 Introduction
to Cultural Anthropology
REQUIRED TEXT:
William A. Haviland, Cultural Anthropology.
Harcourt & Brace.
NOTE: Additional reading materials will be placed
in the Library Reserve Room
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
The course is aimed at understanding
the process of adaptation by humans to their environment. Special emphasis
will be given to adaptive patterns, kinship & marriage, politics &
social control and religious beliefs & rituals. Efforts will also be
made to understand the changing nature of human adaptation caused by planned
and unplanned cultural changes.
EXAMS:
There will be three exams in
the course. The exams will be in multiple choice format.
ATTENDANCE:
Classroom attendance is essential to do well
in the course. Regular classroom attendance will be taken. The student
is expected to be in the class on time and stay for the entire class period.
Those who arrive late or leave early are asked not to disrupt the rest
of the class.
EXTRA POINTS:
Students attend classes regularly and participate
in discussion will earn an extra 5 point bonus. Those with more than 3
unexcused absences may not be entitled to these points.
MAKE-UP EXAM:
As a general rule there will be absolutely NO
make-up exams. In extraordinary circumstances a make-up exam may be possible.
However, the student must inform the instructor in advance about the intention
of making-up the exam(s); otherwise each make-up exam is subjected to minus
5 points.
CLASS PARTICIPATION:
Students are expected to complete the assigned
reading before coming to the class. The syllabus indicates the reading
assignment for each day. Based on the preparation, it is expected that
students participate in the class discussions
ETHNOGRAPHIC FILM:
A total of ten ethnographic films will be shown
in the course. A study guide for each film is attached with the syllabus.
Students are to use the guide and extract meaning of each film and try
to understand how the film relates to the course materials. Of the eight
films, students are to select any four and write a page long discussion
about each film. The discussion will include the main theme of the film
and a critical reaction on the film. The dates for the submission of each
report are as follow:
|
Film 1:
Jan 28
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Film 2:Feb 6
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Film 3:Feb 8
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Film 4
Feb 15
|
|
Film 5
Feb 27
|
Film 6
Mar 18
|
Film 7Mar 28
|
Film 8
Apr 3
|
Note: No
report will be accepted a week after the due dates. The reports turned
in after the due dates will be subjected to minus 2 points. Each report
is worth 5 points.
ROLE PLAYING:
An important requirement of the course is to
participate in a role playing session in the class. Students are also responsible
for making necessary preparations for the activity. An instructional package
outlining the activity will be given to the students in the class.
KINSHIP (GENEALOGY) PROJECT:
The project entails the following steps:
-
Selecting a family/kindred with three generations
(e.g. grandparents, parents, and sons/daughters).
-
Selecting an individual from the family as an informant
who will be willing to provide necessary information about the family.
-
Drawing up a kinship/genealogy chart of the family
obtaining information from the informant. (Rules of drawing a chart will
be explained while discussing the chapter on kinship in the class).
-
Identifying the nature of interactions going on among
the members of the family included in the kindred. In this phase, students
will identify the following interactions:
a) Economic Interaction: Helping out with money,
loans, etc.
b) Service Interaction: Providing assistance
in childcare, house sitting, etc.
c) Social Interaction: paying visits to one another,
calling over phone, writing letters, etc.
-
Reporting on the overall socioeconomic status of
the family (educational, occupational, economic, religious, ethnic/cultural
background)
-
Writing a note (half a page to a page) on the informant/ego.
The note should include socioeconomic and demographic and also some subjective/impressionistic
information about the ego.
-
Concluding the paper by integrating all the date
obtained from the informant/ego about the kindred. The conclusion should
attempt to answer one question: Is kinship a viable force in the kindred?
A separate handout will be given to student to help writing the conclusion.
Note: The project report should
be at least 3 pages long (excluding the kinship chart). Projects turned
in after the due date (Apr 10 will be subjected to minus 10 points. However,
projects turned in after Apr 15 will not be accepted. Save a copy
of your project report for the presentation.
CULTURAL ANALYSIS PAPER:
Students are to write a three-page paper on cultural
analysis on any particular aspect of our culture. It is expected that students
should select a cultural element which is preferably unique to our culture.
