TENTATIVE SYLLABUS

 

 

Introduction to Cultural Anthropology

xxxxx

 

 

Instructor:       Mary H. Chipley, Ph.D.

Class Hours:    

Office Hours:                                                          

 

Mobile phone:      413-4868                                 

Messages:            I check voice mail messages throughout the day  

E-mail:                  drchipley@gmail.com:  I check e-mail about once a day.

                              use this subject line:  CA xxxxx (I will NOT open emails that do NOT contain the correct subject line)

Webpage:             austincc.edu/mchipley           

 

Course Description:

Cultural Anthropology introduces your to a holistic study of culture.  The major elements of human social behavior, material culture, and cultural diversity are studied as adaptations to social and environmental change – past and present.

 

Course Rational:

Introduction to Cultural Anthropology is designed to provide students with an understanding of the interaction of culture and biology as it bears on the evolution of hominid and cultural diversity.  This course will allow students to apply general anthropological knowledge and skills to everyday life and their chosen careers, to apply the course towards an associate degree at Austin Community College, and to prepare them for success in upper division courses in anthropology at other institutions.

 

Course Objective:

This is a survey course in which you will learn what Anthropology is and how anthropologists do what they do.  The concept of culture, which provides the lens through which anthropologists conduct their research, will provide the focus for the course.  You will learn how people throughout the world live and will be introduced to the diversity of culture.  Many aspects of life, from marriage and family structure to language and human growth, and from religion and the arts to politics and economy will be covered.  You will also learn how other people, living within particular social and ecological environments, organize their daily lives and will compare this to your own life to develop a better understanding both of others and of ourselves.  The course is intended to help you to discover and pursue your own areas of interest.

 

Course Goals: 

Students who complete this course will:

•     be able to describe what anthropology and cultural anthropology are

•     have gained a broad cross-cultural background against which to view our culture as well as contemporary social problems

•     be able to recognize similarities and differences in human cultures

•     be aware that there are various valid cultural solutions to the problems of life

•     be able to understand the factors involved in culture change

•     be able to understand some of the methods, theories, and procedures anthropologists use in studying cultures

 

Required Texts:

Spradley & McCurdy:  Conformity and Conflict (12th Edition) [ISBN:  0205449700]

 

Recommend Texts (for majors and those who want a more intensive learning experience): 

Ferraro, Gary:  Cultural Anthropology:  An Applied Perspective  (7th Edition) [ISBN: 0495100080]

companion website:  http://www.wadsworth.com/cgi-wadsworth/course_products_wp.pl?fid=M20b&flag=student&product_isbn_issn=9780495100089&discipline_number=15

NOTE:  This is a new edition.  You would also find the 5th or 6th edition to be adequate

 

Highly Recommended:  an email account.  If you do not have an email account, you can get a free one from google, hotmail, or yahoo.

 

Instructional Method:

Students learn more about cultural anthropology by engaging each other and the instructor in informed discussions than through any other method.  Therefore, while there will be some lecture, the majority of class time will be spent in guided discussions.  The discussions are based upon the assigned readings.  Consequently, it is imperative that students complete reading assignments before coming to class.  There will be four exams.  The exam questions will be taken directly from the Spradley and McCurdy readings and may include vocabulary from the provided vocabulary list. 

 

Because the class meets only once each week, the class will also participate in a discussion board on Blackboard.  Consequently, students will need to become comfortable using this tool.

 

Blackboard Contents:

ü      lecture notes (these are extensive – read on line)

ü      Course Requirements and Grading:

 

There are several options for grading this course:

 

•   class attendance

    (10% of grade)

this is not negotiable

…attend class, sign class roll (be on time).  The number of points available for each class period begins with 1 but increases as the semester progresses, so it becomes more expensive to skip aw the semester progresses.  Any day in which less than half of enrolled students attend counts double points.  If you cannot (NOT don’t want to) attend class, email instructor beforehand to get 1/2 credit for attendance.

…perfect attendance receives extra attendance points and will be given special consideration for any course grade on the line:  an 89 will be an A, etc.

•   article notes 

    (10% of grade)

… for each section introduction take notes on

Ø        key terms listed at back of each section introduction – write term and brief definition from text in your own words

Ø        a BRIEF paragraph summarizing key points

… for each article take notes on each question

Ø        bullet list notes for each question at the back of the article

Ø        include a comment, question, or concern that occurs to you from reading the article

… turn in a copy of hand written or typed notes for each assigned article and section introduction by the beginning of class on the day that the article is due.  You can bring a copy for me to class or turn the notes in by email.  Note that ACC’s computer can open .doc files.

