SUMMER 2015 Issue 1
SOCIOLOGY, PHILOSOPHY AND ANTHROPOLOGY
UNDERGRADUATE NEWSLETTER
Welcome to our Sociology, Philosophy and Anthropology Newsletter – created by our students to keep you up to date with news and events, and provide an insight into undergraduate student life in the department.
SOCIOLOGY The student experience What’s it like studying Sociology at Exeter? “I absolutely love studying sociology at Exeter! The topics that are covered are always interesting and relevant to contemporary issues, which I find makes them easier to relate to. We are lucky at Exeter that we have such a wide range of module choice, so there is something for everyone! Also lecturers are very supportive and I feel that if I have a question I could go to them and it would be solved.”
Lily Francis, BA Sociology, Year 2
Issy Hoole, BA Sociology, Year 3
The programme offers a wide range of modules, including topics such as Sex and Gender, Art and Culture, Music, Health and Illness, Pharmaceutical Cultures and more! The structure of the programme also gives us time to participate in other activities on campus. For example, I became Publicity Secretary for the Sociology and Anthropology Society (SocAntSoc), managing communications with our members.
The Sociology and Anthropology Society
Since arriving at Exeter I founded a youth project on campus, Global Exe. The project uses a form of learning called ‘non-formal education’ and facilitates training sessions to build up our participants’ competency in handling conflict resolution and intercultural understanding. The project culminated in an interactive performance entitled Forum Theatre, an educational stage play that incorporated audience participation to inform and help people change the world and their communities.
It’s a great way to meet new people who study my subject, particularly as it is sometimes hard to make friends in a lecture setting. Having a group of people who know what you’re going through is great. As well as that, by being a member you get discounted rates on stash (Society clothing, etc) and socials.
The global life skills that you gain from studying here will have a meaningful impact on the communities you come from!
Jason Chang, Sociology Editor (BA Sociology, Year 2) GLOBAL EXE
About the society (and why you should join!) Essentially we are a lovely bunch, who get together for socials of all shapes and sizes, organise careers events and support the department in various ways. Whilst predominantly our members are those who study either Sociology or Anthropology (or a combination), some members are from outside the department but they’re interested in what we do.
JCreek Photography
The BA in Sociology at the University of Exeter has taken me out of my comfort zone and challenged me with new ideas to see the world.
“The module options are really broad and varied. It’s been great to have an opportunity to study anthropology and philosophy modules alongside my sociology programme. It has given me a greater understanding of the social sciences. I have also really enjoyed the new modules in quantitative sociology. I’m so proud of and excited for the department which is growing in fantastic ways as each year goes by! I’m going to miss it so much.”
The cast of the Sociology and Anthropology Society’s Murder Mystery Ball 2015 pose on the stairs of Reed Hall.
Issy Hoole, President 2014/15 (BA Sociology, Year 3) What do you like most about being a part of the committee? I love that I’m able to meet new people, be creative and have fun with a great team like SocAntSoc! We’re able to share new ideas and help each other out as friends and as a committee, academically and socially. I especially love meeting new students in Freshers’ Week as we’re able to give them an insight into our disciplines as well as the university as a whole. As we are a small society, we get to know everyone quite well and it also allows us to get students from other disciplines involved too.
Sociology must reads Sociology is not a subject limited to academia. It is highly relevant and prevalent in our everyday lives. We recommend the following classic texts which will help you cast a different light on how we can see the world: Sociological Imagination by C. Wright Mills
Rachel Reed, Current President (BA Sociology, Year 2)
The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life by Ervin Goffman
What events have you got planned for the upcoming year?
Street Corner Society by William H. Foote Whyte
We are hoping to have a range of different and fun socials as well as some relevant and helpful careers events. During Freshers’ Week, we will be holding our famous “meet and eat” picnic. A chilled out way to meet the committee members as well as eat lots of yummy cake! We also hope to have another SocAntSoc Ball at the end of term two as our recent one was so successful.
