UIB
Universitat de les
Illes Balears
Master in Human Evolution and Cognition
COURSE DESCRIPTION
2006-2007 Academic Year
Technical information
Course
Course title: Family and Kinship in Complex Societies
Course code: a cumplimentar por el Centro de Tecnologías de la Información
Type of course: Compulsory for students enrolled in the Anthropology
specialisation track. Optional for other students.
Level of course: Postgraduate
Year of study: First
Semester: First
November 20 to December 5 from 9.30 a.m. to 11.30 a.m.. Final exam: June 19
and 20 from 9.30 a.m. to 2.00 p.m., which is also the deadline for submitting the
course project (one per module).
Language of instruction: Spanish
Lecturers
Supervising lecturer
Name: Maria Antonia Carbonero
Contact: macarbonero@uib.es
Other lecturers
Name: Alejandro Miquel Novajra
Contact: a.miquel@uib.es
Prerequisites
Number of ECTS credits
Number of classroom hours: 20 on-campus classroom hours. 10 virtual
classroom hours.
Independent study hours: 95
Description
Study of family structures and kinship, with a special focus on complex societies
Course competences
Specific
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Understand, analyse, relate and express information
Learn and research autonomously
Adequately handle concepts and terms related to the analysis of kinship and
family relationships
Develop presentation skills for acquired knowledge
Know and use the most relevant bibliography on family studies
Understand current controversies in studies on the family and its
transformation
Generic
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Think creatively and with initiative
Develop the capacity to maintain knowledge up to date
Enhance knowledge of bibliographic sources and other available resources
Operate with quantitative and qualitative research data
Draft publishable academic papers
Draft and present papers
Course contents
1. Introduction. Review of the concepts of family and kinship from the standpoint
of transformations in complex societies.
2. The transformation of the modern-day family. The second family transition.
3. Theories on modernity and the decline of the family as an institution
4. New forms of family and marriage. Homogamy and heterogamy in urban
families. New forms of marriage, co-habitation and residence.
5. Pluri-parenting: co-parental families, adoptive families, the family and assisted
procreation, homosexuality and homosexual kinship.
6. Sexual division of work and family. A critique from the standpoint of gender.
7. Changes in family values and representations.
Methodology and student workload
Subject-related
competences
Handle concepts and
terms related to the
analysis of kinship and
family relationships
Understand current
controversies in studies
on the family and its
transformation
Know and use the most
relevant bibliography in
family studies
Operate with quantitative
and qualitative research
data
Handle research tools
Write and present a
research paper
Teaching method
Type of group
Lecture classes.
Assigned reading
and classroom
presentations
Independent
reading and
whole group
presentations
Lecture classes.
Classroom
discussion of
assigned articles or
chapters
Consultation of
journal content
(hard copies or
online) and
exchange of ideas
Analysis of
statistical data
sources and
methods of
qualitative analysis
Presentation of
proposals for
research on the
family
Lecture classes,
independent work
and individual
Whole group
Independent
reading and
whole group
presentations
Group lecture
classes and
tutorial review
Student hours
Teaching staff
hours
30 hours
15 hours
30 hours
15 hours
15 hours
5 hours
15 hours
5 hours
10 hours
5 hours
25 hours
5 hours
Groups of 2 or
3
Group lecture
classes and
tutorial review
tutorials on writing
papers
Assessment instruments, criteria and learning agreement
Assessment criteria
 Grasp of theoretical approaches in current issues in family relationships and
kinship and their transformation
 Assimilation of theoretical knowledge of course material
 Understanding and applying skills for using certain instruments and
techniques employed in anthropological research
 Research papers written according to standard criteria
Assessment instruments
 One project per module
 A multiple choice exam
Grading criteria
 Each of the assessment instruments is 50% of the grade
Assessment based on a learning agreement: No
Independent study material and recommended reading
Virtual lessons posted on the Extended Campus Moodle tool.
The following is the recommended reading list:
Bourdieu, P. (1997): “El espíritu de la familia”, in Razones Prácticas. Sobre la
teoría de la acción. Barcelona: Anagrama.
Bourdieu, P. (1991): “Los usos sociales del parentesco”, in El sentido práctico.
Madrid: Taurus.
