eggs, semen, organs, genes, and most importantly skin whitening cream like, Fair and Lovely); we will examine the ways in which the state structure constructs the ‘normal’ and ‘abnormal’ body (for instance, the politics of disabled ‘fat’ bodies, kalo (black) and chapa (latent/hidden or concealed) female bodies in Bangladesh; we will trace historical constructions of gendered, sexed and raced bodies (including how citizenship is often linked to particular types of bodies); and, lastly, we will focus on how states disappear, abuse, and violate marginal and ‘threatening’ bodies. Students will explore various relationships between politics, ideology, the state and the body, and consider the ethics and moralities of these relationships. In this class, we are fundamentally interested in the institutions, disciplines and forms of knowledge that manage, regulate and govern the body discursively, materially and ideologically. We will examine feminist, postcolonial, poststructuralist, and Marxist frameworks and consider how each approaches the intersection of the body, society and the state. We will also draw on a broad range of media including films, commercial, online exhibits, and journalism, to consider the political, economic and social contexts in which the relationships between the body and state are developed, shaped and re-invented. Themes to be considered: disciplined bodies, sexed bodies, subaltern bodies, (post) colonial bodies, disabled bodies, bodies that disappear, raced bodies, dead bodies, and bodies that are for altered.
Course Objective:
Course Outcomes (COs): Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to
Sl. |
CO Description |
CO1 |
Recognise the notions and practices of the body |
CO2 |
Comprehend how the notions and practices of Body in different societies represent as well as shape human societies |
CO3 |
Examine the theoretical approaches in thinking of the role of the body in Anthropology |
CO4 |
Examine the notion of the Governmentality and bio politics |
CO5 |
Analyse the methods, theories and insights of anthropology to understand current local and global politics and concerns |
Course Description: Social networks constitute a set of social structural conditions that seem to be Omni-present in all social situations. Social networks partly determine the actions of their individual members, and they have been shown to affect many aspects of people's life.
Course Objective: The course will introduce students to the basic concepts of the theory of social networks and enable them to conceive of the social structure as a network of individuals. It will also explain the role of social networks in social life by conceiving a person's personal network not only as a restriction for action but also as that person's social capital. In this related discussion of social capital, the most salient perspectives include: the availability of social settings which influence the chance of meeting others; the emergence of networks; network effects on conflicts and occupational attainment; networks within organizations, like government agencies and the institutional conditioning of the effects of networks.
Course Outcomes (COs): Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to
Sl. |
CO Description |
CO1 |
Understand the notions of concepts of social networks and social structures. |
CO2 |
Learn how the role of social networks in social life through a person’s personal network and the role of social capital. |
CO3 |
Examine the theoretical approaches in thinking of the role of social capital, and the availability of social settings. |
CO4 |
Examine the notion of the social capital, social networks and effects of networks |
CO5 |
Analyse the methods, theories and insights of anthropology to understand social networks and networks within organizations and present them through written work. |
Course Catalog Description (Content): This course presents the relationship between development and gender by analyzing the opportunities and challenges of women in the paid and unpaid labor market. The objective is to understand the inner meaning of women empowerment, their contribution in different sectors, gendered norms in the path of development and policy implication with a particular focus on Bangladesh. Students will also get an overall idea on how gender inequality hinders development in terms of getting access to resources, agency and rights.
Course Objective: The course will train students to think analytically about gendered experiences, by both men and women as their lives enter the fold of development agendas and initiatives. The course will orient students to the key theories of development, the major theoretical advances made in the conceptualization of gender, and look at ethnographic accounts and case studies that analyze how particular approaches to development have impacted not only improvement in the lives of men and women, but also how these have affected power relations between them. The course will invite a critical questioning of development initiatives and a thinking through of what constitutes development with regard to gender. The course will allow students to think through notions of rights, empowerment, wellbeing and individual versus collective development.
Course Outcomes (COs): Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to
Sl. |
CO Description |
CO1 |
Enhance global thinking on the past, present and future condition of women in the labour market. |
CO2 |
Understand theoretical approaches of development and women empowerment. |
CO3 |
Demonstrate the relationship between gender inequality and development and its relevance to MDGs and SDGs. |
CO4 |
Engage in debate over unpaid labour, determinants to the female labour market, rights of women, women organizations and women in politics. |
CO5 |
Critically analyse women empowerment in development fields such as NGOs and the garment industry. |
Course Description: This course introduces students to key themes and debates in the Anthropological literature on South Asia. The study of "traditional" Anthropological topics such as kinship, caste and hierarchy will be folded into ethnographies that explore nationalism, globalization, politicized religion, gender/sexuality, and other sites of socio-political contestation in contemporary South Asia.
