Subject Leader: Miss N Croucher – ncroucher@knoleacademy.org
Subject Teachers: Miss C Foreman and Mr D Hooker
Exam Board: International Baccalaureate
Entry Requirements
Minimum of 5 9-5 grades in GCSE examinations including English and Maths.
Intent
Social and cultural anthropology examines human societies and cultures through a comparative lens, exploring the fundamental principles that shape social and cultural life. The course emphasises understanding cultural assumptions by adopting diverse perspectives, fostering insight into pressing contemporary issues such as war, conflict, environmental challenges, poverty, injustice, and human rights.
Implementation
Students will focus on four areas of inquiry that they will use as a lens to examine the big 6 anthropological questions, ethical considerations and key concepts in anthropology.
Students will explore anthropological theories and use them to analyse the behaviour in four different colours within their ethnographic material
Impact
The aim of the course is to enable students to;
- Explore the characteristics and complexities of social and cultural life
- Develop new ways of thinking about the world and demonstrate the interconnected of local, region and global processes and issues
- Develop and awareness of how cultural and social contexts inform the production of anthropological knowledge
- Develop critical thinkers
- Apply anthropical understanding in order to reflect on their own lives and experiences
Course Outline
Part 1: Engaging with Anthropology
- Language of anthropology
- Practice of Anthropology
- Anthropological thinking
Part 2: Topic choices
- Group 1 – (Classifying the World, Health, Illness and Beyond or The Body)
- Group 2 – (Belonging, Communication or Expression and Technology)
- Group 3 – (Conflict, Development or Exchange and Consumption)
Part 3: Engaging in anthropological practice
- Completing own fieldwork
Examination Information
Exam Board: International Baccalaureate
Qualification: IB Social and Cultural Anthropology Diploma
Paper 1: Engaging with anthropology (40% – SL) (30% – HL)
2 hour examination.
- Students answer three questions based on an unseen text
- One question from 6 big questions
- One question on anthropological ethics
Paper 2: Engaging with ethnography (40% – SL) (45% HL)
2 hour 30 minutes examination.
- Students answer one question connecting a key concept, area of inquiry and real world issue
- Two question from two other areas of inquiry
Fieldwork (20% – SL) (25% – HL)
Students complete their own research project including
- A research proposal
- Critical reflection
- Research report and reflection
Future Courses and Possible Careers
Studying social and cultural anthropology opens up a wide array of career opportunities in fields that value and understanding of human behaviour, cultural diversity and societal structures, examples of potential career opportunities are listed below:
- Academia and research
- Cultural resource management and heritage management
- International development
- Humanitarian work
- Media and communication
- Policy and government
- Non-governmental organisations
- Business and corporate roles