Outline

Overview

Inequality is an increasingly central feature of our economic systems. Economic changes seem so vast that as individuals we may feel powerless to influence their direction. However, the economy is made up of various tools and social practices, incorporating money, market, work, and home, produced and enacted by differently positioned humans and more-than-human agents. By examining these relations and practices closely, we can identify and challenge the cultural assumptions that underpin our economic institutions. This examination will enable us to imagine and work towards a more equitable and caring economic future.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Anthropology
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	12 credit points at 2000 level in Anthropology
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	ANTH2653
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Michael Edwards, michael.edwards@sydney.edu.au

Assessment

The census date for this unit availability is 31 March 2025

Details
Criteria

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Final Essay Respond to one question from the list	35%	Formal exam period Due date: 16 Jun 2025 at 23:59	2800 words
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	Group Presentation Group presentation	20%	Multiple weeks	Equivalent of 600 words
Outcomes assessed:
Small continuous assessment	Peer Review Feedback on group presentations	15%	Multiple weeks	900 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Short Essay Respond to one prompt from the list	20%	Week 06 Due date: 04 Apr 2025 at 23:59	1000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Small continuous assessment	Participation & Weekly Reflections Short weekly reflections on the readings and class discussions	10%	Weekly	equivalent of 700 words
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ? = AI allowed ?

Assessment summary

Please note that completion of all assessment items is required to pass the unit of study, regardless of marks attained for any particular item of assessment. Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result Name	Mark Range	Description
High Distinction	85 - 100
Distinction	75 - 84
Credit	65 - 74
Pass	50 - 64
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades

For more information see guide to grades.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

Except for supervised exams or in-semester tests, you may use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessments unless expressly prohibited by your unit coordinator.

For exams and in-semester tests, the use of AI and automated writing tools is not allowed unless expressly permitted in the assessment instructions.

The icons in the assessment table above indicate whether AI is allowed – whether full AI, or only some AI (the latter is referred to as “AI restricted”). If no icon is shown, AI use is not permitted at all for the task. Refer to Canvas for full instructions on assessment tasks for this unit.

Your final submission must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of automated writing tools or generative AI, and any material generated that you include in your final submission must be properly referenced. You may be required to submit generative AI inputs and outputs that you used during your assessment process, or drafts of your original work. Inappropriate use of generative AI is considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

The Current Students website provides information on artificial intelligence in assessments. For help on how to correctly acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the  AI in Education Canvas site.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

Late submission In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date: Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date. After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Support for students

The Support for Students Policy reflects the University’s commitment to supporting students in their academic journey and making the University safe for students. It is important that you read and understand this policy so that you are familiar with the range of support services available to you and understand how to engage with them.

The University uses email as its primary source of communication with students who need support under the Support for Students Policy. Make sure you check your University email regularly and respond to any communications received from the University.

Learning resources and detailed information about weekly assessment and learning activities can be accessed via Canvas. It is essential that you visit your unit of study Canvas site to ensure you are up to date with all of your tasks.

If you are having difficulties completing your studies, or are feeling unsure about your progress, we are here to help. You can access the support services offered by the University at any time:

Support and Services (including health and wellbeing services, financial support and learning support)
Course planning and administration
Meet with an Academic Adviser

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction: Rethinking "Economy"	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 02	Foundations: Exchange, Gifts and Reciprocity	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 03	Foundations: Value and Extraction	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 04	Foundations: Money and Markets	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 05	Processes: Work and Labour	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 06	Processes: Circulations	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 07	Processes: Infrastructure and Logistics	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 08	Relations: Debt and Finance	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 09	Relations: Class and Race	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 10	Relations: Attention and Desire	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 11	Alternatives I? Care	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 12	Alternatives II? Cosmoeconomics	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 13	Alternatives III? Solidarity	Seminar (2 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: According to Faculty Board Resolutions, students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are expected to attend 90% of their classes. If you attend less than 50% of classes, regardless of the reasons, you may be referred to the Examiner’s Board. The Examiner’s Board will decide whether you should pass or fail the unit of study if your attendance falls below this threshold.
Lecture recording: Most lectures (in recording-equipped venues) will be recorded and may be made available to students on the LMS. However, you should not rely on lecture recording to substitute your classroom learning experience.
Preparation: Students should commit to spend approximately three hours’ preparation time (reading, studying, homework, essays, etc.) for every hour of scheduled instruction.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Here is the list of readings covered in the course. All readings will be made available on Canvas.