Course Objective: The course will emphasize the postcolonial implications of colonial knowledge formations, the politics of representation, and the enduring power of analytical and classificatory regimes. Students will also gain familiarity with current theoretical debates in Anthropology as a whole.
Course Outcomes (COs): Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to
Sl. |
CO Description |
CO1 |
Understand and explain the ethnography and colonial knowledge formation; civilizational frameworks and the tradition/modernity binary. |
CO2 |
Analyse through an anthropological lens, contemporary debates on cultural/religious difference, “communal” violence and minority rights. |
CO3 |
Develop a theoretically and empirically informed understanding of methodological nationalism; the fluidity and contingency of borders, nations, community identities. |
CO4 |
Examine the politics of enumeration; the emergence of majorities and minorities and the (re)production of cultural/spatial boundaries through writing. |
CO5 |
Synthesize and apply to real life situations concepts generated in the readings through writing and in society |
Course Description: Muslim women's rights, roles and appearance have found a place at the center of heated debates both within as well as outside the Muslim world. Muslims as well as the western media have made Muslim women emblems of either the asserted virtues or failings of the Islamic tradition.
Course Objective: This course examines the complexities underlying the construction, perceptions and consequences of narratives around gender in Islam. Questions that will be addressed are: Why is Islam stereotyped as oppressing women? How do we relate this opinion with the view of many Muslim men and women that Islam preaches true equality between man and woman? How do women use religious symbols such as the veil in order to identify themselves and create freedom of movement? Why do women decide to affiliate themselves with Islamic 'fundamentalist' movements and what consequences does this have for them and their male relatives?
Course Outcomes (COs): Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to
Sl. |
CO Description |
CO1 |
Explain the notions and practices of the Muslim world |
CO2 |
Comprehend how the notions and practices of Islam in connection to women’s position |
CO3 |
Examine the theoretical approaches in thinking and Practising Islam |
CO4 |
Examine through group fieldwork the history of Islam in relation to the roles women played in the discourse. |
CO5 |
Analyse the methods, theories and insights of anthropology to understand |
Course Description: Secularism was once considered the most "natural" way to ensure the delivery of rational, modern, tolerant and plural political orders and societies. However, in the recent past, explorations of the genealogies of Western secular models and their relationship to Christianity have subjected the question of secularism to critique and scrutiny. While many argue that secularism is inherently flawed and deceitful, others lament that it is disdainful towards religious ways of being. Then, there are others who believe that the boundaries of the political order must be (re)circumscribed and made more inclusive. What would secularism look like then? What would be its foundational tenets and what conditions would determine different secular outcomes, and how? This course delves into these questions by looking at the key presumptions behind secularism and secularization. It then explores the ways in which these presumptions achieved "natural" and "universal" status. Next, the course explores the question of toleration and the minorities by examining multiculturalism and laicite. Finally, it looks at lived realities whereby religiosity and secularity intersect, bringing all of the above to bear upon thinking about how best to refashion secularism
Course Outcomes (COs): Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to
SL. |
CO Description |
CO1 |
Critically explain historical context in which secularism as distinct mode of practice emerged |
CO2 |
Learn to communicate through writing the process by which people became the member of secular society |
CO3 |
Differentiate between/ among different types of secular society and will also be able to analyze why modes of secularism vary from society to society |
CO4 |
Explain formations of secular |
CO5 |
Enhance our understanding concerning citizenship |
CO6 |
Identify the power of secularism in modern Bangladesh by conducting group fieldwork |
Course Description: ‘Globalization’ is commonly portrayed as a neutral, impersonal and apolitical set of technological, economic and cultural transformations consuming the whole world. Both those who hail it and those who reject it tend to stress its radical novelty. In this course we take a critical look at this apparent novelty, by situating ‘globalization’ within a much older historical drama set in motion by the Spanish-Portuguese conquest of the Atlantic, setting the stage for European colonialism and the birth of the capitalist world-economy. We will also question the ‘neutrality’ of globalization by taking a closer look at the violence that these celebrated transformations have entailed for actual human lives. We will look at flows of capital and commodities, ideas and images, ‘nature’ and people, and try to dislodge the nation-state from its privileged position in our worldviews. Along the way we will raise crucial questions about power, time, sovereignty, belonging, identity and authenticity, and confront a history of plunder and destruction, hope and desperation.