Lily Francis, Current President (BA Sociology, Year 2)
Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America by Barbara Ehrenreich With the Boys: Little League Baseball and Preadolescent Culture by Gary Alan Fine
PHILOSOPHY The student experience An introduction to the Philosophy Society The Philosophy Society is unique because of the nature of the subject. Since philosophy provides the foundation (obviously or not) to all human intellectual endeavor, the Society is uniquely placed to offer speakers on a wide variety of topics and to collaborate with a wide variety of other societies and groups. It is an incredibly tight-knit group, and a very friendly and welcoming one. As a fresher I went to nearly all the Philosophy Society events and became friends with the committee and the regular attendees. The Exmouth beach event at the end of Freshers’ Week was very enjoyable, and helped me to get to know the other members better.
Studying Philosophy and Sociology at the University of Exeter has been great fun and has massively complemented my choice of a career in journalism. At the end of my second year I became editor of Exeter’s award-winning student paper, Exeposé – something I’d definitely recommend getting involved in. If you’re interested in the media, Exeter has a wide range of student publications from academic journals to music magazines. We also have radio and television production societies, but the opportunities aren’t just limited to Exeter – my experience at Exeposé proved hugely helpful in my applications for work experience elsewhere and I successfully got placements at The Times, The Guardian and The Huffington Post while studying – something the department was very supportive of. My degree’s flexible hours helped fit my time around the demands of running the paper and doing regular essays and exams really helped to hone my writing skills. Moving forward, I’m going to do a Masters in Newspaper Journalism at City University London, the best course available for trainee journalists in the country – something I couldn’t do without my degree from Exeter.
Gemma Joyce, Philosophy Editor (BA Philosophy and Sociology, Year 3)
I found that I had such a wonderful time with people, and such a passion to see the Society succeed that I wanted to be in a position where I could try to make that happen, so I decided to run for President, and was elected this year. In the coming year I want to see the Society grow, to see more people coming to our events and socials and also see more people contributing to our THINK! journal. The Society will definitely involve a wide variety of speakers and social events alongside more intellectual debate and work amongst those that feel confident enough to do so. Above all, expect a warm and friendly atmosphere where your opinion is counted, even if it isn’t agreed with, which let’s be honest is why philosophy exists.
Dan Mason, Current President (BA Philosophy, Year 1)
What’s it like studying Philosophy at Exeter? “Studying Philosophy at Exeter is a fulfilling experience: the subject has a lot of freedom and it rewards hard work and determined effort. The department contains world-class staff ready to support us students.”
Dan Mason, BA Philosophy, Year 1 “Studying Philosophy at Exeter has been a challenging but rewarding experience. I have really enjoyed the wide variety of modules on offer, and found the topics to be stimulating. The seminars are always well prepared and led, making for an enlightening experience.”
James Beeson, BA Politics, Philosophy and Economics, Year 2 “What makes studying Philosophy at Exeter so great is the lecturers; they’re all simply fantastic people. Also studying Philosophy at university is probably the last time you can concern yourself with things most people find trivial, such as what human nature is and what matters most to us existentially.”
Katharina Becker, BA Philosophy and Sociology, Year 3
Philosophy must reads Our lecturers have suggested a number of titles that inspired their interest in Philosophy: Dr Edward Skidelsky: The Great Philosophers by Bryan Magee – “A chatty introduction to the history of Western philosophy, based on a series of television interviews conducted by Magee in the 1980s. Very clear and readable”. Professor Michael Hauskeller: The Philosopher’s Dog by Raimond Gaita – “A great read on the nature of the mind, about what it means to be a human and an animal, and how we can understand each other”. Dr Staffan Müller-Wille: Discovering Plato by Alexandre Koyré – “He not only explains Plato’s philosophy very well, but at the same time raises the question of what philosophy actually is about”. Dr Joel Krueger: Zen Action, Zen Person by Thomas P. Kasulis – “This book awakened my interest in Zen Buddhism – and non-western philosophy more generally – and serves as an important reminder that profound philosophical resources exist outside the standard Western canon”. Professor David Inglis: No Exit, and Three Other Plays by Jean-Paul Sartre – “Jean-Paul Sartre wrote plays and novels to introduce readers to his philosophy of existentialism, which in turn drew upon earlier major philosophers. These plays are an enjoyable introduction to central themes in French and German philosophy, and are absorbing to read in their own right, as they contain intense dramatic situations”.