… good idea:  keep a copy for yourself to use during class discussions.

… the total score for the article notes is 100%.  If you miss turning in your notes, your score will be reduced by the percentage of articles; if you take notes on only some of the questions, the score will be reduced by the total percentage of questions.

 

Option 1:  Maximum possible grade is B

 

•     3 exams OR 9 article essays         (80% of grade)

… 3 multiple choice exams.  The exam questions are taken from the text, from lecture notes and the occasional video shown in class.  The sources from the text include the questions at the end of each chapter and the vocabulary found in bold print.

… 9 of 11 essays covering the articles.  The essays will (1) address the questions in the back of the articles read, (2) be written in essay format:  introduction + body + conclusion, (3) be written from an anthropological perspective.  The “A” essay, which receives all 30 points, will

(1) introduce the article appropriately [3 pts],

(2) answer the questions of the article chosen as the primary focus correctly, concisely, and completely [10 pts],

(3) incorporate anthropological concepts from Spradley or Lecture Notes [3 pts],

(4) make comparisons and contrasts across articles [5 pts],

(5) include comparisons and contrasts to US culture [5 pts],

(6) note the extent to which the author has a right to speak on the subject because he is well informed [1 pt],

(7) indicate whether the author has approached the subject objectively of subjectively [1 pt],

(8) what the author left out – what else you would like to know [1 pt],

(9) whether you would recommend the article(s) and why [1 pt]. 

A fully explained grading rubric and rubric coversheets are on Blackboard. under Documents.

Option 2:  Maximum possible grade is A

 

•     3 exams OR 9 article essays         (40% of grade)

… 3 multiple choice exams.  The exam questions are taken from the text, from lecture notes and the occasional video shown in class.  The sources from the text include the questions at the end of each chapter and the vocabulary found in bold print.

… 9 of 11 essays covering the articles.  The essays will (1) address the questions in the back of the articles read, (2) be written in essay format:  introduction + body + conclusion, (3) be written from an anthropological perspective.  The “A” essay, which receives all 30 points, will

(1) introduce the article appropriately [3 pts],

(2) answer the questions of the article chosen as the primary focus correctly, concisely, and completely [10 pts],

(3) incorporate anthropological concepts from Spradley or Lecture Notes [3 pts],

(4) make comparisons and contrasts across articles [5 pts],

(5) include comparisons and contrasts to US culture [5 pts],

(6) note the extent to which the author has a right to speak on the subject because he is well informed [1 pt],

(7) indicate whether the author has approached the subject objectively of subjectively [1 pt],

(8) what the author left out – what else you would like to know [1 pt],

(9) whether you would recommend the article(s) and why [1 pt]. 

A fully explained grading rubric and rubric coversheets are on Blackboard. under Documents.

•   1 ethnography project               (40% of grade)

…this is a writing project in which you will develop knowledge about a culture and write a brief paper.

…you will receive an assignment packet that explains this project in detail.  In that packet you will find the grading rubric and a cover sheet for the project.

.…there is a choice of projects:

ü        Museum Ethnography:  this project consists of visiting a local museum of your choice, discovering an artifact that interests you and then using the artifact to pursue cultural knowledge about the people who produced it.  The project helps to develop observation skills and skills in taking field notes.  The museum packet, which is graded, guides you through the process of learning about the artifact.  The 4-7 page report includes a description of the artifact, its production, and use followed by an analysis of the object, its role in the culture, and how this object can help you to understand the culture that produced it.  In addition, you are asked to evaluate the museum for bias.

ü        Life History:  this project is an exercise in ethnographic writing that uses life history methods to conduct a field research project.  It consists of writing an ethnographic report based data collected through life-history interviews with an individual.  The report from this project is a  6-8 page paper which introduces and describes the individual, situates the individual’s remembered live events in his or her cultural heritage, and describes the historical events that were influential in the individual’s life and his or her perspective on them.  You must locate the individual to be interviewed and schedule appoints to interview.  The individual must be an adult; you must obtain the individual’s written consent to participate in an academic research project.  If tape recordings are used or photos are taken, the permission to use these must be explicitly granted in the required consent form.  Because of the ethical issues with live informant research the project plan, including the consent form, must be approved by the professor.

