Type of Credit: Elective
Credit(s)
Number of Students
Have you seen Avatar or Dune? Have you ever wondered why the director depicted the relationship between Indigenous people and sandworms or how the male actor learned to walk like an Indigenous person? Do you want to discover what led to confrontations between Indigenous communities and the empire or transnational extractive corporations? These are similar topics explored by anthropologists conducting studies on extractive industries in various countries.
Through anthropological studies, this course examines extractive industries (such as mining, logging, petroleum, natural gas, and water resources) and development challenges. This course begins with an introduction to anthropology and the extractive industry. Then, the course is divided into seven sub-sections, covering colonialism and histories, materiality, modernity and temporalities, human-nonhuman relations, infrastructure, environmental changes, and corporate–community relations. Because not all students have an anthropological background or experience in the extractive industry, this course balances theoretical articles with ethnographic case studies from various extractive industries across countries. This course aims to cultivate the abilities of students to think critically in light of the global prevalence of extractivism. This course also aims to provide students with the required knowledge for assessing the social, cultural, and environmental impact caused by extractive industries.
能力項目說明
1. Develop students' thinking and research skills on topics relating to the extractive industry.
2. Instruct students on the foundational knowledge required for future academic pursuits or employment searches.
3. Develop and enhance proficiency in academic writing and oral communication skills.
| 教學週次Course Week | 彈性補充教學週次Flexible Supplemental Instruction Week | 彈性補充教學類別Flexible Supplemental Instruction Type |
|---|---|---|
Week 1 Course Introduction
Week 2 Moon Festival
Week 3 Anthropology and Extractive Industries
Required readings
Recommended reading
Week 4 Colonialism and Histories
Required readings
Recommended reading
Week 5 Materials and Materiality – 1
Required readings
Recommended reading
Week 6 Materials and Materiality – 2
Required readings
Recommended reading
Week 7 Modernity and Temporalities - 1
Required readings
Recommended reading
Week 8 Modernity and Temporalities - 2
Required readings
Recommended reading
Week 9 Human–Nonhuman Relations -1
Required readings
Recommended reading
Week 10 Human–Nonhuman Relations -2
Required readings
Week 11 Infrastructure - 1
Required readings
Recommended reading
Week 12 Infrastructure - 2
Required readings
Recommended reading
Week 13 Environmental changes - 1
Guest speaker: Dr. Brendan A. Galipeau from Binghamton University.
Required readings
Recommended reading
Week 14 Environmental changes - 2
Required readings
Recommended reading
Week 15 Corporate–community relations - 1
Required readings
Week 16 Corporate–community relations - 2
Required readings
Recommended reading
Week 17 Presentations for term papers
Week 18 Presentations for term papers
1. 5 pre-class review essays (30％): Students are required to select a week from seven course subjects and prepare a 650-word essay. A 500-word article abstract, and 150 words of student evaluation and questions make up the essay. Students are encouraged to use Grammarly (free version) to double-check their assignments before submitting them.
2. 3 group presentations (15％): Students will be arranged into three or four groups to prepare group presentations and facilitate discussions. We could do the presentations individually based on the number of students and their choices.
3. Course participation (15％): Grades are based on class attendance, participation in class discussions, and involvement in group discussions.
4. Term paper (40％): This assignment is further divided into three parts: the term paper outline (accounting for 5% and due mid-term), the term paper presentation and evaluation (accounting for 5%), and the updated term paper amended in response to evaluating opinions (accounting for 30% with up to 4,000 words). The instructor will remind students that the term paper should represent the student's critical thinking and research abilities on related issues, rather than just summarizing the readings or discussing what the student has learned from the class. Students are strongly encouraged to learn how to utilize reference management software (such as Endnote), as their referencing style will be evaluated in this assignment.
Self-organizing reading materials from the instructor. Students do not have to purchase books.