ANTHROPOLOGY Exeter hosts the 2015 Association of Social Anthropologists (ASA) conference Founded in 1946, the ASA holds annual meetings, conferences and lectures; it publishes monographs based on conference papers, provides and reviews ethical guidelines for social anthropological research, and is also the main professional association involved in maintaining and negotiating the funding status of social anthropology.
The student experience
This year the conference, which has become one of the biggest events in the national academic calendar, was attended by over 300 professional anthropologists from around the world. It was a big challenge for those organising, but has significantly raised the profile of the Anthropology department regionally, nationally and internationally.
Many students choose to study an interdisciplinary programme, and I was no exception. I applied to study Exeter’s Flexible Combined Honours (FCH) programme during my A levels and I’m certainly glad I did.
This year’s conference was convened by Dr Andrea Butcher, Dr Ann Kelly, Dr Hannah Rumble, Dr Katharine Tyler, Dr Samantha Hurn and Dr Tom Rice; all faculty staff. Its theme was Symbiotic anthropologies: theoretical commensalities and methodological mutualisms, and papers presented at the conference are to be published in a dedicated monograph.
Put simply, FCH allows you to construct your own degree programme each year outside of the usual set programmes of study. Officially, my two subjects are Sociology and English. However, the flexible nature of my programme means that I have access to a much wider range of options each year – including Philosophy and Anthropology. This has given me flexibility in applying for my year abroad – I’ll be studying Political Science in Copenhagen. It also means I can study a language alongside Sociology. When I return for my fourth year, I’ll have the ability to carry on studying in the department and do my dissertation with a wider range of academic experience. I’ve had a lot of support throughout my course. As well as being able to contact the FCH office for help and guidance, I’ve also got a personal tutor in the Anthropology department. This has really helped me when it’s come to selecting modules and personalising my course.
Ciaran Daly, Anthropology Editor (Flexible Combined Honours, Year 2)
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What’s it like studying Anthropology at Exeter? “My first two years of study made me question and put my own culture into perspective, which up until then seemed to be a universal truth. Anthropology has taught me to be far more critical of what I see in everyday life and how I’ve been socialised into a certain world-view. Joining the Anthropology Facebook group has also really helped me stay connected with my fellow students.”
Owen L. Fagundes, BA Anthropology and Sociology, Year 2 “Anthropology at Exeter offers a diverse range of modules that have grounded my understanding of the discipline through the study of classical texts and pushed me into the world of exciting new fields. The department provides the opportunity for a more interdisciplinary approach to studying which I believe is unique to Exeter and makes the programme fresh and exciting. Alongside a fieldtrip and our personal ethnography and artefact projects, this has allowed me to engage practically with the programme as a true anthropologist out ‘in the field’. In particular I have enjoyed the small, close-knit and supportive nature of the department with students collaborating across year groups on projects and seminar discussions.”
Jessica Parker, BA Anthropology and Sociology, Year 3
Anthropology returns to Skanda Vale Skanda Vale is a monastery located deep in rural Wales, surrounded by over 300 acres of woodland. This will be the third year that staff and students have embarked on a week-long trip to the site, making it a popular fixture across the department. Issy Hoole, BA Sociology (Year3), says that while she found the week “emotionally and physically challenging, there has been plenty of opportunity to carry out field work.” However, it is rarely just an academic trip for those who visit – it is also spiritual. The ashram not only holds religious services, but also has several care and conservation initiatives. Open to all years studying Sociology, Philosophy or Anthropology, the trip has been a hallmark of the Anthropology calendar and a genuinely engaging and exciting journey.
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