Kotebe Metropolitan University

College of Social Sciences

Department of Social Work
Course Name: Anthropology
Course Code: Anth1012
Credit Hours: 2 (4 ECTS)
Target group: Freshman students
Semester II
Instructor: Nolawit T.
Course Description:
The course is expected to acquaint you with essential concept of anthropology covering a wide array of questions
revolving around our very existence. It covers issues such as what makes human beings similar to each other? How
do we differ one another? What does anthropologist mean when they talk about diversity, multiculturalism,
marginalization, inclusion and exclusion?

The course will enable learners grasp the different ways of being human by dealing with themes such
as culture, kinship, marriage, cultural relativism, ethnocentrism, humanity, human origins, cosmologies,
race, ethnicity, ethnic relations, ethnic boundaries, marginalization, minorities, local systems of
governance, legal pluralism, indigenous knowledge systems, and indigenous practices and development.

Course Objectives
Intended Learning Outcome:
Up on the successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
✓ Develop an understanding of the nature of anthropology and its broader scope in
making sense of humanity in a global perspective;
✓ Understand the cultural and biological diversity of humanity and unity in diversity across
the world and in Ethiopia;
✓ Analyze the problems of ethnocentrism against the backdrop of cultural relativism;
✓ Realize the socially constructed nature of identities & social categories such as gender,
ethnicity, race and sexuality;
✓ Explore the various peoples and cultures of Ethiopia;
✓ Understand the social, cultural, political, religious& economic life of different ethno-
linguistic & cultural groups of Ethiopia;
✓ Understand different forms marginalization and develop skills inclusiveness;
✓ Appreciate the customary systems of governance and conflict resolution institutions of
the various peoples of Ethiopia;
✓ Know about values, norms and cultural practices that maintain society together;
✓ Recognize the culture area of peoples of Ethiopia and the forms of interaction
developed over time among themselves; and
✓ Develop broader views and skills to deal with people from a wide variety of socio-
economic and cultural backgrounds.

Course Contents
Unit One
1. Introducing Anthropology and its Subject Matter
1.1 Definition, Scope and Subject Matter of Anthropology
1.2 Sub-fields of anthropology
1.3 Unique (Basic) Features of Anthropology
1.4 Misconceptions about anthropology
1.5 The Relationship between Anthropology and Other Disciplines

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1.6 The Contributions of anthropology
Unit Two
2. Human Culture and Ties that Connect
2.1. Conceptualizing Culture: What Culture is and What Culture isn't
2.2 Characteristic Features of Culture
2.3 Aspects/Elements of Culture
2.4 Cultural Unity and Variations: Universality, Generality and Particularity of Culture
2.5. Evaluating Cultural Differences: Ethnocentrism, Cultural Relativism and Human Rights
2.6 Culture Change
2.7 Ties That Connect: Marriage, Family and Kinship
Unit-Three
3. Human Diversity, Culture Areas and Contact in Ethiopia
3.1. Human Beings & Being Human: What it is to be human?
3.2 Origin of the Modern Human Species: Homo sapiens sapiens
3.3 The Kinds of Humanity: human physical variation
3.4 Human Races: the history of racial typing
3.5 The Grand Illusion: Race, turns out, is arbitrary
3.6. Why is Everyone Different? Human Cultural Diversity/Variation
3.7. Culture area and cultural contact in Ethiopia
Unit Four
4. Marginalized, Minorities, and Vulnerable Groups
4.1 Definition of concepts
4.2 Gender-based marginalization
Female genital cutting
4.3 Marginalized occupational groups
4.4 Age-based vulnerability
4.5. Religious and ethnic minorities
4.6. Human right approaches and inclusiveness: Anthropological perspectives
Unit Five
5. Identity, Inter-Ethnic Relations and Multiculturalism in Ethiopia
5.1. Identity, Ethnicity and Race: Identification and Social Categorization
5.2. Conceptualizing Ethnicity –What’s it?
5.3. Ethnic Groups and Ethnic Identity
5.4. Race –The Social Construction of Racial Identity
5.5. Theories of Ethnicity: Primordialism, Instrumentalism and Social Constructivism
5.5.2. Instrumentalist (Situational) Theory of Ethnicity
Unit Six
6. Customary and Local Governance Systems and Peace Making
6.1 Indigenous and local governance
6.2 Intra and inter-ethnic conflict resolution institutions
6.3 Inter-ethnic conflict resolution
6.4 Women’s role in conflict resolution and peacemaking
6.5 Legal pluralism: interrelations between customary, religious and state legal systems
Unit Seven
7. Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) and Practices
7.1. Definition of concepts
7.2 Significance of indigenous knowledge
7.3. Indigenous knowledge and development
7.4. Preservation, Challenges and Limitations of IK
7.5. The Erosion of Indigenous Knowledge Systems(IKS)

