Anth 2 syllabus

ANTH 2: CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
(A Critical Writing Course)

ANTH 2: INTRODUCTION TO CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
     (A Critical Writing Course)

Dr. Heather Claussen, Instructor
Sections 57788 (9:30 a.m.-11:00 a.m.) and 57792 (12:40 p.m.-2:10 p.m.), Room 401

Office Hours:
ON CAMPUS: M 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Room 429C, M/W 2:00-2:20 Room 401
ONLINE: W 11:10 a.m.-12:10 p.m., AND BY APPOINTMENT

Office Voice Mail: 477-5201 x 1601
Home Phone: 475-2289
     (please limit calls to the hours between 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.,
          and 4:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m.)

E-mail: hlclaussen@yahoo.com
     (please clearly identify yourself as a student if you e-mail…thanks!)
WWW: http://www.cabrillo.edu/~hclaussen/courses.html

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"...my Aunt Rebeca asks, 'Rutie, pero dime, what is anthropology?' While I hesitate, she confidently exclaims, 'The study of people? And their customs, right?'
Right. People and their customs. Exactly. Así de fácil. Can't refute that. Somehow, out of that legacy, born of the European colonial impulse to know others in order to lambast them, better manage them, or exalt them, anthropologists have made a vast intellectual cornucopia. At the anthropological table, to which another leaf is always being added, there is room for studies of Greek death laments, the fate of socialist ideals in Hungary and Nicaragua, Haitian voodoo in Brooklyn, the market for Balinese art, the abortion debate among women in West Fargo, North Dakota, the reading groups of Mayan intellectuals, the proverbs of a Hindi guru, the Bedouin sense of honor, the jokes Native Americans tell about the white man, the plight of Chicana cannery workers, the utopia of Walt Disney, and even, I hope, the story of my family's car accident on the Belt Parkway shortly after our arrival in the United States from Cuba...
Anthropology, to give my Aunt Rebeca a grandiose reply, is the most fascinating, bizarre, disturbing, and necessary form of witnessing left to us at the end of the twentieth century..."
(Behar 1996: 4-5)

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Cultural Anthropology is the study of cultural diversity across space and time. In this course, we will explore the manifold and often highly contrastive ways in which humans in different societies have dealt with, and made sense of, diverse life situations. Moreover, we will ultimately turn the lens back on ourselves, deconstructing assumptions about 'normalcy' in order to better understand and appreciate cultural differences and human commonalities not only outside but also within our own society.

You will be expected to evidence critical, creative, thinking about the course subject matter via assigned participatory exercises/discussion questions, assigned writing exercises, and course exams.

Successful engagement with class materials should:

*enhance critical thinking skills
*sharpen critical reading skills
*hone critical writing and communication skills
*enhance global awareness
*facilitate productive participation in cross-cultural dialogue

Required Texts:

Our required texts can be purchased online (try comparison sites like pricegrabber.com for good prices), or purchased at the Cabrillo bookstore. The required texts for the course are:

Annual Editions Anthropology 08/09 book cover

Angeloni, Elvio, ed. 2008. Anthropology 08/09;
Annual Editions. 31st ed.
Guilford: McGraw-Hill/Dushkin. (AE)

Thomas, Elizabeth Marshall. 2006.
The Old Way: A Story of the First People.
New York: Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux
(Thomas)

Ward, Martha C. 2005. Nest in the Wind: Adventures in Anthropology
on a Tropical Island. Second Edition.
Prospect Heights: Waveland Press. (Ward)

*additional required readings, as listed on the syllabus, will be available as pdf or other online files, and/or will be distributed in class.

Recommended Reading:

Lavenda, Robert H. and Emily A. Schultz. 2003. Core Concepts
in Cultural Anthropology. 2nd ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill.
ON RESERVE IN THE LIBRARY

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES

Class Participation/Attendance:

I expect student participation in class discussions, and I encourage everyone to freely ask questions, provide feedback, and otherwise contribute to our in-class coursework. I also expect students to attend all lectures on time, having completed required readings before coming to class. Attendance, effort, and participation will account for 40 points. More than 2 absences will result in point loss, as will excessive and recurrent tardiness. I will hold you responsible for all course material, including course videos (most of which are not in the library, and must be viewed in class)--so get good notes from other students (NOT me) if you miss class!

Coursework:
You will be responsible for:
*a kinship diagram (60 points); details to be discussed later
*a final project, including a proposal (25 points), the project itself (150
points), and a presentation (25 points)
*participatory exercises (100 points total)
*a midterm (100 points)
*a final exam (100 points)

If you cannot get an assignment in on time due to exceptional circumstances, you MUST clear this with me BEFORE the due date. Every late assignment will be docked 5 POINTS PER CLASS PERIOD LATE, and I will not accept assignments more than two weeks past their due date except under special circumstances.

Grading:
Class Participation 40
Participatory Exercises                                              100
Kin Diagram                                                              60
Midterm                                                                         100
Final Project Proposal                  25
Final Project                                                                     150
Final Project Presentation                                                    25
Final Exam                                                                       100
Point Total                                                                        600

540-600 (90-100%) = A
480-539 (80-89%)    = B
420-479 (70-79%)    = C
360-419 (60-69%)    = D
0-359 (0-59%)          = F

OR CR/NC: see me

Academic Honesty:

Students are expected to exercise academic honesty and integrity. All sources used must be properly documented. Cheating or plagiarism will result in disciplinary action, possibly including recommendation for dismissal.

Special Accommodations:

Many of you may need special accommodations, whether due to disabilities, language difficulties, or other conditions. I am very willing to work with you in order to help create a more positive learning experience. However, I do need some advance notice in order to accommodate students with special needs; if you have special needs, please inform me of your situation within the first two weeks of class.

