Objectives of Programme's Learning Outcomes

• Understand the fundamentals (theories and tools) in human and social sciences
• Identify and explain the basic theoretical trends in various fields of human sciences (law, economics, management, history, psychology, etc.) and their applications.
• Understand the social environment and the way it works, as well as the role played by different social, economic and political agents
• Sociology and Anthropology option : Understand the fundamentals in the field of sociology and anthropology
• Have a critical view of theories, concepts and methods specific to sociology and anthropology.
• Describe and analyse contemporary, minority or distant human societies; decipher speeches and social and cultural representations.
• Avoid the pitfalls of ethnocentrism, sociocentrism and chronocentrisme.
• Communicate in a clear, structured and justified manner on issues related to human and social sciences
• Develop and structure reasoning and arguments by mobilising concepts and methods specific to disciplines of human and social sciences.
• Demonstrate analytical skills.
• Put English language skills and skills of at least one other language other than French into practice.
• Read and understand the overall meaning of non-specialised texts, listen and understand the overall meaning of audio documents.
• Apply transferable skills, such as analysis and critical thinking, thoroughness, independence, and teamwork
• Demonstrate a critical mind, ethical values and independent judgment issues of human and social sciences.

Learning Outcomes of UE

At the end of the class, students will be able to relativize their absolute certainties concerning the economy. They will be able to perceive the limits and the issues generated by the mere transposition of their knowledge to different societies, where the "economic fact" is of a strikingly different as that which is observed in the frame of the monetarized market economy. Doing so, they will be forced to acknowledge that there exist various rationalities and will be steered towards deconstructing several commonplaces (that of rarity, notably) as well as establishing links between social dynamics (kinship, for instance) and economic behaviour.  

UE Content: description and pedagogical relevance

The objective of the class is to provide students with an historical view of Economic Anthropoloy and to familiarize them with concepts which are central to this sub-discipline. This is done by comparing ‘market-driven' societies such as ours with ‘traditional' societies where the economy is totally embedded in the social relationships. 

5 themes are tackled during the class: 
-access to natural resources and to production means 
-timetable and proceedings of work processes 
-circulation and redistribution of the work products 
-modes of consumption and expenditure   
- the creation of valor and the commoditization process

They are approached through five lessons:  
Lesson 1:      Hunter-Gatherers societies: the issue of resources rarity/abundance and of cultural choices 
Lesson 2:      Farmer Societies:  subsistence and cash crop agricultures  
Lesson 3:      Reciprocity and Market: logic and forms of gift and counter-gift 
Lesson 4:      Logics halfway between barter, market economy and gift: consumption and expense behaviors
Lesson 5:        Cultural objects and commodities, the biography of things, exchange spheres
 

Prior Experience

Not applicable