ANT 2351
Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
Section 42788
Fall 2002
TTH 10:35-11:50
Instructor: Michael Pool
Office Hours:
· Riverside Annex 400
o 223-6039, 6041
o MWF 11:00-12:00
· Pinnacle 413
o 223-8105
o TTH 10:00-10:30 and 12:00-1:00
Home: 280-7654 (Do Not call after 10:00 pm)
E-mail: mpool@austincc.edu
Anthropology Web Page: http://www.austincc.edu/pool/
Syllabus
Classes start Aug. 26
Anthropology and Culture
Aug. 29
· Cultural Anthropology: Preface, Putting the World in Perspective, Introduction Part I, and Chapter 1
· Study Guide: Lesson 1
· Video 1: The Nature of Anthropology
Sept. 2 Labor Day
Sept. 3
· Cultural Anthropology: Chapter 2
· Study Guide: Lessons 2
Background Notes: 2A-C
· Study Guide: Lesson 3
Background Notes: 3A-C
Sept. 5
· Video 2: The Nature of Culture
· Video 3: How Cultures are Studied
Language
Sept. 10
· Cultural Anthropology: Introduction Part II and Chapter 4
· Study Guide: Lesson 4
· Video 4: Language and Communications
Psychological Anthropology
Sept. 12
· Cultural Anthropology: Chapter 5
· Study Guide: Lessons 5 & 6
Background Notes:5 A
Background Notes: 6A
· Video 6: Alejandro Mamani: A Case Study in Psychological Anthropology
Recommended: Video 5: Psychological Anthropology
Test 1 Sept. 19 (Chapters 1-5)
Study Guide Due (Lessons 1-6)
Subsistence Strategies
Sept. 24
· Cultural Anthropology: Chapter 6
· Study Guide: Lessons 7
Background Notes: 7A-B
· Study Guide: Lesson 8
Background Notes 8A-C
Sept. 26
· Video 7: Patterns of Subsistence: Food Foragers and Pastoralists
· Video 8: Patterns of Subsistence: The Food Producers
Economic Anthropology
Oct. 1
· Cultural Anthropology: Introduction Part III and Chapter 7
· Study Guide: Lessons 9
· Study Guide: Lessons 10 Background Notes: 10A
Background Notes: 10A
Oct. 3
· Video 9: Economic Anthropology
· Video 10: The Highland Maya: A Case Study in Economic Anthropology
Social Organization
Oct. 8
· Cultural Anthropology: Chapter 8
· Study Guide: Lesson 11
· Video 11: Sex and Marriage
Oct. 10
· Cultural Anthropology: Chapters 9
· Study Guide: Lessons 12 & 13
Background Notes: 13A-B
· Video 13: The Yucatec Maya: A Case Study in Marriage and the Family
Recommended: Video 12: Family and Household
Oct. 15
· Cultural Anthropology: Chapter 10
· Study Guide: Lessons 14 & 15
Oct. 17
· Video 14: Kinship and Descent, Part I
· Video 15: Kinship and Descent, Part II
Oct. 22
· Cultural Anthropology: Introduction Part IV and Chapter 11
· Study Guide: Lessons 16 & 17
Background Notes: 17A
Oct. 24
· Video 16: Age, Common Interest, and Stratification
· Video 17: The Aymara: A Case Study in Social Stratification
Test 2 Oct. 31 (Chapters 6-11)
Study Guide Due (Lessons 7-17)
Political Organization
Nov. 5
· Cultural Anthropology: Chapter 12
· Study Guide: Lessons 18 & 19
Nov. 7
· Video 18: Political Organization
· Video 19: Social Control
Religion
Nov. 12
· Cultural Anthropology: Chapter 13
· Study Guide: Lessons 20 & 21
Background Notes: 21A & 23A
Nov. 14
· Video 20: Religion & Magic
· Video 21: The Asmat of New Guinea: A Case Study in Religion and Magic
Arts
Nov. 19
· Cultural Anthropology: Chapter 14
· Study Guide: Lessons 22 & 23
Background Notes: 23A
Nov. 21
· Video 22:The Arts
· Video 23: New Orleans Black Indians: A Case Study in the Arts
Nov. 21 Last Day to Withdraw
Culture Change
Nov. 26
· Cultural Anthropology: Chapter 15
· Study Guide: Lessons 24 & 25
Background Notes: 25A
Nov. 28-Dec. 1 Thanksgiving Holidays
Dec. 3
· Video 24: Cultural Change
· Video 25: Cricket the Trobriand Way: A Case Study in Culture Change
Dec. 5
· Cultural Anthropology: Chapter 16
· Study Guide: Lesson 26
· Video 26: The Future of Humanity
Dec. 5 Extracredit Book Report Deadline
Test 3 Dec. 12 (Chapters 12-16)
Study Guide Due (Lessons 18-26)
Texts
William A. Haviland (2002) Cultural Anthropology, Tenth Edition. Wadsworth Publishers. ISBN 0534612016.
Richard T. Searles and Valerie L. Lee (2002) Study Guide for the Telecourse: Faces of Culture, Eighth Edition. Wadsworth Publishing. ISBN 0-155-06204-2.