Marcal, Katrine and Vogel, Saskia, 2015. Who Cooked Adam Smith’s Dinner? : A Story about Women and Economics, Scribe Publications. Prologue and Chapter 1.

Salian, Priti, 2022. “The Hard Labour that Fuels the Hair Trade” Sapiens.

Rolston, Jessica Smith, 2014. Mining Coal and Undermining Gender: Rhythms of Work and Family in the American West. Rutgers University Press. Chapter 1. Pp. 3-34.

Hoang, Kimberly Kay. 2015. Dealing in Desire: Asian Ascendancy, Western Decline, and the Hidden Currencies of Global Sex Work. University of California Press. Pp. 1-25.

Freeman, Carla. 2014. Entrepreneurial Selves: Neoliberal Respectability and the Making of a Caribbean Middle Class. Chapter 2. Pp. 57-95.

Chin, Elizabeth. 1999. “Ethnically Correct Dolls: Toying with the Race Industry” American Ethnologist. 11(2). Pp. 305 – 321.

West, Paige. 2016. Dispossession and the Environment: Rhetoric and Inequality in Papua New Guinea. Columbia University Press. Chapter 2. Pp. 63-86.

Meiu, George Paul. 2014. “‘Beach-Boy Elders’ and ‘Young Big-Men’: Subverting the Temporalities of Ageing in Kenya’s Ethno-Erotic Economies” Ethnos. 80(4), pp. 472-496.

Blanchette, Alex. 2020. Porkopolis: American Animality, Standardized Life, and the Factory Farm. Duke University Press. Introduction. Pp. 1-30.

Karen Hébert. 2014. “The matter of market devices: Economic transformation in a southwest Alaskan salmon fishery”. Geoforum. 53. Pp. 21-30.

Welker, Marina. 2014. Enacting the Corporation: An American Mining Firm in Post-Authoritarian Indonesia. University of California Press. Introduction.

Ho, Karen. 2009. Liquidated: An Ethnography of Wall Street. Duke University Press. Chapter 6. Pp. 249- 294.

Mavhunga, Clapperton Chakanetsa. 2014. Transient Workspaces: Technologies of Everyday Innovation in Zimbabwe. MIT Press. Introduction. Pp.5 – 21.

Frey, Bronwyn. 2020. XLI(1). “Platform Labour and In/Formality: Organization among Motorcycle Taxi Drivers in Bandung, Indonesia”. Anthropology of Work Review. 36-49.

Bear, Laura. 2015. Navigating Austerity: Currents of Debt along a South Asian River. Stanford University Press. Introduction. Pp.1-26.

Stout, Noelle. 2019. Dispossessed: How Predatory Bureaucracy Foreclosed on the American Middle Class. Introduction. Pp. 1-35.

Besky, Sarah. 2013. The Darjeeling Distinction: Labor and Justice on Fair-trade Tea Plantations in India. University of California. Introduction. Pp 1-37.

Cody, Sacha. 2019. “‘A New Consciousness of the Countryside’? Elite Ruralism in Contemporary China” Asian Anthropology 18(1). Pp. 21-36.

Calvão, Filipe. 2019. “Crypto-miners: Digital Labour and the Power of Blockchain Technology” Economic Anthropology. 6. Pp. 123-134.

Rudnyckyj, Daromir. 2018. Beyond Debt: Islamic Experiments in Global Finance. University of Chicago Press. Introduction. Pp. 1-21.

Isenhour, Cindy and Reno, Joshua. 2019. “On Materiality and Meaning: Ethnographic Engagements with Reuse, Repair & Care” Worldwide Waste: Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies. 2(1): 1, 1-8.

Zhang, Amy. 2020. “Circularity and Enclosures: Metabolizing Waste with the Black Soldier Fly” Cultural Anthropology. 35(1), pp. 74–103.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. Understand main debates and conceptual tools in economic anthropology
LO2. Identify how culture affects economic practices, and how economic practices in turn affects cultural practices.
LO3. Identify and critique assumptions about contemporary economic life and explore opportunities and challenges for more equitable economic practices
LO4. Incorporate academic knowledge in everyday life by applying conceptual tools to interpret economic practices
LO5. Articulate one’s ideas persuasively by integrating empirical description and theoretical analysis
LO6. Develop teamwork skills through working in small groups
LO7. Acquire communication skills by providing constructive feedback to peers
LO8. Learn to listen and incorporate peer feedback so as to improve one’s understanding of the topic

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

This is the first time this unit has been offered by this instructor

Additional information

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

ANTH3653: Capitalism, Crisis and Care

Semester 1, 2025 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect