Rhodes University
Department Of Anthropology
Guide To
Anthropology 1
2016
Welcome
Welcome to Anthropology 1. We trust that you will find the year enjoyable and valuable in terms of its contribution to the rest of your degree and even the rest of your life.
Guide to Anthropology 1
This guide to your first year in Anthropology should be read in conjunction with the white General Guide to Anthropology at Rhodes that you were also given at Registration. (The General Guide and all other guides and leaflets are also available on the website: http://www.ru.ac.za/anthropology.)
Additional leaflets
In addition to this guide for Anthropology 1, every student will receive Term or Module Leaflets at the beginning of each of the four terms. These too are colour-coded green to indicate that they are for Anthropology 1. Hard-copy replacements of the guide or leaflets are available at a cost of R25 to your student account or in cash.
Course Coordinator
Your Anthropology One Course Coordinators (CC) for 2016 is Ms Kelly Solomon and Mr Thabo Seshoka. If you have any problem with your course that is not specific to your current module, that is, it can’t be dealt with by your current lecturer or even your tutor, take it to the CC in the first instance.
Please see either, not both, if there are concerns about the first year.
Lecture Venue and Times
There are four Anthropology 1 lectures each week. They are all held in Chemistry Major in the Chemistry Building and are at the following times:
Day Period Time
Monday 4 10:30 – 11:15
Tuesday 5 11:25 – 12:10
Thursday 2 08:40 – 9:25
Friday 3 09:35 – 10:20
We strongly urge you to attend all lectures. Lecturers reserve the right to utilise registers to monitor student attendance during their modules for DP purposes.
Tutorials
You have one tutorial per week. All Anthropology 1 Tutorials are held in the Anthropology Department in Seminar A, Seminar B and Seminar C, on Mondays and Tuesdays. Following registration, you will be allocated to a particular tutorial group, time, venue and tutor. The tutors rotate each semester, but your time and venue remain the same throughout the year.
Tutorial groups are allocated to accommodate timetable and other needs. We try to keep the groups to 12 students or less. For these reasons you may not attend other tutorial groups: you have to stay in the group to which you were allocated unless you have a good reason to change, in which case you must arrange a permanent change of group with the Office Administrator, Mrs Des Bekker, who is available between 8:30 - 12:30 and 14:00 to 16:30 Monday to Friday.
Tutorial attendance is compulsory and a DP requirement (see General Guide). There is no such thing as a “make up tutorial”, where you conveniently drop into another tutorial if you have overslept, or “forgotten,”
each tutor takes a register, and they are under strict instructions to eject those who are not on their lists; your tutor will record you as absent. You will need to obtain permission from the Office Administrator to attend another tutorial if you have missed your tutorial for a valid reason (e.g. medical reasons or sporting engagement).
The Course
Anthropology 1 is made up of the following modules
Term Title Duration Lecturer
First Introduction to Anthropology Biological Anthropology
2 weeks 3 weeks
Dr Joy Owen Ms Janet Kalis Second Diverse Identities 8 weeks Ms Kelly Solomon
Mr Thabo Seshoka Third Sociocultural Institutions 6 weeks Prof Gina Buijs
Fourth Case Study 7 weeks TBA
Course structure and rationale
Anthropology 1 is not semesterised; it is a year long course made up of four modules of five to eight weeks across four terms. The Anthropology 1 course has write-offs, so you will write one exam paper in June that covers work completed during the first semester, and one at the end of the year that covers work completed during the second semester. You are allowed to withdraw from Anthropology 1 at any point during the year. The decision to do so will however impact your university record. Therefore if you are inclined to make this decision discuss the implications thereof with the CC, the HoD or the Dean of Humanities, Prof Tom Martin.
Tutorial Writing Tasks and Assignments
The nature of your writing tasks and assignments will be determined by the lecturer/s for each module. Each lecturer will indicate in their Term Module the day and time that written work must be handed in. All written work must be typed. For all purposes, written work should follow the requirements for essays as they pertain to structure, referencing and the construction of a bibliography. No exceptions or late submissions will be made, except on grounds of genuine illness or compassion. If you request an extension on the above grounds, you must submit a LEAVE OF ABSENCE (LOA) form plus a
doctor’s certificate in the case of illness, or a letter from the residence warden or a member of your family in the case of reasons of compassion, to the Office Administrator, within 48 hours of having missed the tutorial/deadline for written work.
NB: The provision of a LOA plus approved supporting documentation allows a student additional time (a period to be agreed to by the Course Coordinator when handing in the LOA) within which to complete the tutorial assignment/essay - it does NOT excuse a student from handing in the assignment/essay.
Tutorial assignments/essays will be marked by your tutor/lecturer and returned to you within a reasonable time period.
Essays and/or other assignments
Depending on the requirements and preferences of each lecturer you will be expected to submit written work consisting of an essay and/or other forms of assignment per module. These requirements and their due dates will be specified in the term module leaflets. Essay length should be 1 500 to 2 000 words in length. All essays must be typed. References for essays that are not electronically available are usually available on Short Loan. General instructions and guidelines for writing essays may be found in the General Course Guide. Please take note especially of the Rhodes University policy on plagiarism. All written work must have a declaration form attached to the front of the assignment confirming that the work is your own. The form is downloadable from our website at http://www.ru.ac.za/anthropology.
Tutors/lecturers can refuse to mark your work if the plagiarism declaration form is not attached.
Please note: You are strongly urged to collect and keep all your marked assignments over the year safely in ONE file referred to as your portfolio of evidence. Students are urged to check with the Office Administrator regularly throughout the year (especially before swot week of each semester) to ensure that all marks have been entered onto the departmental record system. Your marked essays provide proof should a mark be missing from the records. Please take time to read through the comments on your marked assignments as these direct your future efforts at anthropological reading, writing and articulating anthropological analysis.
Note: if you have any problems accessing a required text please notify your lecturer as soon as possible.
Due Dates for Essays
Essays must be handed in, in hard copy form, to the Office Administrator, on or before the due date between 10am and 12 noon. Mrs Bekker, or her representative, must sign for receipt of your written work. No other form of receipt of your essay will be acknowledged as valid by the Anthropology Department. The same conditions for late submissions apply to essays as to tutorial assignments.
Problems?
In an attempt to ensure that your experience of Anthropology 1 is efficient and effective please make use of the following channels to discuss concerns related to the course, or the year.
Levels of assistance are provided in relation to the type of concern you might have. If you have a general concern that might relate to all students speak to your Student Representative (elected during the first term) first. S/he will be able to relay the concern to the relevant lecturer.
If you have any concerns understanding readings, and/or course content you should speak to your tutor. If s/he does not provide satisfactory assistance you are welcome to speak to the lecturer of the particular module. If however both these individuals are unable to assist you do speak to the Course Co- ordinators.
Any concerns related to lectures should be discussed directly with the relevant lecturer, and/or the Course Co-ordinator. Concerns relating to the organisation of tutorials should be discussed with Mrs Des Bekker.
Only when the above channels have been exhausted are students welcome to speak to the Head of Department, Dr Joy Owen, regarding concerns noted above.
In conclusion we look forward to a rewarding and interesting first year in Anthropology with you.