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Unit of study_
ANTH3604: The Anthropocene
2026 unit information
This unit explores the impacts of human activity on planetary ecosystems and societies. We approach the Anthropocene as an empirical and conceptual platform to consider the various ways in which humans and non-humans share environments, how social relations encompass but also transcend human beings and communities, and which humans are excluded, marginalised, exploited, or silenced under dominant economic, political, cultural, and ecological regimes. We consider the intersections of social, environmental, racial, and multispecies (in)justice in an age of planetary unmaking, when technoindustrial processes and the legacies of colonialism undermine conditions of life at a global scale.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Arts and Social Sciences
| Study level | Undergraduate |
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| Academic unit | Anthropology |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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12 credit points at 2000 level in Anthropology |
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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None |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. Demonstrate an advanced level of understanding of key concepts and ethnographic methods in the discipline of anthropology, and how these link to related disciplines.
- LO2. Develop a coherent and critical appreciation of how anthropology contributes to contemporary debates about climate change.
- LO3. Master a high level of awareness of the ethical issues related to the study and representation of humans and the environment.
- LO4. Develop skills in conducting independent library research and use the concepts and the research findings of scholars to support and develop one's own ideas about human impact on the environment.
- LO5. Identify and critique the influence of social and cultural values on one's conception of climate change, especially among other scholars working in various fields including anthropology.
- LO6. Explain anthropological ideas related to climate change to a broad intellectual and non-intellectual audience and to be able to inform public opinion using sound anthropological knowledge.
- LO7. Apply and adapt problem-solving skills and disciplinary knowledge in interdisciplinary study and project work related to the issue of climate change.
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