ü        Ethnography Report:  this 6-8 page ethnography report is to be written on a culture other than the one in which you grew-up.  It is a holistic view of a culture in which you describes how the people who live in the culture live out each anthropological domain such as marriage, belief system, political system, etc.  In addition, you use the vocabulary provided in the course text to define terms and evaluate whether the culture’s strategy supports that definition.  If you are unable to choose a culture, one of the Middle Eastern cultures will be assigned.

Grading Scale:  A = 90-100; B = 80-89; C = 70-79; D = 60-69; F = 59-0

 

 

Study Plan (schedule subject to change depending on instructional needs of class):

 

This is the approximate schedule of work.  The timing changes given whether the  course is taken in 16 weeks, 12 weeks, or the summer session.

 

 

WK of

READINGS - Read before coming to class

Source & Pages

1

09.01

Introduction to course – review Syllabus, assignments, and processes

What is Anthropology? (lecture)

The Concept of Culture (lecture)

 

 

Ferraro:  1-22

Ferraro:  23-44

2

09.08

Ø      Culture & Ethnography

Ø      “Ethnography and Culture”

Ø      “Eating Christmas in the Kalahari”

Faces of Culture Video:  “How Cultures are Studied”

Anthropological Methods & Theory (lecture)

Spradley:  1

Spradley:  7

Spradley:  15

 

Ferraro:  62-109

3

09.15

Ø      “Shakespeare in the Bush”

Ø      “Fieldwork on Prostitution in the Era of AIDS”

Ø      “Lessons from the Field”

Language (lecture)

Ø      Language and Communication

Ø      "The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis:  Worlds Shaped by Words”

Spradley:  23

Spradley:  33

Spradley:  46

Ferraro:  110-134

Spradley:  58

Spradley:  63

4

09.22

Ø      "How to Ask for a Drink" *

Ø      “Body Art as Visual Language”

Ø      “Conversation Style:  Talking on the Job”

Growing Up in a Culture (lecture)

Ø      “Teleconditioning and the Postmodern Classroom”

Spradley:  76…………

Spradley:  85

Spradley:  93

 

Spradley:  to be provided

5

09.29

Exam 1 (anthropology, culture, methods, language, enculturation)

Getting Food:  Food Collection (lecture)

Ø      Ecology and Subsistence

Ø      The Hunters:  Scarce Resources in the Kalahari

Ø      Forest Development the Indian Way (Cultivating the Forest)

 

Ferraro:  139-66

Spradley:  102

Spradley:  107

Spradley:  132

6

10.06

Ø      Adaptive Failure:  Easter's End

Ø      Domestication and the Evolution of Disease             

Economics (lecture)

Ø      Economic Systems

Ø      “Reciprocity and the Power of Giving”

Spradley:  122

Spradley:  to be provided

Ferraro:  167-93

Spradley:  142

Spradley:  147

7

10.13

Ø      “Cocaine and the Economic Deterioration of Bolivia”

Ø      “Office Work and the Crack Alternative" (Workaday World-Crack Economy)

Marriage & Family (lecture)

Ø      Kinship and Family                                                         

Spradley:  170…………

Spradley:  181          .

 

Ferraro:  194-220

Spradley:  178

8

10.20

Ø      “Mother’s Love:  Death without Weeping”

Ø      “Family and Kinship in Village India”

Ø      "Life without Fathers or Husbands" (Matrilineal Kinship:  Walking Marriage in China)

Ø      “Uterine Families and the Women's Community”

Ø      “Polyandry:  When Brothers Take a Wife”

Kinship and Descent (lecture)

Kinship and Descent:  In-class exercise on Six Basic Systems of Classification

Spradley:  183

Spradley:  193

Spradley:  201             .

