ANTHRO 756 : Anthropology and Intellectual Property
Arts
2025 Semester Two (1255) (15 POINTS)
Course Prescription
Course Overview
heritage, the protection of biodiversity, artificial intelligence, and the development and patenting of new crops and new drugs, all involve, in one way or another, questions of intellectual property.
relationships between persons and objects. They have also questioned ideas about creativity which are central to legal definitions of intellectual property, and they have documented the effects of increasingly globalised intellectual property regimes (such as
the Paris and Berne Conventions and the more recent World Trade Organization Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property) on local, and often disempowered, communities.
This course will consider anthropological work on property in general and will deal with aspects of intellectual property such as culturally-specific concepts of ownership, ideas of the commons and the public domain, the objectification and appropriation of indigenous heritage, and effects of the internet and global flows of information on persons, privacy and the ownership of ideas. It will end with a consideration of arguments against intellectual property and ideas about alternatives to intellectual property.
Capabilities Developed in this Course
| Capability 1: | People and Place |
| Capability 2: | Sustainability |
| Capability 3: | Knowledge and Practice |
| Capability 4: | Critical Thinking |
| Capability 5: | Solution Seeking |
| Capability 6: | Communication |
| Capability 7: | Collaboration |
| Capability 8: | Ethics and Professionalism |
Learning Outcomes
- Understand anthropological approaches to property in general and to intellectual property in particular. (Capability 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6)
- Understand how personhood is relevant to conceptualisations of property and intellectual property. (Capability 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6)
- Understand how anthropological theorising about the various relationships between persons and things is relevant to contemporary debates concerning intellectual property. (Capability 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6)
- Understand why intellectual property has become a particularly salient discourse in the last 30 years. (Capability 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6)
- Understand how intellectual property claims are being used for cultural, political, and economic purposes. (Capability 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6)
- Demonstrate reading, writing, and discussion skills at a level appropriate for postgraduate students. (Capability 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8)
Assessments
| Assessment Type | Percentage | Classification |
|---|---|---|
| Seminar Participation | 10% | Individual Coursework |
| Seminar Presentation | 10% | Individual Coursework |
| Reading Precis | 15% | Individual Coursework |
| Essay Proposal | 15% | Individual Coursework |
| Essay | 50% | Individual Coursework |
| 5 types | 100% |
Workload Expectations
This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.
For this course, you can expect 2 hours of seminar, 4 hours of reading and thinking about the content, and 4 hours of work on assignments and/or test preparation per week.
Delivery Mode
Campus Experience
Attendance is required at scheduled activities including seminars to complete components of the course.
Learning activities such as seminars will not be available as recordings.
The course will not include live online events.
The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.
This course is not available for delivery to students studying remotely outside Aotearoa New Zealand in 2025.
Learning Resources
Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).
Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.
Student Feedback
At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.
Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.
Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.
Academic Integrity
The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework, tests and examinations as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review.
Class Representatives
Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.
Inclusive Learning
All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.
Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz
Well-being always comes first
We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - for more information, look at this Canvas page https://canvas.auckland.ac.nz/courses/33894, which has links to various support services in the University and the wider community.
Special Circumstances
If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.
If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.
This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.
Learning Continuity
In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.
Student Charter and Responsibilities
The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.
Disclaimer
Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.
In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.