Course Description
This course is an examination of the field of cultural anthropology and its key concepts, and terminology. Related material from physical anthropology, archaeology, and linguistics will also be presented. The text and the video series we will use in this class use the theme of human adaptation to environmental circumstances as a common thread uniting the apparently disparate areas of the field.
Course Objectives
1. Understand and appreciate the concept of culture, from the perspective of anthropologists, as the adaptive mechanism that provides for the survival of the human species.
2. Recognize underlying similarities as well as the wide range and variability of human cultures.
3. Recognize and appreciate that there are a number of valid "cultural solutions" to living on earth.
4. Understand the relationship between culture and the individual.
5. Understand the factors involved in culture change.
6. Gain a broad cross-cultural background against which to view your own culture as well as contemporary social problems.
7. Know the meanings of basic concepts and terms used by cultural anthropologists.
8. Understand some of the procedures used by anthropologists in studying cultures.
Grading
Tests (200 points total): There are three tests. Each test will be objective, consisting of 50 multiple-choice questions. The lower of the first two tests will be dropped. If you miss one of the first two tests, that one will count as the dropped test. You are required to provide a scantron sheet (available at the Campus Store) and a #2 pencil for each test.
Study Guide (100 points): Complete the Vocabulary Check, Completion, and Self-Test sections of the study guide. Complete the lessons for any videos not viewed in class. As a study aid, look at the short-answer essay questions and consider how to answer them; then look at the answer key following them. Hand the Study Guide on the day of each exam. Used study guides require instructor permission.
Participation (100 points): This part of your grade is based on your attendance and participation in class discussion. This will consist of three parts: attendance (60 points), chapter summaries (20 points), and class discussion (20 points).
Attendance (60 points) will be taken from Sept. 3 through Dec. 5. You will receive the following points based on absences:
|
Absences |
Points |
Absences |
Points |
|
1 |
57.8 |
8 |
42.2 |
|
2 |
55.6 |
9 |
40.0 |
|
3 |
53.3 |
10 |
37.8 |
|
4 |
51.1 |
11 |
35.6 |
|
5 |
48.9 |
12 |
33.3 |
|
6 |
46.7 |
13 |
31.1 |
|
7 |
44.4 |
14 |
28.9 |
For the chapter summaries (20 points), write a one-page (minimum 275 words) summary of the chapter. I will accept the chapter summaries late until the test over that material. Each summary is worth 1.33 points. Do not do Chapter 3.
Class discussion is worth up to 20 points. This means consistently asking questions, answering questions, and discussing the material. At the end of the semester (Dec. 6), the class will evaluate itself as a whole on how many points each individual should receive. Not everyone can get the same grade. I reserve the right to increase anyone’s grade but not to decrease it.
Policies
1. One point will be deducted from your grade for each calendar day an assignment is late after its due date. Points will be deducted until a maximum grade of 70 can be earned; points will not be deducted below a grade of 70. After Dec. 11, a score of zero will be recorded.
2. The Study Guide may handed in either by giving it to me in class or during my office hours, placing it in my mail box after getting a date stamp from the receptionist, or by routing it to me from any campus through the ACC mail system after getting a date stamp from the receptionist to Michael Pool at the Riverside Campus.
3. It is not my policy to drop students; it is the student's responsibility to drop the class.
4. Students are responsible for informing me when they show up for class after roll is called.
5. Incompletes are discouraged and will only be given for extenuating circumstances. Time conflicts and poor time management are not acceptable reasons; ACC has a very liberal drop policy you can use in these circumstances.
6. In cases of scholastic dishonesty (cheating) and after meeting with the student or notifying the student of the reasons for believing scholastic dishonesty occurred, a grade of 0 will be recorded for any work determined by the instructor to result from an act of scholastic dishonesty. The Dean of Student Services will be notified of the incident and the academic penalty and will determine if any further disciplinary penalty will be assessed. The student can accept the penalty or dispute in writing to the Dean, within five (5) College class days (excluding weekends) of the student's receipt of written notice of the academic penalty assessed, either the facts of the offense or the academic penalty assessed. The student is referred to the ACC Student Handbook for further details.
Extracredit
Internet Quizzes (5 points): You will receive 1/3 point added to your final grade for completing each of the chapter quizzes at the publisher’s web site (http://www.wadsworth.com/anthropology_d/). Click on Student Resources in the far left column and then click on the icon for Cultural Anthropology by Haviland. This brings up a new window. Pick the chapter in the drop down box menu and then click on Tutorial Quiz. Take the quiz for each chapter and bring me a print out of your completed results. You can receive this extracredit up to the date of the test covering that chapter.
There are also links to other resources you may wish to explore.
Book Review
You will receive up to 15 points added to your final grade for writing a 5-page review of an ethnography that you select and I approve. An A on the review will get 15 points, a B 10 points, and a C 5 points. You will be guarantied at least a C if you meet the following guidelines:
· typed, double-spaced with one inch margins, no more than 12 point type
· a minimum of 5 pages (not 4 1/2).
· received by the due date and not later
· an ethnography of a specific group of people anywhere in the world, but no collections of papers
· instructor approval of the book
Any of the cases studies listed on the back cover of the textbook do not require prior approval. You can get more information on these case studies at the publisher’s web site (http://www.wadsworth.com/anthropology_d/) by clicking on the Case Studies link in the far left column and then clicking on the Anthropology Case Studies link.