36
Population Studies, Ethnography and Anthropology
UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI NAPOLI "L'ORIENTALE"
Overview
Date/time interval
Syllabus
Course Objectives
Expected Learning Outcomes
The educational path provided by the course is structured to enable students to acquire the theoretical, conceptual, and methodological tools of anthropology that are essential for understanding and interpreting the cultural variety and plurality of human societies. In addition, students will be able to understand the connection between the production of anthropological knowledge and field research.
Ability to Apply Knowledge and Understanding
Students will be able to apply the fundamental principles of the anthropological approach to critically and relativistically reflect on their own culture, developing skills in listening, understanding, and respecting cultural differences.
Additional Learning Objectives
Independent Judgment
Students will be able to develop independent judgments in understanding cultural, gender, class, religious, and other forms of diversity and plurality. They will also be able to form a critical perspective on phenomena such as racism, sexism, migration, and social marginalization.
Communication Skills
Through the analysis of key concepts such as identity, culture, ethnicity, race, and gender, students will acquire the communication tools needed to discuss relevant contemporary issues.
Learning Skills
Anthropology provides theories and methods for understanding cultural diversity through empirical research and bibliographic research. These tools are essential for critically and consciously engaging with any course of study or professional field
Course Prerequisites
This course has no prerequisites
Teaching Methods
The course will be conducted through in-person lectures supplemented by video and photographic materials and is divided into two parts. The first part will provide students with the theoretical and methodological foundations of the discipline, from its origins to contemporary developments. In the second part of the course, specific topics such as gender, food, and the environment will be explored in greater depth.
Assessment Methods
The exam consists of a written test followed by an oral exam. Evaluation will be based not only on the accuracy and completeness of the content, but also on the ability to argue points, make connections, and use specialized terminology.
Texts
Mandatory for all
Kottak C.P. (2025). Antropologia culturale (IV Edizione). McGraw Hill.
In-depth topics:
1. Gender and Sexuality
Required:
Busoni, M. (2002). Genere, sesso, cultura: uno sguardo antropologico. Carocci.
One of the following:
Bourdieu P. (2014 [1998]). Il dominio maschile. Feltrinelli.
Puccini, S. (2009). Nude e crudi: femminile e maschile nell'Italia di oggi. Donzelli Editore.
2. Anthropology of Nature: The Relationship Between Humans and the Environment
Required:
Favole A., Palchetti G., & Tarli Barbieri G. (2024). I diritti della Natura: Confronti tra antropologia, filosofia e giurisprudenza. FrancoAngeli (si richiede lo studio dei seguenti capitoli: Cuturi F., Introduzione: Natura e Diritti; Giordana L., Dalle isole alle montagne: fare società oltre l’umano; Zanotelli F., Di chi è il vento?)
One of the following:
Descola P. (2016 [2013]). L’ecologia degli altri. L’antropologia e la questione della natura. Linaria
Rossi A., & D'Angelo L. (2012). Antropologia, Risorse e Conflitti Ambientali. Mimesis.
3. Food, Culture and Territory
Required:
Koensler A., Meloni P. (2019). Antropologia dell’alimentazione. Roma, Carocci.
One of the following:
AA.VV. (2022). Cibi e poteri. Etnografie degli usi sociopolitici del cibo. L’Uomo. Società tradizione sviluppo, 12(1).
Scaricabile all’indirizzo: https://rosa.uniroma1.it/rosa03/uomo/issue/view/1658
Cottino G. (2024). Cavallette a colazione. I cibi del futuro tra gusto e disgusto. UTET.
Contents
The course aims to provide students with foundational knowledge of ethno-anthropological disciplines, focusing on key fields of inquiry, methods, and core concepts (such as culture, race, relativism, ethnography and fieldwork, linguistic diversity, diversity of kinship, political and economic systems, and forms of religious life, etc.).
Specific topics will be explored in greater depth, including: Human-Environment Relations, Gender Issues, and Food and Eating Practices.
Course topics
1. Definition and brief history of the discipline
2. The concept of culture
3. Methods of anthropology
4. Applied anthropology
5. Body, health, and illness
6. Forms of language and communication
7. Race, ethnicity, and ethnic identity
8. Ethnocentrism, relativism, and human rights
9. Economic systems
10. Political systems
11. Gender
12. Family and forms of kinship
13. Religions and ritual practices
14. Artistic forms and new technologies
15. Colonialism, inequalities, and globalization
In-depth analysis of the following themes:
A) Gender and sexuality
B) Food, culture, and territory
C) Anthropology of nature: relationship between human beings and the environment
Course Language
Italian