Spradley:  210

Spradley:  to be provided

 

Ferraro:  221-45

9

10.27

Exam 2 (subsistence, economics, marriage & family, kinship & descent)

Political Organization (lecture)

Ø      Law and Politics

Ø      Life without Chiefs”

 

Ferraro:  273-86

 

Spradley:  260

Spradley:  284

10

11.03

Social Stratification (lecture)

Ø      Identity, Roles and Groups

Ø      "Mixed Blood”                                                                 

Ø      “Blood on the Steppes:  Ethnicity, Power, & Conflict”

Ø      “The Road to Refugee Resettlement" (New Americans:  The Road to Refugee Resettlement)

Ferraro:  302-27

Spradley:  218

Spradley:  249 ………

Spradley:  to be provided

Spradley:  345 ………

11

11.10

Sex and Gender (lecture)

Ø      “Symbolizing Roles:  Behind the Veil”                         

Ø      “Society and Sex Roles

Ø      "A Woman's Curse"

” Social Control (lecture)

Ø      “Cross-cultural Law:  The Case of the Gypsy Offender”

Ø      “Notes from an Expert Witness"

Ferraro:  246-71

Spradley:  223

Spradley:  231

Spradley:  240

Ferraro:  287-301

Spradley:  365             .

Spradley:  274

12

11.17

Supernatural Beliefs (lecture)

Ø      Religion, Magic, and Worldview

Ø      Taraka’s Ghost x

Ø      Baseball Magic

Ø      Run for the Wall:  An American Pilgrimage

Ø      Cargo Beliefs and Religious Experience

Ferraro:  328-57

Spradley:  294

Spradley:  299

Spradley:  306

Spradley:  316

Spradley:  330

13

11.24

Thanksgiving (no class this week)

14

12.01

The Arts – Sacred narratives, paleolithic art, world music (lecture and demonstration)

Culture Change (lecture)

Ø      “The Kayapo Resistance”

Ø      "Medical Anthropology:  Improving Nutrition in Malawi"

Ferraro:  358-82

 

Ferraro:  383-410

Spradley:  391

Spradley:  410

15

12.08

Globalization

Ø      Culture Change and Applied Anthropology

Ø      Men's Pleasure, Women's Labor:  Tourism for Sex

Ø      Japanese Hip-Hop and the Globalization of Popular Culture

Ethnography Project Due

Ferraro:  407

Spradley:  386

Spradley:  355

Spradley:  370

16

12.15

Exam 3 (political organization, groups, social control, supernatural beliefs, the arts, change)

 

 

 

 

Course Policies:

•     Scholastic Dishonesty:  Acts prohibited by the college for which discipline may be administered include scholastic dishonesty, including but not limited to cheating on an exam or quiz, plagiarizing, and unauthorized collaboration with another in preparing outside work.  Academic work submitted by students shall be the result of their thought, research, or self-expression.  Academic work is defined as, but not limited to tests, quizzes, whether taken electronically or on paper; projects, ether individual or group; classroom presentations, and homework.

•     Students with Disabilities:  Each ACC campus offers support services for students with documented physical or psychological disabilities.  Students with disabilities must request reasonable accommodations through the Office for Students with Disabilities on the campus where they expect to take the majority of their classes.  Students are encouraged to do this three weeks before the start of the semester.

•     Academic Freedom:  Each student is strongly encouraged to participate in class discussions.  In each classroom situation that includes discussion and critical thinking, there are bound to be many differing viewpoints.  Students may not only disagree with each other at times, but yours and instructor may also find that they have disparate views on sensitive and volatile topics.  It is my hope that these differences will enhance class discussion and create an atmosphere where students and instructor alike will be encouraged to think and learn.  Therefore, be assured that your grades will not be adversely affected by any beliefs or ideas expressed in class or in assignments.  Rather, we will all respect the views of others when expressed in classroom discussions.

 

Additional Practices:

1.      Turn beepers and phones OFF during class.  If your phone goes off, you MUST bring snack to class the following class day.

2.     Attendance is your decision and your responsibility.  However, you will lose participation points on your grade if you do not attend.  To be counted you must sign the sign-in sheet each class before I take it up – in other words, come to class on time. 

3.     Cultural anthropology can challenge student’s existing belief systems.  If you are having problems with the class material I will help you with your challenges and concerns.  Likewise, if you are having trouble completing the assignments, I can help you strategize.  Call or e-mail me and we will arrange a time in which we can meet if you cannot make my office hours.

4.     Finish by the end of the semester -- no incompletes will be given.

5.     Withdrawal is your responsibility.  If you consider dropping the course any time after the first exam, meet with me to discuss your progress before you decide to drop.  If you then decide to withdraw from the course, go to Campus Admissions and Records Office and complete the necessary paperwork.  Failure to drop the course will result in an “F” on your transcript.

6.     If you make less than a “B” (80) on any exam, you must make an appointment with me and discuss your progress.  We will review strategies to help improve your score.