CULTURAL
ANTHROPOLOGY
Syllabus ANTH
2351-001, Syn. 39078 lecture
SAC, rm 1204
Fall 2009,
Tue & Thur
Instructor:
Sherry Heiden, M.A., Ph.D.
Office
Hours: Tue & Thur
Office
phone (and cell phone): 922-8980
Turn in papers anytime: Mailroom, first floor rm
1141
Email: sheiden@austincc.edu
PLEASE add “SAC” to the subject line when you email me!
Home Phone:
Note:
You must have an ACC Student email address. This is the only email address I
will use to contact you. You must be able to access material in Blackboard: http://acconline.austincc.edu
Text: Cultural
Anthropology,
1st edition, by Nancy Bonvillain (ISBN 0-13-045545-8). Used copies should be available at the
Course catalog
description:
This course introduces the student 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 objectives: This course will
introduce the basic concepts of cultural anthropology, trace the discipline’s
development historically, and discuss anthropology’s basic theoretical
perspectives. Supported by a variety of
ethnographic videos and Internet resources, we will compare the ways different
cultures solve the problems of survival and organize themselves to thrive
socially, economically, and spiritually.
Students who complete this course will 1) have gained a broad
cross-cultural background against which to view our culture as well as
contemporary social problems, 2) be able to recognize similarities and
differences in human cultures, 3) have discovered there are various valid
cultural solutions to the problems of life, 4) be able to understand the
factors involved in culture change, and 5) be able to understand some of the
procedures used by anthropologists in studying cultures.
Course grading: Evaluation in this course
will be based on
4 tests @ 100 points each
Three Written Reviews: described below @ 30 points
each
plus 10 point cushion for timely
submission of papers and pro-rated attendance.
The
four tests are based on the text, lecture material, and videos shown in class. Each test is 50 multiple choice
questions. Make-up tests will not be
given unless you have contacted me prior
to the time of the in-class test. There
is an automatic 10 point penalty for missing the in-class test except for a
funeral or illnesses. There is no cumulative
final. Please bring a scantron sheet for
each test.
>
Written Reviews should be a minimum of
3 full typed pages (please 1½ space). Please turn in hard copies. Points will be taken off if paper is not 3
full pages. There are two types of reviews
possible: video reviews or chapter reviews of the book, Plan B, 3.0, by
Lester Brown. The first Written Review
submitted will be a chapter review from the book, Plan B, 3.0, by Lester
Brown, is available for free, chapter by chapter, online at www.earth-policy.org.
For
the second and third reviews there is some flexibility. You may choose to do one or two more chapter
reviews of Plan B, 3.0 or do one
or two Video Reviews. Either type of
Written Review should have the same format.
It should begin with an objective summary, in sequence, of the
significant points made by the chapter or video, followed by a final paragraph that is a
subjective critique, i.e. what you liked or did not like about the chapter or video
and why.
There
will be 5-6 videos shown in class. Other
video options that can be used for reviews include:
>
Any program from the streaming series: “Our Diverse World”, (16 half hour
programs). The link is:
http://irt.austincc.edu/streaming/telecourses/dw.html It is also shown on Public Access TV,
schedule will
be
posted in Blackboard. Copies of the
programs are also shelved in the Media Area of any ACC Library. Simply find the series on the shelves and
watch at the library.
> Any program from the
“Faces of Culture” (26 half hour programs) that is shelved in the Media
Area of any ACC Library. Both of these
series are excellent and watching the programs will improve your grade.
>ACC also has two other
excellent video series available in the Media Areas of certain ACC Libraries:
“The Power of Myth” series (six one hour programs) and “The Ring of Fire”
series (four one hour programs). You can
request that any media, just like any book, can be sent to the ACC Library of
your choice for you to view.
>I
will also bring other videos that you can check out from me and either use for
a review or simply watch for enjoyment. You
may also summarize these videos that you can rent (try Vulcan Video) and watch
at home: The Mission, Kundun, Gandhi, Bowling For Columbine, Genghis Blues, Where the Green Ants Dream, Luther, The
Devil’s Playground, Gorillas in the Mist, The Last Emperor, To Live, Supersize
Me, The Future of Food, An Inconvenient Truth, Who Killed the Electric Car, and
Crash.