Course Objective: To provide students with a nuanced and layered understanding of the subject matter, as well as provide historical and social context on how questions of belonging, power, time, sovereignty, etc. are dealt with.
Course Outcomes (COs): Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to
Sl. |
CO Description |
CO1 |
Identify the situated-ness of ‘globalizing’ processes and phenomena in historical, political, cultural and economic contexts, and in the lived experiences of people engaged with and/or affected by such processes. |
CO2 |
Critically assess the prioritizing of ‘rootedness’ over movement (of people, things, ideas etc.) in our conceptions of society, and the place of the sovereign and autonomous nation-state in our explanations for phenomena both within and beyond national borders. |
CO3 |
Analyze the global power relations that drive movement vs. entrapment, that condition our understanding of modernity, sovereignty, belonging, identity and authenticity, and that maintain relations of domination, exploitation and dependence among human beings situated differently within such global configurations. |
Course Description: This course is an overview of the interrelationships between the earth's natural environment and the societies human populations have created. Environmental Anthropology is the study of social change, adaptation, and understanding in relation to the physical and perceived environment. The primary goal of this course is to familiarize students with the field of environmental sociology and discover how the study of sociology illuminates environmental issues.
Course Objective: The aim of this course is to help students develop an anthropological perspective on interrelationships between the earth's natural environment and the societies human populations have created which will familiarizes students with key concepts of environmental anthropology, theories, and different theoretical perspectives within the discipline
Course Outcomes (COs): Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to
SL. |
CO Description |
CO1 |
Identify and analyze sociocultural, discursive, and political-economic factors related to human/environment interactions |
CO2 |
Identify, use, and evaluate major theoretical perspectives within environmental anthropology |
CO3 |
Utilize these anthropological perspectives to analyze real-world environmental issues. |
CO4 |
Critically examine a range of anthropological approaches to diverse human understandings of and interactions with their changing environments |
CO5 |
Apply insights from environmental anthropology to related development, conservation, and human rights issues |
Course Description: Sociology emerged from a broad cultural dynamic where the clash between European monarchies and liberals was central. ‘The Enlightenment,’ global expansion, and colonialism provided the necessary impulse for capitalism and other social changes. Still, it also forced social scientists to formulate new theories and develop new analytical frameworks to understand these shifts. Comte, Marx, Weber, and Durkheim were considered the four pillars of sociology. This was unfortunate and essentially Eurocentric and androcentric, which this course will try to break free from. We will concentrate on classical thinkers like Harriet Martineau, Karl Marx, Max Weber, and Emile Durkheim in the first half of the semester. During the second half of the semester, lectures will focus on contemporary thinkers like Pierre Bourdieu, Michel Foucault, Edward Said, and various feminists and post-colonial theorists.
Course Objective: This course will enable students to understand the world around them using classical sociological and social theories.
Course Outcomes (COs): Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to
SL. |
CO Description |
CO1 |
Locate various schools of thought existing in Social Science. |
CO2 |
Examine both the ontological position of the social thinkers and their epistemological contributions. |
CO3 |
Appraise historical trajectories of social theories |
CO4 |
Propose a feminist and post-colonial critique of social theory |
CO5 |
Apply a theoretical framework to analyze various social phenomena |
Course Description: This course introduces students to key anthropological debates and conceptual tools on law, human rights and justice. We will explore tensions between anthropological perspectives on rights and justice, which tend to value historical specificity, locality and complexity, and legal/human rights frameworks that seek recognition of ‘universal’ norms across contexts. We will begin with revisiting the historical opposition of the American Anthropological Association to the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and its more recent statement of support.
Course Objective: This course introduces students to key anthropological debates and conceptual tools on law, human rights and justice. We will explore tensions between anthropological perspectives on rights and justice, which tend to value historical specificity, locality and complexity, and legal/human rights frameworks that seek recognition of ‘universal’ norms across contexts. We will begin with revisiting the historical opposition of the American Anthropological Association to the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and its more recent statement of support.