COURSE SCHEDULE
(subject to revision as necessary during the course of the semester)

9/3: ANTHROPOLOGY, CULTURE, AND ETHNOGRAPHY
*film: “A World of Difference: Understanding Cross Cultural Communication”

9/8: ANTHROPOLOGY, CULTURE, AND ETHNOGRAPHY
*Ward, Introduction, Chapter 1
*”Body Ritual Among the Nacirema” (AE 154)
*” Death Without Weeping” (AE 95)

9/10: ANTHROPOLOGY, CULTURE, AND ETHNOGRAPHY
*Ward, Chapter 2
*”What About ‘Female Genital Mutilation’?” (pdf/handout)
*”Eating Christmas in the Kalahari” (AE 12)

9/15: ANTHROPOLOGY, CULTURE, AND ETHNOGRAPHY
*Ward, Chapters 3-4
*”Doing Fieldwork Among the Yanomamo” (pdf/handout)

9/17: GROWING PAINS
*Ward, Chapter 5
*FINAL PROJECT TOPIC PROPOSALS DUE

9/22: GROWING PAINS
*Ward, Chapters 6-7
*"The Initiation of a Maasai Warrior" (pdf/handout)
*"Where Fat is a Mark of Beauty" (AE 124)
*film: “Guardians of the Flutes"

9/24: MEN, WOMEN, AND OTHER OPTIONS
*Ward, Chapter 8
*”The Berdache Tradition” (AE 120)
*film: Sworn Virgins of Albania

9/29: MEN, WOMEN, AND OTHER OPTIONS
*Ward, Chapters 9-11

10/1: SEXUALITY AND MARRIAGE
*”Arranging a Marriage in India” (AE 105)
*film: “Saheri’s Choice”

10/6: SEXUALITY AND MARRIAGE
*”When Brothers Share a Wife” (AE 92)

10/8: FAMILY MATTERS: KIN AND HOUSEHOLD
*”How Many Fathers Are Best for a Child?” (pdf/handout)
*KIN DIAGRAM ASSIGNMENT WORK

10/13: FAMILY MATTERS: KIN AND HOUSEHOLD
*KIN DIAGRAM ASSIGNMENTS DUE

10/15: NOT JUST LIP SERVICE
*Thomas, Chapters 1-2
*”Shakespeare in the Bush” (AE 61)
*”Fighting For Our Lives”(AE 42)

10/20: NOT JUST LIP SERVICE
*Thomas, Chapters 3-4
*”Do You Speak American?” (AE 36)
* film: clips from “American Tongues”

10/22: MIDTERM (we will vote on the format—take home or in-class)

10/27: YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT?
*Thomas, Chapters 5-6
*”Understanding Eskimo Science” (AE 68)
*film: “N!ai: the Story of A !Kung Woman”

10/29: YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT?
*Thomas, Chapters 7-9
*”Meeting the Maasai” (AE 75)
*“The Battle for Cattle” (AE 201)

11/3: EXCHANGE SYSTEMS, POLITICS, AND SOCIAL STRATIFICATION
*Thomas, Chapters 10-11
*”Too Many Bananas, Not Enough Pineapples...” (AE 84)
*Exchange Game

11/5: EXCHANGE SYSTEMS, POLITICS, AND SOCIAL STRATIFICATION
*Thomas, Chapters 12-13
*film: “Ongka’s Big Moka”

11/10: EXCHANGE SYSTEMS, POLITICS, AND SOCIAL STRATIFICATION
*Thomas, Chapters 14-15
*”Serving in Florida” (handout)

11/12: RACE AND ETHNICITY
*“Mixed Blood” (handout)
*census data (to be handed out in class)
*film: “Uneasy Neighbors”

11/17: RACE AND ETHNICITY
*Thomas, Chapter 16
*”White Privilege” (in class)
*film: “White Shamans, Plastic Medicine Men”

11/19: BELIEF SYSTEMS, RITUAL, MAGIC, AND RELIGION
*Thomas, Chapter 17
*film: “Bali: Mask of Rangda”
*FINAL PROJECTS DUE

11/24: BELIEF SYSTEMS, RITUAL, MAGIC, AND RELIGION
*Thomas, Chapter 18
*”The Adaptive Value of Religious Ritual” (AE 140)
*"Baseball Magic" (AE 157 )

11/26: BELIEF SYSTEMS, RITUAL, MAGIC, AND RELIGION
*Thomas, Chapter 19
*”The Secrets of Haiti’s Living Dead” (AE 150)
*”Eyes of the Ngangas” (AE 128)
*film, TBA, as time allows

12/1: CULTURE CHANGE, COLONIALISM, AND GLOBALIZATION
*Thomas, Chapter 20
*”One Hundred Percent American” (AE 26)
*”The Arrow of Disease” (AE 170)
*film: “Cricket in the Trobriands”

12/3: CULTURE CHANGE, COLONIALISM, AND GLOBALIZATION
*”Why Can’t People Feed Themselves?” (AE 165)
*”The Price of Progress” (AE 177)
*film: "Coffee Break"

12/8: CULTURE CHANGE, COLONIALISM, AND GLOBALIZATION
*”What Native Peoples Deserve” (AE 215)
*film: "The Hidden Face of Globalization"

12/10: FINAL EXAM (we will vote on the format—take home or in-class)

12/15: CLASS PRESENTATIONS:
7:00 a.m.-9:50 a.m. (9:30-11:00 class)
10:00 a.m.-12:50 p.m. (12:40-2:00 class)

HAVE A GREAT WINTER BREAK