For example, some of the unique aspect of our culture are Thanksgiving,
courtship/dating, inner city, American university, shopping mall, football
or any other sports, fraternities/sororities, fast-food, high school/college
graduation, Christmas, yard sale, birthday celebration, etc.
The topics for the cultural analysis paper must
be approved by the instructor. Further discussions about the cultural analysis
will be held in the class during the semester.
The paper should include the following points:
-
A brief description of the people including their religion, race, ethnicity,
economy, etc. (Imagining yourself as an anthropologist from another culture).
-
Describe the integrational aspect of the cultural aspect. You are
expected to discuss the way your specific cultural element (one that you
are studying) fits into the whole scheme of things in the society.
In other words, the functions the cultural aspect fulfill in the society.
-
Discuss the symbolic aspect of the cultural aspect. What are the
symbols involved in the cultural aspect you are writing about?
-
Address the variability aspect of the cultural aspect. How do different
groups in the society perceive the cultural aspects differently?
-
Conclusion: Does the cultural analysis adds a deeper understanding
of any culture?
Note: The paper is due on Jan 30. Papers turned in after the due date will be subjected to minus 10 points.
Papers turned in after Feb 6 will not be accepted.
GRADING:
|
Exam 1
|
60 Points
|
|
Exam 2
|
60 Points
|
|
Exam 3
|
60 Points
|
|
Role Playing & Class Participation
|
25 Points
|
|
Film Reports
|
20 Points
|
|
Genealogy Paper
|
60 Points
|
|
Total
|
285 Points
|
GRADING STANDARD:
| 95 % - 100 % ........... A |
74 % - 76 % .............. C |
| 90 % - 94 % ............. A- |
70 % - 73 % .............. C- |
| 87 % - 89 % .............. B+ |
65 % - 69 % .............. D+ |
| 84 % - 86 % .............. B |
60 % - 64 % ............... D |
| 80 % - 83 % .............. B- |
Below 60 % ................ E |
| 77 % - 79 % .............. C+ |
..........
|
TOPICS AND READINGS:
|
Date
|
Activity
|
|
Jan 14
|
Getting to know one another
|
|
16
|
Film: Yanomami Indians in Brazil
|
|
18-21
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Nature of Anthropology Ch. 1
|
|
23-25
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The Nature of Culture Ch 2
|
|
28
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Exam 1
|
|
30-Feb 1
|
Patterns of Subsistence Ch. 6
|
|
4
|
Film: Patterns of Subsistence (Hunter-Gatherers)
|
|
6
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Film:Patterns of Subsistence (Pastoralist-Horticulturalist)
|
|
8-11
|
Economic System Ch 7
|
|
13
|
Film: Economic Anthropology
|
|
15-18
|
Sex & Marriage Ch. 8
|
|
20-22
|
Family & Household Ch. 9
|
|
25
|
Film: Yucatec of Maya
|
|
27- Mar 11
|
Kinship & Descent Ch. 10
Kinship
Terminology
Trace
your genealogy
|
|
13
|
Film: Kinship & Descent Part. 1
|
|
15
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Exam 2: (Ch. 6, 7, 8, 9, & 10)
|
| 18-20 |
Sex, Age, Common Interest Ch 11 |
|
22
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Film: Age, Common Interest Association ...
|
|
25-27
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Religion & Magic Ch. 13
|
|
29
|
Film: Religion & Magic
|
|
Apr 3-5
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Political Organization & Social Control Ch. 12
|
|
8-10
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Culture Change Ch. 15
(Genealogy Paper Due on Apr 10)
|
|
12
|
Film: Business of Hunger
|
|
15
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Dr. Judy Brink- Fieldwork in Egypt
|
|
17-19
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Role Rehearsal & Role Playing
|
|
22
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Film: Anthropologists at work
|
|
24
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Assigned reading--articles
http://ernie.bgsu.edu/~jdowell/miner.html
|
|
26-29
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Project Presentation
|
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May 6 10 AM
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Exam 3
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Note: The instructor
reserves the right to add to, delete from, and rearrange the above course
outline if needed.
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