ANTHROPOLOGY 251

PEOPLES OF SOUTH AMERICA

Fall, 2003

Dr. Jane Granskog	Office Hours:
Sociology/Anthropology Dept: 664-2368	Tu Th: 1:30-3:00
Office: DDH/CC206 664-3117	W: 3:00-5:00
e-mail: jgranskog@csub.edu website: www.csub.edu/~jgranskog	Or by appointment

Course Objectives and Description

The primary objectives of this course are: (1) to survey the range and diversity of Indian societies in South America from a socio-historical and ecological perspective; and (2) to obtain a more meaningful understanding of the diversity of South American Indian societies and the problems faced by contemporary Indian groups undergoing socio-cultural change.

These objectives will be carried out through the exploration of five themes:

1) Forms of ecological adaptation

2) Ethnic and racial diversity

3) Marriage and family life

4) Ideology and ritual expression

5) Problems of modernization

Required Readings

Bastien, Joseph, 1985. Mountain of the Condor. Waveland Press.

Heyck, Denis, 2002. Surviving Globalization in Three Latin American Communities. Broadview Press.

Perkins, John, Shakim Mariano Chumpi, 2001. Spirit of the Shuar: Wisdom from the Last Unconquered People of the Amazon. Inner Traditions.

Wilson, David, 1999. Indigenous South Americans of the Past and Present. Westview Press

Readings on Reserve

Annis, Sheldon and Peter Hakim (eds), 1988. Direct to the Poor: Grassroots Development in Latin America. Lynne Rienner. Ch. 1, 8, 11, 15

Gray, Andrew, 1987. The Amerindians of South America. Minority Rights Groups No. 15

From Langdon, E Jean Matteson and Gerhard Baer (Eds), 1992. Portals of Power: Shamanism in South America Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press.

Langdon, E Jean Matteson, 1992. Shamanism and Anthropology. In Langdon and Baer, pp. 1-24.

Langdon, E Jean Matteson, 1992. Dau: Shamanic Power in Siona Religion and Medicine. In Langdon and Baer, pp. 41-62.

Perrin, Michel, 1992. The Body of the Guajiro Shaman: Symptoms or Symbols? In Langdon and Baer, pp. 103-126.

From: Lyon, Patricia (Ed), 1974. Native South Americans: Ethnology of the Least Known Continent. Boston: Little, Brown Publishing Co.

Murphy, Robert, 1974. Deviance and Social Control I: What Makes Waru Run? In Lyon, pp. 195-201; Deviance and Social Control II: Borai. In Lyon, pp. 202-208.

Spitzer, M., 1978. Faces of Change. Boston: American University Field Staff Inc., Wheelock Educational Resources. Chapters on Bolivia, #1-6 (background reading for the films on the Aymara).

Stiles, D., 1987. "Classical versus Grassroots Development". Cultural Survival Quarterly 11(1): 3-7.

Sample papers from students who have taken this class in the past will also be placed on reserve. Additional required and recommended readings not listed above may also be put on reserve during the quarter.

Course Requirements

Each of you will select a particular contemporary indigenous society (by the second week of class) about which readings and research focusing on the five themes will be carried out. A bibliography of sample societies will be provided. Additional resources can be found on the internet at http://ehraf.hti.umich.edu/e/ehraf. Following introductory lectures on each theme, class sessions will focus on discussion of relevant concepts as they apply to the material you have gathered on your chosen society. In addition, you will be asked to compare and contrast your findings with correspondent features of American culture. Three short written reports (see below) on three of the themes will be required based on the application of the concepts and theories to the society being researched. You will also be asked to give a short presentation on the society you have chosen during class discussion. In addition, there will be a final examination consisting primarily of short essay questions. The three reports (revised if necessary) along with a final summation of your selected society will be turned in at the end of the term.