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 ❖ Assessment and Evaluation Criteria:
Based on the progressive understandings of the course, students will be evaluated continuously
through both non-graded assignments/activities, like (reading assignments) and graded
assignments/activities and assessments including class discussion & participation, Test, Term
Paper & presentation, Home Taken Exam/case studies and Final Exam.

Assessments
20% Group assignments
30% Mid Exam
50% Final exam

Suggested readings:
1 . Asmarom Legesse (2006). Oromo Democracy: an Indigenous African Political
System. The Red Sea Press, Inc.
2. Cameron, M. Smith and Evan T. Davies (2008). Anthropology for Dummies. Wiley
Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana.
3. Clifored Geertz . (1973). The Interpretation of Cultures. A division of Harper Collins
Publishers.
4. Donald Donham . (1986). Marxist Modern. The Ethnographic History of Marxist Ethiopia.
5. Donald N. Levine. (1974). Greater Ethiopia: The Evolution of A Multiethnic Society.
Chicago & London., University of Chicago.
6. Dunif-Hattis and Howard C. (1992). Anthropology: Understanding Human Adaptation. New
York: Harper Collins, Inc.
7. Eriksen, T. H. (2001). Small Places, larger Issues: An introduction to social and cultural
anthropology. London: Pluto Press.
8. Eriksen, T. H. (2004). What is anthropology? London: Pluto Press.
9. Eriksen, T. Hylland. (2002). Ethnicity and Nationalism. London; Pluto Press.
10. Eriksen, T.H. and Nielsen, F.S. (2001). A History of Anthropology. London: Pluto Press.
11. Hallpike, Christopher R. (1972). The Konso of Ethiopia: A Study of the Value of a Cushitic
People. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
12. Hamer, John. (1970). The Sidama Generational Class Cycles: A Political Geronotocracy.
Africa 40,I (Jan,1970): 50-70.
13. Haviland, WA, (1999).Cultural Anthropology (9th ed.). Fort Worth: Harcourt and Brace
College Pub.
14. Kottak, C. P. (2004) – Anthropology: the Exploration of Human Diversity (10th ed.).
McGraw Hill, New York.
15. Lavenda, R. and Emily S. (2015). Anthropology. What Does It Mean to Be Human?.
(3rded.). Oxford. Oxford University Press.
16. Pankhurst. R.(2001). Historic Images of Ethiopia. Shamans Books. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
17. Richard Jenkins. (2006). Rethinking Ethnicity. London Sage Publication.
18. Rosman, A., Rubel, P.G. and Weisgrau, M. (2009). The Tapestry of Culture: an
Introduction to Social Anthropology. Lanham: Rowman and Little field.
19. Scupin and DeCorse (1988). Anthropology: A Global Perspective (2nd ed.). New Jersey:
Prentice Hall.
20. Shack, William S. (1966). The Gurage: A People of the Enset Culture. London: Oxford
University Press.
21. Triulzi et al. (2002). Remapping Ethiopia Easer African Studies:. Addis Ababa: AAU

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