Course Outcomes (COs): Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to
Sl. |
CO Description |
CO1 |
Ability to historicize human rights ideas and norms |
CO2 |
Familiarity with distinctively anthropological approaches to human rights, including critical evaluation of the concept of cultural relativism |
CO3 |
Ability to synthesize and analyze theoretical concepts generated in class and apply them to contemporary debates on popular culture. |
CO4 |
Ability to critically evaluate the politics of humanitarianism |
CO5 |
Case analysis and community engagement in ensuring human rights through case studies |
Course Description: This course is designed to investigate the relationship between state and power. In order to do that this course will also discuss about domination and resistance and its affect over state and public. This course will provide conceptual and theoretical background on state, power and domination. More specifically this will discuss about how subaltern engaged in different forms of resistance and re-negotiate with state. In the first half we will discuss about classical and contemporary theorists as such Marx, Gramsci and Foucault. In the second half we will discuss about more recent theories such as James C. Scott, Bayat and explain this construct in post-colonial context. Finally we will contemplate an idea of society not necessarily without power relationship but a society where power is defined and personified differently.
Course Objective:
Course Outcomes (COs): Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to
SL. |
CO Description |
CO1 |
Understand basic concepts on state, power, and domination with theories and empirical evidence. |
CO2 |
Learn about different forms of resistance i.e. direct and everyday forms of resistance |
CO3 |
Linking the concepts between state, domination and public and their effect |
CO4 |
Assess the state power relations, hegemony and counter hegemony of state and its consequences. |
Course Description: ANT402 or Internship provides an opportunity for students to apply the principles learned in the academic setting to a work situation, to explore a career area before graduation, to obtain work experience and contacts for future job seeking and/or graduate school application, and to develop knowledge and work skills through the combination of practical experience and scholarly research. Students must complete ANT376 and ANT375 prior to undertaking the internship. The Internship Coordinator acts as an academic supervisor for interns. However, interns work most closely with their internship supervisor. The work should involve growth for the student and should be in the area of career or graduate school interest.
Internship process:
Course Objectives:
Course Outcomes (COs): Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to
Sl. |
CO Description |
CO1 |
Site-ethnography. Interns should do a mini-ethnography of their placement site and give an overview of the agency, its purpose, staff, clientele, and effectiveness. Students should analyze the structures and practices unique to this site. The analysis may focus on hierarchies, decision-making, and funding streams, along with daily work habits. For this theme, students should draw on relevant readings on the anthropology of organizations, applied anthropology, business anthropology, or other similar literature. |
CO2 |
Ethnohistory. Interns placed in historical societies, historic houses, or museums should analyze the ethnohistory related to their work. This will include ethnographic analysis of the societies and time periods that connect to the internship work. Students who work with refugees should do a similar ethnohistorical analysis for the largest refugee group with whom they are working. |
CO3 |
Public engagement. Interns placed in an institution that works with the public should do an analysis of public engagement. Whom does the institution consider to be their public? What role does the public play in their work and decision-making? What is their relationship with the public? What are the best practices in working with the public? Relevant resources are available in all four fields of anthropology. |
CO4 |
Methods. Interns doing research should read up on the best practices in the field, methodologically speaking, and then evaluate how and why their placement institution follows (or doesn’t follow) those guidelines. |
Course Description: Students majoring in Anthropology are required to conduct a research and write a senior thesis in their last semester. A thesis by definition is a proposition backed up by research based evidence. Evidences are either constituted by data collected during the fieldwork or obtained through other forms of research (i.e. historical documents, genealogy, letters etc.). However, a thesis will not merely focus on describing sets of anthropological phenomena. In addition, the thesis will analyze data and represent an interpretive understanding of the phenomena. Students are expected to have a clear theoretical framework in order to pose appropriate research questions. Original Data may critique the existing theories or establish an original model by reinterpreting existing theories. Regardless the methods a student must go beyond the simplistic narratives of the problem and provide the reader a coherent argument with solid analysis of the data.
Course Objectives:
Course Outcomes (COs): Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to
Sl. |
CO Description |
CO1 |
Engage in ethnographic research, analyze outcomes, and communicate findings in both oral and written formats |
CO2 |
Demonstrate the ability to follow ethical and professional standards for cultural sensitivity in interpersonal and cross-cultural interactions, as well as the ability to work effectively in groups where not all members share an identical worldview |
CO3 |
Demonstrate the skills necessary to collect, analyze, and interpret data relevant to one or more of the subfields of anthropology within the context of anthropological theory |
CO4 |
Demonstrate the ability to follow ethical and professional standards for cultural sensitivity in interpersonal and cross-cultural interactions |
*Opportunity to work as Teaching Assistant, Research Assistant and Student Tutor at the university
* Opportunity to build a network with anthropology alumni
*Access to books and journals in the university library
*Computer lab facilities
*Wi-fi support
*Dedicated office hours for students to consult with faculty members