Anthropology of Crime

Description

Undergraduate  Module Content  This course allows students to explore the social and cultural dimensions of crime and the law. You will take an anthropological perspective to explore notions of criminality and compare ideas about lawbreaking and violence through history and in different societies. The module will introduce students to a range of theoretical and methodological debates on illegal activities across a range of ethnographic contexts from various regions and countries. Indicative topics (which are subject to change) include banditry, rustling, extortion and mafias, trafficking, counterfeiting, electoral malpractices and prisons systems.    Learning Outcomes  To enable students to identify and critically evaluate a range of major social theoretical approaches to, and everyday cultural understandings of “crime” across different societies and contexts and its relation with systems of governance and authority  To gain knowledge about how to study illegal activities ethnographically  To gain knowledge of the history of major theoretical perspectives on the anthropology of crime both within and beyond the discipline of anthropology and be able to identify and critically assess the contributions and limitations of a range of leading approaches.   To enable students to critically explore anthropological analyses of the discourses and criminalisation practices across different cultural and historical times and spaces.   To facilitate students in developing their skills in approaching academic texts in a critically engaged way, in formulating analytic questions, in constructing convincing argumentation, in writing academic critique, and in taking great control over their own learning.   To develop critical understanding of the constitutively perspectival grounding of knowledge.    Delivery method  A weekly two-hour seminar by the course instructor.    Additional Information  Students are expected to participate in and make informed contributions to the discussions of the assigned readings for each seminar.    Postgraduate  Module Content  This course allows students to explore the social and cultural dimensions of crime and the law. You will take an anthropological perspective to explore notions of criminality and compare ideas about lawbreaking and violence through history and in different societies. The module will introduce students to a range of theoretical and methodological debates on illegal activities across a range of ethnographic contexts from various regions and countries. Indicative topics (which are subject to change) include banditry, rustling, extortion and mafias, trafficking, counterfeiting, electoral malpractices and prisons systems.       Learning Outcomes  To enable students to identify and critically evaluate a range of major social theoretical approaches to, and everyday cultural understandings of “crime” across different societies and contexts and its relation with systems of governance and authority  To gain knowledge about how to study illegal activities ethnographically  To gain knowledge of the history of major theoretical perspectives on ‘crime’  both within and beyond the discipline of anthropology (in particular in criminology and peace studies) and a critical awareness of the contributions and limitations of current research and advanced scholarship within  anthropology  To develop skills in demonstrating originality in the assessment and application of the major contributions to the anthropology of crime, including the critical assessment of the methodologies employed by the leading approaches.    Delivery method  A weekly three-hour seminar led by the course instructor.    Additional Information  Students are expected to participate in and make informed contributions to the discussions of the assigned readings in seminars.