> Attendance policy: Attendance
is critical to passing the course. I do
take roll. Please email me to explain
any absence. If you decide to withdraw,
it is your responsibility to do so before Monday,
Nov. 23rd. Please email me that you will be
withdrawing. Mysterious disappearances,
however face-saving, may result in an F.
I do not withdraw students, nor do I give incompletes unless you have
maintained a passing grade.
>New ruling on withdrawals: The Texas Legislature passed a bill, effective fall 2007, that limits incoming freshmen to six course withdrawals over their combined undergraduate years at all state colleges. This combines withdrawals at ACC and at other state colleges you may attend. Colleges are responsible for implementing and enforcing this restriction. Students may be penalized with higher tuition costs if they exceed this limit. So regardless if a withdrawal is done by the student or by the instructor, any withdrawal done after the 12th class day will be included in this six course limit. Any withdrawal done prior to the 12th class day will not be counted toward the limit of six. Here is a link to the relevant parts of this bill:
http://www.austincc.edu/SOCSCI/CoreCurriculum/WithdrawalLimitation.pdfFor many years ACC has encouraged withdrawing from a course late in the semester to protect your GPA (grade point average) if you plan to transfer to a 4 year college. This new ruling will bring ACC’s withdrawal date into line with other colleges.
>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 own thought, research or self-expression. Academic work is defined as, but no limited
to tests and quizzes, whether taken electronically or on paper; projects,
either 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.
CULTURAL
ANTHROPOLOGY
Syllabus
ANTH 2351-001, Syn. 39078 lecture
SAC, rm 1204
Fall 2009,
Tue & Thur
Aug 25 Introduction and Chap. 1 What is Anthropology
27 Chap
1 cont’d
-----
Sept
1 Video
#1 “The Human Animal: Nature vs. Nurture”
3 Chap
2 The Nature of Culture
-----
8 Chap
3 Studying Culture
10 Chap
3 cont’d
-----
15 Chap 4 Language and Culture
17 Chap. cont’d
-----
22 Video #2 “Signs of the Apes”
24 Chap 5 Learning One’s Culture
-----
29 Test 1
Oct
1 Chap
6 Making a Living
-----
6 Video #3 “Kayapo – Brazilian
Rainforest Indians”
8 First Written Review (Plan B, 3.0) due
Chap 7 Economic Systems
-----
13 Chap
8 Kinship and Descent
15 Chap
9 Marriage and Family
-----
20 Video
#4 “Family & Descent, pts. I & II”
22 Chap
10 Gender
-----
27 Video
#5 “Brain Sex, pt. 1”
29 Test 2
-----
Nov
3
(Second Written Review Due)
5
-----
10
12
-----
17 Ch.
14 cont’d
19 Video
#6 “
-----
23 Last
Day to Withdraw
24 Test 3
26 No
class, Thanksgiving
-----
Dec
2 Chap 15 The Arts
4 Chap
16 Colonialism & Cultural Transformation
-----
9 Ch
17 Living in a Global World
11 Test 4
Points:
Test
1 __________/100
Test
2 __________/100
Test
3 __________/100
Test
4
__________/100
1st Review
___________/30
2nd
Review ___________/30
3rd
Review ____________/30
Attendance
& deadlines___/10
Total ______/500 points
Grading: out of 500 points
( A >
450, B > 400, C > 350, D > 300 points)
CULTURAL
ANTHROPOLOGY
Syllabus
ANTH 2351-001, Syn. 39078 lecture
SAC, rm 1204
Fall 2009,
Tue & Thur
Name________________________________________________________
Address______________________________________________________
City & Zip_____________________________________________________
Phone numbers: please circle the one to try first
(h)_____________________
(cell)________________________
Do you have an ACC Email address yet? ______
Number of years at ACC?
Number of years at any
other colleges?
Number of courses you are
taking this semester?
Are you working this
semester?
If you have taken any
Anthropology courses before, what were they?
Do you have a major? If so, I’m curious what it is…
Care to share any long
term plans?
Do you know how to access
material on Blackboard (acconline.austincc.edu)?