The percentage breakdown of course requirements will be as follows:

Research reports (20% each):	60%	Final summary report & class presentations/discussion:	10%
Final Exam:	30%

Policy on Plagiarism

The Department of Sociology and Anthropology will not accept or tolerate instances of academic fraud or plagiarism among its students or faculty. Plagiarism is an extremely serious offense. Using published or unpublished material without citing the source is plagiarism. You may use someone else's material if you enclose it in quotation marks and reference precisely its source. Such material, however, should be used sparingly, if at all. Simply paraphrasing someone else's material by minimal re-arrangement of the wording is also plagiarism. It is an equally serious offense if you write a paper for someone else, or copy someone else's work, or allow someone to copy your work. In all cases, this is cheating. Plagiarism and cheating automatically result in a grade of F for the course and students will face disciplinary sanction by Student Discipline and Judicial Affairs. College regulations also require that a letter be entered into the student's file regarding the infraction, and any second offense will lead to permanent dismissal from the university. More specifics can be found at: Plagiarism

Guidelines for Research Reports

The three short research reports on your selected society must be typed, double-spaced and a minimum of 4-6 typed pages in length. Each one is due at the end of the 4th, 6th, and 8th week respectively. Each paper will focus on one of the following themes and will be written in the following order: (1) marriage and family life -- social organization; (2) ideology and ritual expression; (3) modernization. Each paper will be evaluated and returned to you for possible revisions. After you have taken the instructor's comments into account, all three papers with a corresponding summary will be re-submitted as a single document at the end of the quarter.

The following criteria will be used to evaluate your reports:

1) Thoroughness in gathering all relevant empirical material on the themes.

2) Analysis and interpretation: relating empirical material to explanatory frameworks (theories, concepts, and generalizations) and demonstration of the discovery of relationships among diverse aspects of culture. Does the report provide new insight into the chosen subject matter via carefully thought out consideration or does it come off as a simple "re-hash" of source materials?

3) Evidence of comparisons with materials from other cultures, either your own and/or other South American cultures discussed in class and in the readings.

4) Clarity of structure and organization. Is the report clear, concise and to the point? Is the information presented in a logical, orderly fashion that can be readily understood?

5) Correct spelling, punctuation and grammar.

Research Report Questions and Format

1. RESEARCH REPORT I - The focus of your first report is on the forms of social organization (marriage and family in particular) found within your selected society. More specifically, your report should address the following:

How have geography, history and the corresponding adaptation to the environment affected the forms of social organization found within your society? What types of organizational units are present (family and kin groups in particular)? What types of relations do people form with one another? Include your reaction to their ways as contrasted with your own. Be sure to specify the "ethnographic present" (time period you are describing) being utilized.

REFERENCES - We do not use footnotes but include references in the text and list them in a bibliography at the end of the report. Guidelines for the appropriate style to be used can be found on the web at http://www.aaanet.org/pubs/style_guide.htm An alphabetical list of ALL references utilized MUST be included in the bibliography. If you get a fact from a book, you must list the author, date, and page in the text of your paper. For example, if you are describing specific features of the status of females in Yanomamo society in your paper as discussed by Chagnon, then you must credit Chagnon.

Women in Yanomamo society are clearly inferior to men -- they are responsible for carrying out the most arduous menial tasks and have no significant decision making powers (Chagnon 1997:122).

If you are citing the same reference consecutively (i.e., two or more times in a row) for the second and consecutive citations use the following format:

Yanomamo women do not have any say in determining whom they shall marry (pp. 122-123)

Direct quotes that are less than two to three lines may be incorporated in the text and indicated as such by quotation marks at the beginning and end of the quote. Quotes more than four lines in length should be separated from the body of the text, single spaced and indented five spaces on either side; such longer quotes do NOT need quotation marks.

At the end of your paper you then must list the Chagnon reference. FOLLOW THIS FORMAT, NOTE THE POSITIONING OF THE AUTHOR, DATE, CITY OF PUBLICATION AND PUBLISHER.