Comas d’Argemir, D. (2000): “Mujeres, familia y Estado del bienestar” in del Valle,
T. (ed.) Perspectivas feministas desde la antropología. Barcelona: Ariel.
González Echevarría, A. (1995): “Hacia una antropología de la procreación”,
Familia y sociedad, num. 3. pp. 95-110.
Bibliography, resources and annexes
Beck, U. (comp.) (2002): Hijos de la libertad. Mexico: Fondo de Cultura
Económica.
Beck-Gersheim, E. (2003): La reinvención de la familia. Barcelona, Paidós.
Bestard, J. (1998): Parentesco y modernidad. Barcelona: Paidós.
Bestard, J. (2203) et. al.: Parentesco y reproducción asistida: cuerpo, persona y
relaciones. Barcelona. Publicaciones de la Universidad de Barcelona.
Blossfeld, H. P. and Drobnic, S. (2001): Careers of Couples in Contemporary
societies, from Male Breadwinner to dual Earner Families. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Bourdieu, P. (1991): “Los usos sociales del parentesco”, in El sentido práctico.
Madrid: Taurus.
Bourdieu, P. (1997): “El espíritu de la familia”, in Razones Prácticas. Sobre la
teoría de la acción. Barcelona: Anagrama.
Wolf, E. R. (1980): “Relaciones de parentesco, de amistad y patronazgo en las
sociedades complejas” in Banton, M. comp., Antropología social de las
sociedades complejas. Madrid: Alianza editorial.
Brullet, Cr. (1996): “Prácticas de crianza e identidades parentales” in C. Brullet y P.
Carrasquer (comp.) Sociología de las relaciones de género. Madrid: Instituto
de la mujer.
Caddret, A. (2003): Padres como los demás. Madrid: editorial Gedisa.
Comas d’Argemir, D. (1995): Trabajo, género y cultura. La construcción de las
desigualdades entre hombres y mujeres. Barcelona, Icaria/Institut Català
d’Antropología
Comas d’Argemir, D. (2000): “Mujeres, familia y Estado del bienestar” in del Valle,
T. (ed.) Perspectivas feministas desde la antropología. Barcelona: Ariel.
Contreras, J. (1991): “Los groups domésticos: estrategias de producción y
reproducción”, in VV. AA. Antropología de los pueblos de España. Madrid:
Taurus.
Crompton, R. (2006): Employment and the family. The reconfiguration of work and
family life in contemporary societies. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press.
Esping-Andersen, G. (2000): Fundamentos
postindustriales. Barcelona: Ariel.
sociales
de
las
economías
Flaquer, Ll. (1998): El destino de la familia. Barcelona: Ariel.
Frigolé, X. (1996): “Antropología y transformaciones de la familia” in J. Prat y A.
Martínez (eds.), Ensayos de Antropología Cultural. Barcelona: Ariel.
Giddens, A. (1995): La transformación de la intimidad. Sexualidad, amor y
erotismo en las sociedades modernas. Madrid: Cátedra.
González Echevarría, A. (1995): “Hacia una antropología de la procreación”,
Familia y sociedad, num. 3. pp. 95-110.
González Echevarría, A. (1995): Teorías del parentesco. Nuevas aproximaciones.
Barcelona: Edudemia/Antropología-Horizontes.
Goody, J. (2001): La familia europea. Ensayo histórico-antropológico. Barcelona:
Crítica.
Harris, O. and Young, K. (comp.) (1979): Antropología y feminismo. Barcelona:
Anagrama.
Hutton, W. and Giddens, A. (eds.) (2000): On the edge: living with global
capitalism. London: Jonathan Cape.
Kaufmann, Fr.-X. et. al. (2002): Family Life and Family Policies in Europe,
volume 2. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Schweitzer, P. (2000): Dividends of kinship. Meanings and uses of social
relatedness. London and New York: Routledge
Segalen, M. (1992): Antropología histórica de la familia. Madrid: Taurus.
Stone, L. (2000): Kinship and Gender, An introduction. Colarado: Westview Press.
Walby, S. (1986): Patriarchy at Work. Patriarchal and Capitalist Relations in
Employment. Cambridge:Policy.
Wolf, E. R. (1980): “Relaciones de parentesco, de amistad y patronazgo en las
sociedades complejas” in Banton, M. comp., Antropología social de las
sociedades complejas. Madrid: Alianza editorial.
Link to the course teaching guide