SOCA3370
Madness and Society
10 Units
Not available in 2013
Previously offered in 2009
A comparative examination of social conceptions of, and responses to, madness, across cultures and historically. The course is oriented to the sociological and anthropological idea that the concept 'mental illness' is itself fairly recent in Western history, and many other societies do not share it. We will contextualise the idea of madness relative to myth, history, science, religion and culture.
| Objectives | On successful completion of this course students will be able to demonstrate: 1. An understanding of sociological and anthropological theories of non-normal behaviour across cultures. 2. The ability to critically analyze theoretical and empirical contributions to the understanding of the place of madness in society. 3. The ability to apply relevant analytic models to contemporary issues. 4. Competence in scholarship, essay construction and academic argument appropriate to graduation at Bachelor level. |
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| Content | * A critical historical examination of the conception, interpretation of, and reaction to madness in Western society from classical times to the present. * An examination of madness in some 'traditional' (non-western) societies, in the context of social relations and local cosmology. * An examination of the impact of Western psychiatric conceptions of madness on some non-western societies. |
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| Replacing Course(s) | SOCA3172 Kinship and Social Organization | ||||||||
| Transition | Not Applicable | ||||||||
| Industrial Experience | 0 | ||||||||
| Assumed Knowledge | 40 units of study at 1000 level. | ||||||||
| Modes of Delivery | Internal Mode | ||||||||
| Teaching Methods | Lecture
Tutorial |
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| Assessment Items |
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| Contact Hours | Lecture: for 1 hour(s) per Week for 12 weeks Tutorial: for 1 hour(s) per Week for 12 weeks |