A BOOK REFERENCE WOULD LOOK LIKE THIS:

Chagnon, Napolean

1997 Yanomamo. Fort Worth,TX: Harcourt Brace College Publishers.

A JOURNAL ARTICLE WOULD LOOK LIKE THIS:

Chagnon, Napolean

1967 Yanomamo--The Fierce People. Natural History 76:22-31.

NOTE THE NAME OF THE JOURNAL, VOLUME, NUMBER, AND PAGES

AN INTERNET SOURCE WOULD LOOK LIKE THIS:

Flores, Robert

1998 Report from Chiapas. Electronic document URL http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/chpintro.html (visited 2003, September 15)

2. RESEARCH REPORT II - The focus of this report is on the characteristics of the belief system (ideology) and the way in which it is expressed, especially in ritual activity. The format for this essay is the same as before. Be sure to address the following question in your essay:

Briefly describe the MAJOR features of the ideology (world view/belief system) of your society. How does ritual and religious ideology contribute to a more meaningful social life for the members of your group? Include your reaction to their ways as contrasted with your own.

One way to deal with the problem of describing an ideology in succinct fashion is to look for key values (core values) expressed within the society -- e.g., the emphasis on male superiority and aggressiveness found among the Yanomamo; the ritual significance of the coca plant for the Aymara, etc. Show how these values are expressed in ritual activity using supportive examples to illustrate them.

3. RESEARCH REPORT III - The focus of this report is on the impact of the outside world upon your chosen society. The format, once again, is the same as in preceding reports. Be sure to address the following questions in your essay:

Briefly describe the nature of the interaction your society has had with the outside world (you may use an historical overview, touching upon key points of interaction/events, to do this). What problems have they faced in coping with outsiders and how have they done so? What do you think is the potential future of your group from the evidence available to you? To what extent do you feel that they have a role to play in deciding their own future? Include, as before, in your summary conclusions, your reaction to the information you have uncovered.

4. FINAL RESEARCH REPORT SUMMARY - In this final report summary, to be included with the re-submittal of your three research reports, address the following questions:

In the overall investigation of your society, what aspects of their life/culture have you found to be the most significant? What new insights into the workings of other cultures have you gained from doing this study? What new insights have you gained on American culture and society as a result of your investigations?

SCHEDULE OF READING ASSIGNMENTS

Date and Topic	Readings
Week 1: (9/9, 11) Overview - An Introduction to South America (geography and history)	Wilson: Ch. 1-4 (pp. 1-108) Gray (recommended)
Week 2 & 3: (9/16, 18, 23, 25) Culture and Environment - Variation in Forms of Adaptation	Wilson: Ch 5,6,8 (pp. 109-250; 286-333) Bastian, 1-50;
Preliminary Selection of Society Due: Sept. 23
Week 4 & 5: (9/30, 10/2, 7, 9) Variations in Social Structure and Organization (marriage and family life) Films on Yanomamo, slides on Shuar	Perkins and Chumpi; Murphy, pp. 195-208
Research Report I Due: October 7
Week 6 & 7: (10/14, 16, 21, 23) Ideology: Relations with the Supernatural Films: Aymara: Magic and Catholicism; The Spirit Possession of Alejandro Mamami; also on the Campi and Kayapo		Perkins and Chumpi Bastien, pp. 51-199; Langdon; Faces of Change: Bolivia #5,6
Research Report II Due: October 23
Week 8 & 9: (10/28,30, 11/4, 6) Change and Destruction: Processes of Modernization		Heyck pp. 1-200; Stiles; Annis & Hakim, pp. 1-16; Ch. 8, 11, 15
Research Report III Due: November 6 HOLIDAY ≠ November 11 ≠Veteranπs Day
Week 9 & 10: (11/6, 13, 18) Summary and Conclusions -- The Future of the Amerindians and Our Own Responses to Global Crises Films: Amazonia; Americas: Brazil, Chile
Final Summary Report Due: November 18
Final Exam: Tuesday, November 25 - 5:00 - 7:30